Example of leveraging of funds and increasing the profile of ALS researchThe first-ever Tim E. Noël Fellowships in ALS Research have been awarded to Edor Kabashi, Joe V. Chakkalakal and François Gros-Louis.
“The awards are a wonderful example of leveraging of funds and increasing the profile of ALS research in the young scientific community,” said David S. Cameron, ALS Canada President & CEO.
Each candidate is eligible to receive the fellowship valued at up to $55,000 annually for up to three years. The interest from the Tim E. Noël Endowment Fund covers the cost of the scholarship. ALS Canada worked closely with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to ensure an exemplary decision process. The fellowship was awarded through the CIHR fellowship competition, using its peer review process for the determination of scientific merit of the applications for funding.
Edor Kabashi is a post-doctoral PhD fellow working with Dr. Guy Rouleau at the Neurogenics Laboratory at the Centre Hospitalier at Université de Montréal. His project is entitled “Developing and characterizing novel models of ALS and other neurological disorders in zebrafish.” He completed his PhD this year in Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University.
Approximately 10 per cent of people with ALS have the inherited form of the disease. Animal models, in particular mice, have been developed to study mutant superoxide dismutase (SOD1) induced toxicity responsible for motor neuron damage in those living with ALS. However, more than a decade of extensive studies on mice has failed to find a successful treatment because transgenic (gene-mutated) mice are not suitable for high-intensity drug discovery.
Zebrafish expressing the mutant SOD1 gene have recently shown greater promise than mice as a model to study inherited ALS. Zebrafish are easier to breed, have shorter disease generating times and are more cost effective. Transgenic zebrafish will allow for screening of high-intensity drug treatments. The most successful can then be tested on mutant SOD1 mice and eventually on those living with ALS. Kabashi is hopeful this new model will explain the selective degeneration of motor neurons and lead to the development of therapies to help those who suffer from this devastating disease.
Kabashi was one of ALS Canada’s first recipients of the Doctoral Research Awards given in 2005 for his project, “Problems with protein disposal in ALS,” to illustrate misfolded protein in ALS pathogenesis using transgenic mouse models.
Joe V. Chakkalakal’s project is entitled “The establishment of motor unit homogeneity during development and after axon regeneration.” He is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa in the department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and will be a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Joshua Sanes at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Recent studies of animals revealed variations in how different motor neurons respond to degeneration. Of particular relevance is that certain types of motor neurons display compensatory behavior while others are more susceptible to injury. Although it’s not known why some motor neurons are more susceptible to injury, it’s known that motor neurons differ according to the types of muscle fibres they innervate.
Chakkalakal wants to use the most up-to-date imaging technology available to study how motor neurons and target muscle fibres communicate during normal development and after injury in transgenic ALS mouse models. Screening of SOD1 mice could find the factors that promote compensatory behavior. Chakkalakal hopes his research will contribute to the discovery of therapies to stem the relentless progression of ALS.
François Gros-Louis’ project is “Identification of misfolded proteins associated with sporadic ALS through innovative proteomics approaches.” He is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jean-Pierre Julien’s laboratory affiliated with the department of anatomy and physiology at Laval University in Quebec City. Gros-Louis completed his PhD at the Department of Human Genetics at McGill University this year.
Most studies on ALS have focused on identifying the genetic mutations of inherited ALS and examining the toxicity of mutations in the SOD1 gene responsible for only two per cent of ALS cases. The majority of people living with ALS have the sporadic form of the disease.
Gros-Louis wants to be the first to identify abnormally-shaped proteins associated with sporadic ALS using a proteomics-based approach that involves the identification of proteins in the body and their role in physiological and pathological functions. This project will lead to new diagnostic tests for early detection of the disease, the development of new therapeutic targets and, hopefully, new drugs to cure ALS.
By funding the research of these candidates, the ALS Society of Canada hopes to come closer to achieving its goal of finding a cure for ALS.
About Tim E. Noël
Tim E. Noël was the deputy governor of the Bank of Canada and died of ALS in July, 2001. He continued to work full-time, showing up each day with his ventilator and wheelchair. The funds from the endowment fund come from the golf tournaments organized by Noël’s friends who were inspired by his courage and battle with ALS.
| Posted On: Friday, September 01, 2006 Modified: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Category: ALS Research Posted By:
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