A laboratory run by Université de Montréal pharmacology and physiology professor Louis-Éric Trudeau is the first in Quebec to benefit from a major gift from the Krembil Foundation, it has been announced.
The $1.7-million donation will allow Trudeau, a researcher at the UdeM's Courtois Institute of Biomedical Innovation, to better understand how dopamine-producing neurons function and how they are disrupted by Parkinson's disease.
Dedicated to funding research on neurodegeneration and autoimmune and arthritic diseases, the Toronto-based Krembil Foudation has invested over $170 million in health over the past 20 years, primarily in Canada.
"Louis-Éric Trudeau's work stands out for its rigour and its ability to open up new avenues of research," said Kate Williams, Scientific Director at the Foundation. "That is why we are supporting his research, which could transform our understanding of (Parkinson's) disease and pave the way for new therapeutic approaches."
In Canada, more than 120,000 people live with Parkinson's. Motor symptoms (affecting movement and balance) stem largely from the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, which are responsible for producing dopamine.
A growing number of studies suggest that inflammatory and immune mechanisms — including those linked to infections — may disrupt these neural networks or alter the release of the dopamine, a crucial hormone and chemical messenger.
The key question
Could acting on the immune system help slow the disease? That is the key question driving the work of Trudeau and his team.
"Thanks to the support of the Krembil Foundation, we hope to identify new approaches to prevent or slow neurodegeneration by targeting the immune system," he said, lauding the "transformative power of philanthropy" and UdeM's ongoing L'heure est brave fundraising campaign.
For its part, the Courtois Institute of Biomedical Innovation will used the Krembil donation to acquire a spatial transcriptomics device.
Spatial transcriptomics represents a major advance in the study of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. It makes it possible to map the gene expression of cells while preserving their location within brain tissue, offering a detailed view of the brain's complexity.
The technology allows researchers to identify profiles specific to dopaminergic neurons, analyze their interactions with immune cells, and better understand the mechanisms underlying their degeneration.
"Because it is innovative and high-risk, this project (of the Trudeau lab) has the potential to transform the field" of Parkinson's research, said Dr. Patrick Cossette, dean of UdeM's Faculty of Medicine.
"If confirmed, their results could lead to new therapeutic targets capable, one day, of slowing or even halting the progression of the disease," he added.
