A SUPER-powered WP Engine Atlas Test Site

Joe&#039;s Atlas Experimentation Site

The <a href="https://als.ca/">ALS Society of Canada</a> (ALS Canada) has awarded two expedited grants totaling $200,000 to international researchers seeking to advance understanding of <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/what-is-als/">amyotrophic lateral sclerosis</a> (ALS).
Provided through the 2023 ALS Canada Acceleration Grant Program, a $100,000 grant will support Mónica Povedano, MD, at the Hospital de Bellvitge-IDIBELL in Barcelona, Spain, in conducting a population-based study of ALS in Colombia and Ethiopia.
Stefan Dukic, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University Medical Centre Utrecht, in the Netherlands, will also receive $100,000 to develop a new method to subgroup people with ALS using an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity in the brain.
“We are incredibly proud to be bringing forward an innovative opportunity to fund new projects at an expedited speed with the ALS Canada Acceleration Grant Program,” Tammy Moore, CEO of ALS Canada, said in a <a href="https://als.ca/blogs/als-canada-funding-new-acceleration-grant-program-2023/">press release from the non-profit</a>.
[recommended-reading id=89616]
<h3>ALS Canada seeks to fund research that will affect future discoveries</h3>
“ALS is a devastating disease; by bringing together global leaders in ALS to identify and support projects from around the world, we look to fund research that will change the outcome of an <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/als-diagnosis/">ALS diagnosis</a> and have an impact on future ALS discoveries,” Moore said.
In ALS, the nerve cells that control voluntary movements, called motor neurons, progressively degenerate and die, preventing the brain from properly controlling muscles.
People with ALS experience <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/symptoms-of-als/">symptoms</a> such as progressive muscle weakness, typically starting in the hands or feet, or the muscles around the throat and mouth, which leads to problems swallowing and speaking. Over time, muscle weakness can evolve into paralysis, with little to no ability to move or breathe. Eventual respiratory failure is the most common cause of death in ALS.
<h3>Program created to expedite funding process for promising research projects</h3>
The ALS Canada Acceleration Grant Program was created to expedite the funding process for promising research that relies on a unique form of global peer review. Specialists in the field take proactive measures to identify the most suitable projects to support rather than assessing applications after they are submitted. This could reduce the time to secure funding from years to a few months.
Among the selected projects, Povedano will lead a collaborative effort with colleagues in Colombia and Ethiopia to conduct an epidemiological study — the distribution of ALS in populations and the factors determining that distribution — in these countries. The project will be the first comparative study of ALS across different ethnic backgrounds while incorporating data from European individuals.
In addition, Povedano will help create the infrastructure to conduct clinical trials, which may provide access to <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/experimental-treatments-for-als/">investigational therapies</a> in these countries. The research will also advance opportunities to discover new treatments that may help ALS patients globally if successful.
Dukic and colleagues have shown that EEG, which uses electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect abnormal patterns of brain activity related to motor and cognitive function in people with ALS. The technology may predict disease progression.
[recommended-reading id=89315]
<h3>Grant will help speed research, recruit more participants in EEG study</h3>
The grant will help speed up this work and recruit more participants. The team will also combine EEG with MRI to investigate individuals who carry mutations in the C9ORF72 gene, the most common <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/als-and-genetics/">genetic cause of ALS</a>, and have yet to experience symptoms. This research may help the development of early or preventive treatments.
Funding for Dukic’s grant was made possible through a partnership with <a href="https://www.steviefever.com/">The Stevie Fever for ALS Foundation</a>, which contributed $100,000 to ALS Canada.
“Researchers around the globe are working tirelessly to uncover new discoveries that will advance our understanding of ALS and develop effective treatments for the disease,” said David Taylor, PhD, vice president of research and strategic partnerships at ALS Canada.
“To have an impact on people currently <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/living-with-als-2/">living with the disease</a>, we must move faster to fund research and look at promising, innovative ideas beyond our borders to fuel discoveries that will lead to a world free of ALS,” Taylor added.

ALS Canada awards $200K to speed global disease research

The <a href="https://als.ca/">ALS Society of Canada</a> (ALS Canada) and <a href="https://braincanada.ca/">Brain Canada</a> are collaboratively investing CA$1.4 million (about $1.1M US) in nine grants for studies ranging from the development of new treatments for <a href="https://alsnewstoday.com/what-is-als/">amyotrophic lateral sclerosis</a> (ALS) to finding ways to predict disease progression.
The ALS Canada <a href="https://als.ca/research/apply-for-funding/">Discovery grant program</a> supports projects that seek to identify causes of the neurodegenerative disorder, treatments for ALS or related diseases, and ways for patients to live optimally.
This funding round also received financial support from the <a href="https://sla-quebec.ca/en/jean-pierre-canuel-order-break-ice-need-find-cure/">Dr. Jean-Pierre Canuel Fund</a> at the nonprofit patient support organization <a href="https://twitter.com/sla_als_quebec?s=11&amp;t=kNsxGZs4Wc2EGxGFgQSySQ">SLA Quebec</a>.
[recommended-reading id=82805]
<h3>Grant projects chosen after competitive peer-review process</h3>
“The Discovery Grant program continues to support critical Canadian research that contributes to the global effort on understanding and treating ALS,&#8221; David Taylor, PhD, vice president of research and strategic partnerships at ALS Canada, said in a <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/03/22/2632250/0/en/ALS-Canada-and-Brain-Canada-invest-more-than-1-4-million-in-ALS-research-grants.html">press release</a> from the organization.
&#8220;Over the past 15 years, many discoveries made with these funds have provided a foundation for studies that are impacting humans today, whether through clinical trials or critical initiatives like CAPTURE ALS,” Taylor said.
Of note, CAPTURE ALS is a Canadian-based platform that enables ALS researchers to share common resources, including vast amounts of data from ALS patients.
Grant projects were chosen following a competitive peer-review process in which global ALS experts considered each applicant’s merit, the project’s quality, and the potential to advance the field of ALS research.
As part of the partnership’s commitment to back more ambitious research, the Discovery grant program includes two CA$300,000 funding opportunities, an increase from the CA$125,000 at which additional projects had been funded.
[quote=&#8221;center&#8221;]The Discovery Grant program continues to support critical Canadian research that contributes to the global effort on understanding and treating ALS.[/quote]
<h3>List of grant recipients</h3>
This year, one of the CA$300,00 Discovery grants went to Alex Parker, PhD, of the Universite de Montreal, and Gary Armstrong, PhD, of McGill University, to study whether axon protection could be a promising ALS treatment strategy. Funding for this particular project came from two CA$150,000 contributions from Brain Canada and SLA Quebec.
The other grant went to Richard Robitaille, PhD, Danielle Arbour, PhD, and Roberta Piovesana, PhD, of the University of Montreal, and Robert Bowser, PhD, of the Barrow Neurological Institute, who will use their CA$300,000 award to study whether neuromuscular junction proteins could aid in the development of ALS biomarkers.
Recipients of the CA$125,000 Discovery grants:
<ul>
<li>Carlos Rodrigo Camara-Lemarroy, MD, and Minh Dang Nguyen, PhD, both of the University of Calgary, and Deepak Kaushik, PhD, of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, will study whether a certain routine and inexpensive procedure could have a neuroprotective effect in ALS.</li>
<li>Renee Douville, PhD, of the University of Winnipeg, Jody Haigh, PhD, of the University of Manitoba, and Domenico Di Curzio, PhD, of St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre will investigate the potential role of retroviruses using a new mouse model of ALS.</li>
<li>Thomas Durcan, PhD, and Yasser Iturria-Medina, PhD, both of McGill University, will study whether a new three-dimensional cell culture model can help predict ALS progression.</li>
<li>Gary Shaw, PhD, and Martin Duennwald, PhD, of Western University, and Elizabeth Meiering, PhD, of the University of Waterloo, will determine if improving the mechanisms of toxic protein disposal in motor neurons can become a treatment strategy.</li>
<li>Maria Stepanova, PhD, in collaboration with Holger Wille, PhD, of the University of Alberta, will use their grant to examine the potential for computational methods to aid in the design of antibodies for ALS diagnosis and treatment.</li>
<li>Christine Vande Velde, PhD, of the Universite de Montreal, and Marlene Oeffinger, PhD, of the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal will investigate if restoring G3BP1 levels could be a promising ALS treatment strategy.</li>
<li>Maria Vera Ugalde, PhD, and Heather Durham, PhD, of McGill University, will study whether a novel way of viewing certain protective proteins could better explain their role in ALS.</li>
</ul>
“These nine leading-edge projects led by teams across Canada are contributing to global scientific discovery,” said Viviane Poupon, PhD, Brain Canada president and CEO. “Our unique partnership with ALS Canada has the potential to lead to better diagnosis and treatment for people living with ALS, and it’s something that we are very proud of.”

Tag: research grants

ALS Canada awards $200K to speed global disease research

ALS Canada, Brain Canada to fund more than $1M in research grants