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Wednesday, February 20, 2008: Halifax, Nova Scotia Dalhousie University’s Brain Repair Centre (BRC) and the Center for Neuroregeneration Research (CNR) at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, today announced a partnership that will lead to more comprehensive research, education, and clinical care programs for each of the institutions. “This alliance will increase access to shared resources, expertise, and infrastructure,” said Dr. Ivar Mendez, chair of the Brain Repair Centre. “New ideas, understanding and knowledge in the fields of stem cell biology, cell transplantation, and clinical application will result, leading to better patient care.” “Collaborative research and clinical initiatives, integrated neuroscience training projects, and an alliance to explore and facilitate commercial developments for neurological technologies, will benefit patients in Halifax, Boston, and around the world,” said Dr. Ole Isacson, director for the Center for Neuroregeneration Research. The Dalhousie-Harvard partnership will explore and facilitate new patient care strategies by contributing to the development and application of advanced clinical services, such as robotic surgery, neural transplantation, and deep brain stimulation. It will also seek opportunities for commercial developments with application to the life sciences, which will include the creation of new technologies and adapting existing ones for better use. An exchange program will also be instituted, encouraging professional development between the two centres and building a pool of highly qualified recruits in key areas of basic and clinical neuroscience. Research scientists, practising physicians, and technical support personnel will all benefit from learning offered through BRC-CNR collaborations. The Brain Repair Centre is unique in Canada and is one of only four centres worldwide. It is a collaboration of more than 100 researchers from Dalhousie University, Capital Health, the IWK Health Centre, and other institutions around the world. BRC researchers are working to find treatments and cures for diseases, disorders, and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. The CNR is an academic research centre that provides a cutting edge research environment for clinicians and scientists, training opportunities for students and post-doctoral fellows, and an advanced technical capacity used to investigate new discoveries relating to the neurosciences.
For more information, contact:
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| Brain Repair Centre Dalhousie University Life Sciences Research Institute 1348 Summer Street Halifax NS B3H 4R2 Canada |
E-mail: Brainrepair@dal.ca T. (902) 494.4010 F. (902) 494.4013 |