MONTREAL, Sept. 10, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ – The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, today announced the launch of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), a national initiative aimed at tackling the growing onset of dementia and related illnesses and improving the lives of Canadians with these illnesses, as well as their families and caregivers.
Led by Dr. Howard Chertkow, a cognitive neurologist and co-founder and director of the Jewish General Hospital / McGill Memory Clinic, the CCNA brings together 20 research teams and experts from across Canada to focus research on three themes:
- delaying the onset of dementia and related illnesses
- preventing these illnesses from occurring
- improving the quality of life of Canadians living with these illnesses and their caregivers
The CCNA is supported with funding of $31.5M over five years from the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a group of 13 partners from the public and private sectors, including the Alzheimer Society of Canada and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé. The CCNA researchers will also benefit from an additional $24M investment by a subset of the partners in Ontario and Quebec.
Minister Ambrose made the announcement ahead of the Canada-France Global Legacy Event to be held in Ottawa,September 11 and 12. The event will bring together 200 experts from G7 countries and focus on building global academic-industry partnerships and promoting innovation in dementia prevention, treatment and care.
Read more about the CCNA initiative.
AGE-WELL Scientific Directors Dr. Alex Mihailidis and Dr. Andrew Sixsmith are leading the Gerontechnology team that is part of this initiative.