Bernice Ramsay Innovation Grants

Discovery Grant

The discovery grant program has been established to encourage new basic research focused on identifying causes of or treatments for ALS. The goal of this program is develop novel methodology directly applicable to ALS, or to attract investigators from related fields who bring new expertise to ALS research. The spirit is of “high risk/potentially high impact”.

Up to $200,000 will be awarded in this cycle ($50,000-$100,000 per one year grant).
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m EST, October 15, 2012.
Decisions hope to be announced in December 2012.

Previous recipients include:

Sanjay Kalra, MD, FRCPC and Herbert Yang, PhD: University of Alberta  (2011)
Characterization of cerebral degeneration in ALS using MRI-based texture analysis

Edor Kabashi, PhD and Pierre Drapeau, PhD: University of Montreal (2011)
Characterization of C9ORF72 intronic expansions and genetic interaction with TDP-43

Heather Durham, PhD: McGill University (2010)
 The role of PRMT1-mediated methylation in a model of fALS caused by mutations in TLS/FUS (http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/1/136.long)

Douglas P. Munoz, PhD: Queen’s University (2010)
Using eye movements and functional brain imaging to investigate cognitive deficits in ALS

Janice Robertson, PhD: University of Toronto (2010)
Per 28: a biomarker for ALS

Victor Rafuse, PhD: Dalhousie University (2009)
Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived motor neurons: a model system for studying/treating sporadic ALS

Lorne Zinman, MD and Yana Yunusova, PhD: University of Toronto (2009)
Neural mechanisms of cognitive and bulbar motor decline in ALS

Avijit Chakrabartty, PhD: University of Toronto (2008)
Composition of ALS pathological inclusion bodies using a novel proteomics technique

Alex Parker, PhD: University of Montreal (2008)
Investigating the physiological consequences of TDP-43 mutations in a simple model system (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0031321)

Bernice Ramsay Discovery Grant Guidelines
Application Face Page (fillable Word document)
Application Face Page (fillable pdf – entries can be saved in Acrobat, not Adobe Reader)

Clinical Research Fellowship

The Bernice Ramsay Clinical Research Fellowship supports specialized training in clinical care and research skills related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  

Up to $200,000 will be awarded in this cycle ($100,000 per year over two years).
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m EST, October 15, 2012.
Decisions hope to be announced in December 2012.

Previous recipients include:

Amer Ghavanini, MD, PhD: London Health Sciences Centre (2011)
A new method of estimation of the number of motor units for clinical research in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Vincenzo Santo Basile, MD: Sunnybrook Health Sciences (2009)
Electromyography (EMG) and the diagnosis of ALS, multiple drug trials and the development of a molecular genetics program

Bernice Ramsay Clinical Research Fellowship Guidelines
Face Page (fillable Word document)
Face Page (fillable pdf – entries can be saved in Acrobat, not Adobe Reader)

For more information contact:
David Taylor, PhD
Director of Research
ALS Society of Canada
3000 Steeles Avenue East, Suite 200
Markham, Ontario L3R 4T9
Toll Free: 1-800-267-4257 | ext. 202 | dt@als.ca