Grants support next generation of ALS researchers in Canada
ALS Canada, Brain Canada award $515,000 to 4 early-career scientists
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- ALS Canada and Brain Canada awarded $515,000 to four early-career researchers.
- Funding supports studies on ALS disease mechanisms and care improvement.
- Research projects include cell studies and AI for speech therapy.
The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) and Brain Canada have awarded a combined $515,000 to support four early-career clinicians and researchers advancing care and scientific understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
ALS Canada and Brain Canada have been partners since 2014, with early support stemming from the Ice Bucket Challenge, a global fundraising campaign that went viral and has raised millions for ALS research.
“For two decades, ALS Canada has focused on investing in early-career clinicians and researchers, who have gone on to lead programs, improve clinical care, and advance research in ALS,” Tammy Moore, CEO of ALS Canada, said in a press release from the organization. “We are proud to steward the funds generously donated by our donors and invest in the people who will deliver discoveries, a deeper understanding of the disease, and future treatments. With partners like Brain Canada providing matched support, we can scale promising work and move closer to effective treatments.”
The funding will support one $200,000 Clinical Research Fellowship and three Trainee Awards totaling $315,000. The two programs are designed to help train the next generation of clinicians and scientists focused on ALS.
The Clinical Research Fellowship is designed to provide a clinician with two years of training in ALS research and patient care. This year’s fellowship was awarded to Michele DuVal, MD, PhD, a researcher at the University of Alberta. DuVal will investigate how misfolded proteins such as TDP-43, SOD1, and FUS contribute to disease progression using novel animal models.
Trainee Award grants cover cell studies, AI for speech therapy
Trainee Awards provide salary support for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows for up to three years, helping Canadian laboratories attract and retain top talent working on ALS research.
This year’s recipients include Simon Alvado, a PhD candidate at Université de Montréal, who will receive $75,000 to study support cells that help maintain and repair the neuromuscular junctions, the sites where nerves connect with muscles. Damage at these junctions is among the earliest changes observed in ALS, even before symptoms appear, making them a potential target for new treatments.
Another Trainee Award recipient is Veronica Grybas, a PhD student at the University of Ottawa, who will also receive $75,000 to investigate how cellular stress contributes to abnormal localization and clumping of TDP-43 in nerve cells.
Funding for Grybas’ award was provided through a partnership with the Foundation Vincent Bourque, which contributed $37,500 to ALS Canada. Brain Canada matched that amount through the Canada Brain Research Fund.
Jennifer Soriano, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, also received a Trainee Award, totaling $165,000 over three years. She will evaluate an artificial intelligence-based tool to improve access to speech‑language pathology (SLP) care for people experiencing speech and swallowing issues.
“These awards reflect the impact that coordinated, long-term investment can have in accelerating discovery and improving care. Building research capacity is essential to accelerating breakthroughs in ALS,” said Viviane Poupon, PhD, Brain Canada president and CEO. “Brain Canada is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with ALS Canada and to help equip the next generation of researchers with the support they need to move the field forward.”
