Ontario to Fund New Brain Institute

The Ontario government recently announced $15 million in start-up funding over three years for the new Ontario Brain Institute (OBI). Scientists with Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute were involved in planning the project and served as consultants.

The institute will serve as a hub for scientists from across the province to collaborate on solutions for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, autism, schizophrenia and depression. In addition, life sciences companies will work with researchers and clinicians to develop scientifi cally-validated products that support patients with brain diseases and disorders around the world.

The first OBI-funded project at Baycrest will be an investigation into how deep brain stimulation works, said Dr. Fergus Craik, a senior scientist with the Rotman Research Institute. Deep brain stimulation is a surgical technique currently used to treat intractable depression. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Toronto Western Hospital and the University of Western Ontario and will involve Baycrest’s cutting edge “virtual brain” project.

The new institute’s first proposed international partnership is a joint Israeli-Ontario “virtual institute” on brain research.