Earlier today, the Quebec government announced the winners of its annual Prix du Quebec competition, a series of 15 awards in science and culture. Among them was Professor William Foulkes, Head of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the Lady Davis Institute, a member of the Cancer Research Program of the Research Institute of the º«¹úÂãÎè Health Centre, and Director of the Program in Cancer Genetics at º«¹úÂãÎè. Dr.
Changing makeup of a specific protein has the potential to neutralize the virus
Researchers from º«¹úÂãÎè are part of an international team led by the University of Buffalo, which has discovered a technique that could help increase the effectiveness of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The group’s study was published recently online in the journal .
Using a new technique, a team of º«¹úÂãÎè researchers has found tiny and previously undetectable ‘hot spots’ of extremely high stiffness inside aggressive and invasive breast cancer tumours. Their findings suggest, for the first time, that only very tiny regions of a tumor need to stiffen for metastasis to take place. Though still in its infancy, the researchers believe that their technique may prove useful in detecting and mapping the progression of aggressive cancers.
COVID-19 Resources Canada, a grassroots organization co-founded by a º«¹úÂãÎè researcher, today announced it received a donation of $250,000 from the to facilitate Canada’s response to the pandemic. Since its launch in March 2020, the organization has developed two of the most comprehensive databases in Canada with more than 600 COVID-19 funded research projects and experts from over 25 Canadian institutions.
As countries struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination uptake is a public health priority now more than ever. Efforts to increase vaccinations vary greatly around the globe. A new º«¹úÂãÎè-led study comparing policies around the world finds broad implementation of mandatory vaccination mandates. However, the penalties for failing to vaccinate differ significantly by country, ranging from fines to jail time.
A º«¹úÂãÎè-led multi-institutional research team has discovered that during memory consolidation, there are at least two distinct processes taking place in two different brain networks – the excitatory and inhibitory networks. The excitatory neurons are involved in creating a memory trace, and the inhibitory neurons block out background noise and allow long-term learning to take place.
Trust in public institutions is linked to fewer COVID-19 deaths, but trust and belonging to groups is associated with more deaths, according to a wide-ranging, º«¹úÂãÎè-led study of 30-day COVID-19 mortality rates in 84 countries. Greater economic inequality is also associated with COVID-19 mortality.
A new study examining the link between peanut and tree-nut anaphylaxis in children and holidays found spikes at Halloween and Easter. The , led by a team of researchers from the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the º«¹úÂãÎè Health Centre (MCH-MUHC), found that most were previously unknown allergies, calling for increased awareness.
Experts working in the field of vaccine development tend to believe that an effective vaccine is not likely to be available for the general public before the fall of 2021. In a paper published recently in the , a º«¹úÂãÎè-led team published the results of a recent survey of 28 experts working in vaccinology.
Researchers at º«¹úÂãÎè are part of a major international study to better understand the cause and effect of psychosis in adolescents and young adults who are at risk for this condition. The research, which is being led by the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, will be funded by a $52 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Initial results of study show that an estimated 250 independent events following spring break travel in March led to 60,000 people being infected
A group of scientists at University of Montreal, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), and º«¹úÂãÎè has been awarded a major research grant of over $12.5 million from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative over the next three years to study Parkinson’s disease. ASAP’s implementation partner The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research issued the grant.
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Congratulations to Timothy Wideman, PT, PhD, recently named to 2020-2021 Faculty Honour List for Educational Excellence. This Honour List is to recognize outstanding contributions to education in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in the areas of teaching, educational leadership and innovation, faculty development, and research and scholarly activity. Please consider attending the symposium to recognize the honorees which will take place Thursday October 1, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Findings could lead to development of pre-clinical stage therapeutics
By Jason Clement
For decades researchers have known that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes the atrophy of a system of neurons and synapses highly involved in memory, learning and attention, which is highly dependent on a molecule known as nerve growth factor (NGF). The disease causes dysregulation of NGF’s metabolism, leading to the loss of the synapses and neurons that depend on it, akin to plants being deprived of light.
As COVID-19 restrictions loosen this summer, Canadians will spend more time outdoors and make the most of the sunshine. A new study from º«¹úÂãÎè suggests why men may be more genetically prone to develop skin cancer.