More than $5.5 million of CIHR funding awarded to NMD4C members to strengthen neuromuscular research capacity in Canada
Congratulations to the recipients of the Fall 2022 CIHR funded project grant competition! Seven projects were awarded (>5.5M) to NMD4C members to advance neuromuscular research in Canada: Drs. Rashmi Kothary and Cynthia Gagnon (steering committee members); Dr. Bernard Brais (investigator); Drs. Elise Duchesne (2 projects funded) and Gerald Pfeffer (working group members); and Drs. Yan Burelle, Nicolas Dumont (2 projects funded), Penney Gilbert, Luc Hébert, Mireille Khacho, Keir Menzies, Louise Moyle, and Toshifumi Yokota (members). Of note, 6/7 of the funded projects were awarded to early-career researchers (Drs. Nicolas Dumont, Elise Duchesne, Mireille Khacho, and Louise Moyle). Further information on the funding recipients can be found below.
Project Title: Extra-neuronal contribution to spinal muscular atrophy disease pathogenesis ($818,550).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rashmi Kothary; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Project Title: Regulation of satellite stem cell fate by LINC complex proteins ($1,071,000).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Penney Gilbert; University of Toronto
Co-Investigators: Drs. Louise Moyle and Aaron Wheeler
Project Title: Therapeutic potential of bioactive lipids as anti-fibrotic therapy for muscle regeneration and dystrophies ($757,350).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Nicolas Dumont; Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Québec)
Project Title: Targeting defective cells to restore myogenesis and muscle function in myotonic dystrophy type 1 ($761,175).
Principal Investigators: Drs. Nicolas Dumont and Elise Duchesne; Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Québec)
Project Title: IMPACT, a supervised rehabilitation program for spastic ataxias: A rater-blinded, randomized controlled trial ($638,776).
Principal Investigators: Drs. Elise Duchesne, Mylene Aubertin, Bernard Brais, and Cynthia Gagnon; Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Co-Investigators: Drs. Rubens da Silva, Raquel Fonseca, Luc Hébert, Gerald Pfeffer
Project Title: Mitochondrial Quality Control in Muscle Stem Cells: A Determinant of Cell Fate Decision and Tissue Repair Capacity ($692,325).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yan Burelle; University of Ottawa
Co-Investigators: Drs. Mireille Khacho, Keir Menzies
Project Title: Neutrophil Responses in Doxorubicin-Induced Myopathy ($879,750).
Principal Investigator: Javier Clemente-Casares; University of Alberta
Co-Investigators: Gavin Oudit, Toshifumi Yokota
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Discover Neuromuscular Talent Across Canada
The NMD4C Neuromuscular Talent Pool is now live with new trainees! We invite supervisors and research groups to explore the Talent Pool to identify candidates whose skills, experience, and interests align with your work and upcoming positions. Trainees interested in being included in the Neuromuscular Talent Pool can register by completing the short form, uploading a CV and brief personal statement outlining their experience, interests, and career goals. For more information and to access the Talent Pool, please visit our website.
Join Us at the 2026 NMD4C Annual Meeting on 25 September
The 2026 NMD4C Annual Meeting will take place in Calgary on Friday, September 25, 2026. The agenda will feature a brief network update, trainee and early-career recognitions, flash talks, a health economics research showcase, and a series of cross‑disciplinary and parallel clinical/pre‑clinical discussion sessions to explore key topics, including advocacy and therapy access, strategies to sustain and strengthen pre-clinical programs, and network sustainability and strategic planning.