McGill University | Health & Biosciences

Key facilities

Life Science Complex: regrouping of a large number of biomedical laboratories supporting fundamental science including: chemical biology, cancer research, developmental biology, and genomics.

Genome Centre and Bioinformatics: led by Dr Mark Lathrop, the Centre provides complete DNA and RNA analysis services. Large-scale genomics and proteomics services including sequencing, genotyping, functional genomics and bioinformatics.

Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain: led by Dr Jeffrey Mogil, basic and clinical pain researchers; improve the prevention and treatment of chronic pain.

Goodman Cancer Research Centre: led by Dr Morag Park, focussed on four core themes–cancer therapeutics, cellular stemness and plasticity, oncometabolism and tumour microenvironment.

Major collaborations

Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL): interdisciplinary research on the brain, funded by CFREF ($84M), seeks to improve the lives of Canadians by advancing understanding of how the individual brain functions in health and disease.

CERC in Humain Pain Genetics: Dr Luda Diatchenko; genetic mechanisms at the roots of chronic pain as a basis for developing new pain-relief drugs and personalized pain therapy strategies.

Global Health and MI4 (Interdisciplinary Institute of Infection and Immunity): generate new understandings of the microbial, host and environmental determinants that underlie the development of human infectious diseases; develop new preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Tackling childhood brain cancer led by Nada Jabado. Improve the survival rate and quality of life for children and young adults with brain cancer.

Researchers

Alan Evans, James McGill Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry. HBHL Scientific Director and co-Scientific Director of the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, integrating imaging, behavior, and genetics in brain research; leads the CBRAIN network.

Nada Jabado Professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, Studies biomarkers for pediatric glioblastoma through genomics and epigenomics and role of chromatin remodeling in pediatric & young adult astrocytomas.

Morag Park, James McGill Professor, Diane and Sal Guerrera Chair in Cancer Genetics, Dir of Goodman Cancer Centre. Molecular mechanisms of oncogenic activation of receptor tyrosine kinases and mechanisms for cell transformation.

Guy A. Rouleau, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Genetics of the Nervous System Dir. of The Neuro, Focused on identifying genes causing neurological and psychiatric diseases, including ALS, autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.

Donald Sheppard, Prof. and Director, McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity. His clinical area of interest is human fungal disease, particularly invasive aspergillosis in the immunocompromised host.

Special programs and work integrated learning initiatives

–Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN): an inter-disciplinary program with more than 300 graduate students and over 225 professors that spans from cellular and molecular neuroscience to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience.

–Open Science at the Neuro: Allows research data and materials to move freely from one research team to another, between disciplines and toward the creation of innovative businesses. The Brain Canada Open National Platform is a large-scale national program addressing open science.

–Medical Physics Research Training Network (MPRTN) NSERC CREATE led by Jan Seuntjens.

University-industry research partnerships