Montréal, March 15, 2024 – It is with great enthusiasm that Génome Québec, Ataxia Canada, and Muscular Dystrophy Canada announced today, during a webinar, the winners of the Innovative Therapies for Hereditary Ataxias competition. This initiative was created to encourage the discovery and development of new therapies and mobilize the research ecosystem. The total investment, including that of Ataxia Canada, represents over $850,000 for these rare neurological diseases.
The winning projects will contribute to the acceleration of therapeutic innovation in hereditary ataxias. Beyond this competition, the multidisciplinary collaborations formed around these projects, in addition to benefiting individuals affected, also serve to stimulate the rare disease research ecosystem. In this way, the competition serves, in part, axis three of the plan d’action québécois sur les maladies rares, i.e. “Promoting research, innovation and data collection”, by promoting fundamental and translational research.
Quotes
“Given the urgent need for therapies for people with ataxia, and the enormous potential of genomics in the development of innovative therapies, it was pertinent to join forces to address this critical need. Omics technologies and bioinformatics have the potential not only to find targets for new drugs more efficiently, but also to lay the foundations for enabling the development of therapies for people suffering from these rare neurological diseases. The announcement of these winning projects represents a step forward in the fight against these diseases.”
Stéphanie Lord-Fontaine, Vice-President, Scientific Affairs at Génome Québec
“Ataxia Canada is 50 years of steady scientific progress towards a cure. We believe that genomic technologies are the key to a cure for ataxia, and that their future holds great promise. Because science advances, technologies progress, and life is stronger than anything else, we do everything we can to make our mission a reality. One of the benefits of this program is to create a large pool of researchers. It was an opportunity to expand our network and raise the profile of our programs.”
François-Olivier Théberge, Chief Executive Officer of Ataxia Canada
“Muscular Dystrophy Canada is proud to have contributed to the design and thinking behind this program, which harnesses the power of collaboration and innovation. This call for proposals was designed to encourage innovation in order to accelerate understanding of rare diseases such as Friedreich’s ataxia, acquire transferable knowledge between ataxias, and identify possible avenues for future therapies. Although there has not been a winning project involving Friedreich’s ataxia, we firmly believe that innovation surrounding therapies for this disease requires such initiatives.”
Homira Osman, Vice President, Research and Public Policy, Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Congratulations to the recipients
- Nancy Braverman from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre – Central nervous system-directed gene therapy to improve ataxia and neurodegeneration in a Pex16 mouse model
- Éric Lécuyer and Pascal Chartrand from the Montréal Clinical Research Institute – Determining the repertoires and therapeutic potential of RNA binding proteins that undergo sequestration by toxic repeat RNA in spinocerebellar ataxias
- Éric Samarut and Martine Tétreault from the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal – Dissecting the pathogenic mechanisms of CANVAS (Cerebellar Ataxia, Neuropathy, Vestibular Areflexia Syndrome) to develop further therapeutic strategies
About Génome Québec
Génome Québec’s mission is to catalyze the development and excellence of genomics research and promote its integration and democratization. It is a pillar of the Québec bioeconomy and contributes to Québec’s influence and its social and sustainable development. The funds invested by Génome Québec are provided by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE), the Government of Canada, through Genome Canada, and private partners. To learn more, visit https://www.genomequebec.com/en/home/.
About Ataxia Canada
Ataxia Canada’s mission is the well-being of people with familial ataxia, to contribute to the research of new diagnostic tools, to the development of promising treatments and to bring the ataxia community in Canada closer together. For more information, visit https://lacaf.org/en/.
About Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s mission is to enhance the lives of those impacted with neuromuscular disorders by continually working to provide ongoing support and resources while relentlessly searching for cures through well-funded research. To learn more about Muscular Dystrophy Canada, please visit muscle.ca or call our toll-free number at 1 800 567-2873.
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Contacts
Antoine Gascon
Specialist, Communications and Public affairs
Génome Québec
514 377-5613
François-Olivier Théberge
Chief Executive Officer
Ataxia Canada
514 321-8684
Sylvie Saint-Amand
Communications Associate
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
514 244-0381, ext. 1135