Finding treatments for brain diseases   

Multidisciplinary teams of researchers at Western's BrainsCAN are developing innovative ways to develop breakthrough treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Western neuroscientists and neurologists are combining efforts to develop more efficient ways to test the effectiveness of medication for neurodegenerative diseases - the leading cause of disability in Canada. There are no successful drug therapies for brain conditions - like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS - and current clinical trials for neurodegenerative disorders fail 92 per cent of the time, with each misfire costing as much as $1 billion. An interdisciplinary team of internationally renowned researchers are using innovative technology and advanced neuroscience techniques to bridge the gap between cutting-edge basic science and game-changing clinical discoveries. And this all happens with support from BrainsCAN, a neuroscience research initiative at Western supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). Models and modern tech  Marco Prado, Canada Research Chair in Neurochemistry of Dementia, and Vania Prado, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor, start by developing animal models at the molecular and cellular level that better reflect human neurodegenerative conditions. This modelling allows the scientists to isolate disruptions in the brain, which cause the diseases, expediting discovery for new therapeutic targets.