Neural Injury & Repair Research
Neurons and glia are the building blocks of the nervous system. Injuries to neuronal and glial cells are devastating and often lead to lifelong disability. Nervous system injuries can be a consequence of accident or illness and therefore they are difficult to predict or prevent.
Injuries can be initiated by immune mechanisms inside the body, as is the case for multiple sclerosis, changes in blood flow to the brain, as occurs after a stroke, or through trauma or accidents, as is the case for concussion and spinal cord injuries. A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of neural injury, developing approaches to speed recovery and rehabilitate those who have neural injuries is the focus of Neural Injury & Repair.
Researchers in the Neural Injury & Repair theme are searching for new ways to treat damaged neurons. Using advanced technologies such as sophisticated imaging, robotics and biomedical techniques, our research teams are translating their findings into effective therapies to improve the lives of nerve-injured patients.
Apply to join a Brain & Mental Health Team, or to read more about the teams click here.
Neural Injury & Repair Teams
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research is a long-standing focus area at the University of Calgary, where basic and clinical researchers support a cyclical process of discovery and translation, contributing to new treatments for patients. The team is led by Drs. V. Wee Yong and Luanne Metz and includes researchers who have published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles in the past year. A landmark success for this group was the discovery that minocycline, a common acne medication, can slow the progress of relapsing-remitting MS, a discovery the team carried from bench to the completion of a Phase III trial. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2017. The team holds a Brain and Mental Health Strategic Research Fund grant, focusing on developing innovative animal models.
MS team leaders:
Primary Lead – Dr. V. Wee Yong
Co-Lead – Dr. Luanne Metz
MS team members*:
Drs. Katayoun Alikhani, Jeff Biernaskie, Lenora Brown, Tyson Brust, Jodie Burton, Kevin Busche, Carlos Camara-Lemarroy, Michael Colicos, Fiona Costello, Jeff Dunn, Richard Frayne, Bradley Goodyear, Colleen Harris, Nicole Haugrud, Scott Jarvis, Marcus Koch, Hedwich Kuipers, Wei-Qiao Liu, Aaron Mackie, Dan McGowan, Luanne Metz, Rajiv Midha, Shalina Ousman, David Patry, Scott Patten, Gerald Pfeffer, Bruce Pike, Quentin Pittman, Pere Santamaria, Rory Sellmer, Peter Stys, Robin Yates, Michael Yeung, V Wee Yong, Yunyan Zhang
MS team contact:
msteam@ucalgary.ca
*Names in bold are HBI Members
Spinal cord and nerve injuries are often a consequence of accident or illness and therefore difficult to predict or prevent. The Spinal Cord/Nerve Injury & Pain (SCNIP) team is focused on managing chronic pain, accelerating rehabilitation and translating discoveries into treatments. The team is led by Drs. Tuan Trang and Shalina Ousman. Recent team successes include: being the first in Canada to examine the effectiveness of the early introduction of exoskeletons in rehabilitation; and hosting an annual community engagement event that brings together basic researchers, clinicians, patients, caregivers and other stakeholders to dialogue about the future of nerve injury and pain research.
SCNIP team leaders:
Primary Lead – Dr. Tuan Trang
Co-Lead – Dr. Shalina Ousman
SCNIP team members*:
Drs. Christophe Altier, Stefanie Anderson, Jeff Biernaskie, Katie Birnie, Veronica Bruno, David Cadotte, Carlos Camara-Lemarroy, Steven Casha, Rebecca Charbonneau, Elizabeth Condliffe, Colin Dalton, Darren Derksen, Richard Dyck, Brent Edwards, Carolyn Emery, Bradley Goodyear, Ashley Harris, Morley Hollenberg, Bradley Jacobs, John Jarrell, Colleen Geary Joo, Michael Kallos, Zelma Kiss, Yuta Koro, Art Kuo, Kelly Larkin-Kaiser, John Matyas, Sarah McFarlane, Rajiv Midha, Jillian Vinall Miller, Guillaume Millet, Aleksandra Mineyko, Lori Montgomery, Serge Mrkobrada, Kartik Murari, Yasmin Nasser, Amir Nezhad, Melanie Noel, Vanessa Oliver, Serena Orr, Shalina Ousman, Daniel Pang, Gerald Pfeffer, Aaron Phillips, Nivez Rasic, Tiffany Rice, Ian Rigby, Janet Ronsky, Paul Salo, Keith Sharkey, Boguslaw Tomanek, Tuan Trang, Alexandra Wall, Patrick Whelan, Richard Wilson, Svetlana Yanushkevich, Gerald Zamponi
SCNIP team contact: Tuan Trang trangt@ucalgary.ca
SCNIP trainee contact: Luana Lopes luana.tenoriolopes@ucalgary.ca
*Names in bold are HBI Members
In Canada, at least 300,000 concussions occur each year. Led by Dr. Keith Yeates, the university's Integrated Concussion Research Program works with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in the Cumming School of Medicine, the Faculty of Kinesiology, and the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts to address concussion and other forms of mild traumatic brain injury. The team holds major grants from CIHR and other funding agencies for concussion research. The ICRP representative to the HBI Strategic Research and Innovation Committee is Dr. Chantel Debert.
Integrated Concussion Research Program team lead: Dr. Keith Yeates
HBI SRIC representative: Dr. Chantel Debert
Integrated Concussion Research Program team members*:
Drs. Amanda Black, Signe Bray, William Bridel, Brian Brooks, Tyler Cluff, Chantel Debert, Sean Dukelow, Jeff Dunn, Carolyn Emery, Michael Esser, Richard Frayne, Bradley Goodyear, Brent Hagel, Ashley Harris, Catherine Lebel, Ryan Peters, Amir Sanati-Nezhad, Kathryn Schneider, Jonathan Smirl, Keith Yeates, Jennifer Zwicker
Integrated Concussion Research Program team contact: kyeates@ucalgary.ca
*Names in bold are HBI Members