Published: August 23, 2023

Accelerating the discovery of new treatments for neurological disorders through Open Science

The Neuro is pioneering Open Science tools to share data and expertise, advancing science and impacting lives of patients worldwide

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Author: TBD Media Group

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide

Neurological disorders such as stroke, dementia, migraine, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and brain injury are collectively the leading global source of disability. The World Health Organization estimates that one billion people are affected by neurological disorders and that 6.8 million die every year from these illnesses. An aging population makes this an immediate and pressing challenge. By 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over.

The brain - final frontier

The human brain is the most complex organ, with one hundred billion nerve cells and 100 trillion connections. This complexity combined with a limited access to brain tissue, has meant that progress in understanding and treating neurological disorders has been slow.

Revolutionizing neuroscience. Transforming lives.

To meet the global challenge of neurological disorders, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) has radically transformed the approach to brain science. As an Open Science institution since 2016, The Neuro has been developing open tools and infrastructure to share research data and biological samples with the global research community.  

Through open collaborations and strategic partnerships with pharma and industry around the world, The Neuro is developing business models to bring open-source discoveries to the marketplace, and better capitalize on innovations in biomedicine and big data.

Neurological biobank - open and accessible to researchers worldwide

The Neuro has created the world’s first and only combined Open Science biobank and patient registry devoted to neurological diseases. It includes imaging, clinical, demographic, genetic, cellular and neuro-psychiatric data, as well as biological samples from more than 3,000 de-identified participants. The Neuro’s Open Biobank enables the global community to better investigate neurological disorders and help accelerate the development of effective treatments. All data, biospecimens and patient-derived cell lines are open to be shared with scientists and institutes worldwide.

Brain health = Global health

“The Neuro is committed to improving the lives of patients with neurological disorders and advancing science and medicine to resolve the debilitating and destructive global burden of neurological diseases,” says Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of The Neuro. “When research is open, borderless, and global; and institutions share expertise and collaborate on fundamental discoveries; then new treatments for neurological diseases are within this generation’s reach, promising enormous benefits for our healthcare systems and economies.”

The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) is a bilingual, world-leading destination for neuroscience research and advanced patient care. As the first institute in the world to fully embrace Open Science, The Neuro is committed to openly sharing data, resources, and expertise in order to advance science and discover new treatments.  www.theneuro.ca

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