International CoEN Initiative in Neurodegeneration 2019
Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire with Unit
Memorial Deadline: Friday 27th, September 2019
External Deadline: Monday 4th, November 2019
Description
The CIHR Dementia Research Strategy supports research on the latest preventive, diagnostic and treatment approaches to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases causing dementia. It consists of an international and a national component, which together, allows the Government of Canada to support world-class research on dementia, contributing to the global pursuit of finding a cure or disease-modifying treatment for dementia by 2025.
The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) is the Canadian component of the CIHR Dementia Research Strategy representing the Center of Excellence for Canada. CCNA is the premier research hub for all aspects of research involving neurodegenerative diseases that affect cognition in aging – including Alzheimer’s disease.
The Network of Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (CoEN) is an international initiative which will connect Centers of Excellence (CoEs) with a critical mass of resources and expertise to drive a step-change in neurodegeneration research. As such, CCNA member(s) must be part of the research team for this funding opportunity. It is expected that teams will combine the research strengths across CoEs in at least two partner countries to provide a true value-added collaborative effort that will advance our approach to neurodegeneration research. Projects will address issues which would not readily be funded through the standard grant mechanisms of the COEN partners, and it is expected that in addition to collaboration across CoEs, projects should also serve to provide a platform for future collaboration with industry.
This funding opportunity seeks to address the need for innovative research to underpin new approaches to therapeutic intervention. The call sets out to encourage “outside the box” thinking, to stimulate new and unconventional approaches and creative solutions to the challenges of neurodegeneration research by undertaking high-risk / high-payoff research.
For more information, please consult the Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (CoEN) website.
Research Areas
Projects may include studies to illuminate our understanding of neurodegenerative mechanisms, or create technological advances to support novel diagnostic or therapeutic approaches. Connectivity with research in related areas, such as inflammation and sensory neuroscience, or vascular and mental health is encouraged, as is outreach to experts in the fields of physical and computational science.
Within the remit of this call, neurodegeneration applies to:
- Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
- Huntington’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease (PD) and PD-related disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Motor neurone diseases
- Prion disease
- Spinocerebellar Ataxia
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Type of neurodegenerative disease research to be supported:
- Cutting edge basic, translational and/or clinical studies
- Novel reductionist systems
- Innovative disease models
- Systems biology / medicine
- Proof of concept for new therapeutic approaches
- Supportive technological development for the above
Key Characteristics of Pathfinder Awards:
- Proof of principle and high risk / high pay off studies with clear deliverables
- Imaginative approaches to interdisciplinary and industry partnering encouraged
- Leverage of existing CoE infrastructure in neurodegeneration research
- Maximum of 24 month funding period
- Could not be funded via other schemes of CoEN partners
This call will only fund research that has the potential to move the field forward significantly. Incremental studies, embellishment of known mechanisms or biomarker identification from known pathways will be ineligible.
For additional information see Research Net.