Dates/Calendar

Global Biotech Week 
Sept 28 - Oct 2 (global) 

MEDTech 2020 
Oct -7,Toronto (virtual)

SfN Global Connectome: A Virtual Event
Jan 11-13, 2021

ISFN Virtual Forum 2021
February 1-2 2021

Journal Club Meeting dates
Journal clubs are back
ABI - September 15th 
Vision Science - September 15th
Click here for more info on all the journal clubs 

BRC News

The Brain Repair Centre is shedding light on the mysteries of the brain and nervous system while devising new strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of many disorders, however, funding neurological research is vital to bringing innovations to those who need them. Learn more here: Brain-Related Research Helps People to Live Better. This article is part of a campaign titled Understanding Neurological Conditions Campaign which is in print in the current issue of Macleans magazine as well as online. 

(June 2020) A collaborative partnership to develop a COVID-19 response strategy has formed among NSHA Research & Innovation (Nova Scotia Health Authority), Dalhousie University, Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation, the IWK Foundation, the IWK Health Centre, the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation (DGHF) and Research Nova Scotia (RNS). These partners have collectively committed $1.5 million to support the Nova Scotia research community. This research effort will inform the best COVID-19 practices and support healthcare decision making and planning that benefits the population of Nova Scotia. 
Among those who were awarded grants under this partnership are: 
- BRC member Dr. John Frampton, SBME and Mr. Gary Markle, NSCAD for a project titled “Innovations in Sustainable PPE Fabric: Local Solutions for a Global Issue”. This study will develop a prototype textile that can be used to locally manufacture personal protective equipment such as surgical masks and respirators to deal with shortfalls in global supply chains.
- BRC member Dr. Steven Beyea for a study titled “NeuroCOVID: a Prospective, Longitudinal MRI Examination of Brain Involvement in COVID-19”. This study will use the new 0.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner at the QEII Health Sciences Centre to determine whether evidence of brain abnormalities among COVID-19 inpatients is associated with the need for ventilation, and whether there are consistent features in the brains of COVID-19 patients that could inform treatment.

(June 2020) New MRI Test Identifies Neurodegenerative Disease in Football Players Earlier. Dr Alon Friedman continues his research into a leaky blood-brain barrier and shows how a modified dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI can pinpoint a leaky blood-brain barrier in both active and retired football players.

(April 2020) We may not be in the office for now, but there is lots going on behind the scenes. Alot of activities have moved to online platforms - Journal Clubs continue and many teams and departments are having regular online meetings. For details of BRC-suppported activities, check out our Journal Club listings. If you need log-in info, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

The Klein Lab group published another paper recently. Titled "The Attention Network Test Database: ADHD and Cross-Cultural Applications" in the journal Frontiers, it describes their ANT Database project, which was funded by the BRC. In additon the work done was funded partly by a BRC-Knowledge Translation grant.

BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK was postponed due to COVID-19 but we look forward to rearrangingsome activities when we get back to the office, starting with the Neuroscience as Art Auction - bid for some new art to hang on your walls 

Atlantic Canada’s life sciences companies reaching global markets- four Halifax-area companies awarded grants to bring their innovative healthcare solutions for a wide range of challenges to the world

NSHA announces HEALTH CHALLENGE PITCH EVENTS (March 2020)

Innovation for a Better Canada (Govt of Canada) The innovation race is on! A bright future for Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators starts with access to programs, services and tools that push ideas forward, create jobs and grow the Canadian economy.

Dr Alon Friedman's research features in an article in Science Translational Medicine (Dec 2019). Read about it in DALNews or see the full article Drugs that quell brain inflammation reverse dementia.  

The Iulianella group recently published a paper detailing how a central signalling pathway regulates the formation and targeting of nerves in the spinal cord. The Hedgehog receptor Patched1 regulates proliferation, neurogenesis, and axon guidance in the embryonic spinal cord (published October 2019)