PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

National Mental Health Institute awards CAD 45 million to develop mental health treatments 

Sylvain Bouix, professor-researcher at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), in Montréal, to Lead a Research Team 

National Mental Health Institute awards CAD 45 million to develop mental health treatments 
2024-11-06
(Press-News.org) One out of 100 people will experience a psychotic episode in their lifetime, and these usually appear in late adolescence or early adulthood. A Canada-US team consisting of Sylvain Bouix, from École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Martha E. Shenton and Ofer Pasternak, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard University), and René Kahn, from Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) has just received US $33 million in funding—the equivalent of CAD 45 million—over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health to better understand the mechanisms of action of new drugs designed to treat psychosis.

With this funding, a research team led by Sylvain Bouix of ÉTS will set up a center to coordinate processing and analysis of data for the proof of principle clinical trial.

“Although promising therapeutic targets have been discovered for this high-risk population, their validation is difficult due to the lack of reliable biomarkers to predict disease progression. Moreover, the diversity of symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, further complicates matters. The development of new data analysis tools could help design clinical trials better adapted to patients’ actual needs.”

More specifically, Professor Bouix and his team will ensure the quality of the data collected, from behavioral and clinical measures to electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging and audiovisual recordings, to name but a few.

This is an essential step, as data quality is key to obtaining reliable and accurate results in clinical trials. Data quality also ensures the scientific robustness, personal safety and regulatory acceptance of the new therapies and medical interventions to be developed in the future.

About Sylvain Bouix

Professor in the Department of Software Engineering and Information Technology at ÉTS since 2022, Sylvain Bouix holds the Canada Research Chair in Neuroinformatics for Multimodal Data. Before joining ÉTS, he was a senior researcher at Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Kansas in 1998 and a PhD from McGill University in 2003. Professor Bouix’s expertise lies in healthcare technologies, focusing on medical imaging, neuroimaging, neuroinformatics, and anatomical and diffusion-weighed MRI.  Since 2020, Professor Bouix has been collaborating on a large-scale international study, involving over forty countries, of young adults at high risk of developing psychosis.

About ÉTS

École de technologie supérieure is one of ten constituents of the Université du Québec network (located in Montreal, Canada). It trains engineers and researchers who are recognized for their practical and innovative approach, the development of new technologies and their skill at transferring their knowledge to companies. Almost one-quarter of all engineers in Québec graduated from ÉTS, which boasts 11,000 students, including 2,650 at the graduate and post-graduate level. ÉTS specializes in applied training and research in engineering, and maintains a unique partnership with the business sector and with industry. For more information, please visit etsmtl.ca.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
National Mental Health Institute awards CAD 45 million to develop mental health treatments 

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Washington coast avian flu outbreak devastated Caspian terns, jumped to seals

Washington coast avian flu outbreak devastated Caspian terns, jumped to seals
2024-11-06
PULLMAN, Wash. – An epidemiological study found that 56% of a large breeding colony of Caspian terns died from a 2023 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at Rat Island in Washington state. Since then, no birds have successfully bred on the island, raising concerns that the outbreak may have had a significant impact on an already declining Pacific-coast population. As part of the study, a team including Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as well as Washington State University researchers also documented that the avian flu virus H5N1was transmitted to harbor seals for the first time in the northeastern ...

Mice tails whip up new insights into balance and neurodegenerative disease research

Mice tails whip up new insights into balance and neurodegenerative disease research
2024-11-06
Why do mice have tails? The answer to this is not as simple as you might think. New research from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) has shown that there’s more to the humble mouse tail than previously assumed. Using a novel experimental setup involving a tilting platform, high-speed videography and mathematical modelling, scientists have demonstrated how mice swing their tails like a whip to maintain balance – and these findings can help us better understand balance issues in humans, paving the way for spotting and treating neurodegenerative diseases like multiple ...

New study: Earthquake prediction techniques lend quick insight into strength, reliability of materials

New study: Earthquake prediction techniques lend quick insight into strength, reliability of materials
2024-11-06
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Materials scientists can now use insight from a very common mineral and well-established earthquake and avalanche statistics to quantify how hostile environmental interactions may impact the degradation and failure of materials used for advanced solar panels, geological carbon sequestration and infrastructure such as buildings, roads and bridges. The new study, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories and Bucknell University, shows that the amount ...

Vitamin D during pregnancy boosts children’s bone health even at age seven

2024-11-06
Vitamin D during pregnancy boosts children’s bone health even at age seven Children whose mothers took extra vitamin D during pregnancy continue to have stronger bones at age seven, according to new research led by the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton (UHS). Bone density scans revealed that children born to mothers who were given vitamin D supplements during pregnancy have greater bone mineral density in mid-childhood. Their bones contain more calcium and other minerals, making them stronger and less likely to break. Researchers say the findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,   reinforce the importance of ...

Use of “genetic scissors” carries risks

2024-11-06
The CRISPR molecular scissors have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases. This is because they can be used to correct specific defective sections of the genome. Unfortunately, however, there is a catch: under certain conditions, the repair can lead to new genetic defects – as in the case of chronic granulomatous disease. This was reported by a team of basic researchers and physicians from the clinical research program ImmuGene at the University of Zurich (UZH). Chronic granulomatous disease is ...

Does work-related stress compromise cardiovascular health?

2024-11-06
In a large multi-ethnic group of adults in the United States without cardiovascular disease, those with work-related stress were more likely to have unfavorable measures of cardiovascular health. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. For the analysis, investigators assessed data collected between 2000 and 2002 for 3,579 community-based men and women aged 45–84 years enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular health was determined based on seven metrics—smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose—with each metric contributing zero points, ...

New research may lead to potatoes that are less reliant on nitrogen fertilizers

2024-11-06
Because nitrogen fertilizers contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are looking for ways to modify agricultural plants so that they rely on less nitrogen. In research published in New Phytologist, investigators have found that blocking a particular protein may achieve this goal in potatoes. The protein, called Solanum tuberosum CYCLING DOF FACTOR 1 (StCDF1), binds to DNA and plays a key role in regulating tuberization in potatoes. In this latest research, investigators found that StCDF1 ...

Do commercial ties influence ESG ratings?

2024-11-06
An analysis published in the Journal of Accounting Research uncovers evidence that conflicts of interest arising from commercial ties lead to bias in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings. Investigators focused on Moody’s and S&P’s acquisitions of ESG rating agencies Vigeo Eiris and RobecoSAM. Their analysis revealed that after these ESG rating agencies were acquired by Moody’s and S&P, they issued higher ratings to existing paying clients of Moody’s and S&P. Specifically, ...

Study assesses "gendered space" in financial institutions in Pakistan

2024-11-06
In Islamic cultures, purdah, which literally means “curtain,” is a practice that involves the seclusion of women from public observation and the enforcement of high standards of female modesty. Research published in the Journal of Management Studies examines the significance of purdah (spatial modesty) in gender relations in financial institutions in Pakistan. The research was based on the lived experiences of women and men working in two banks based in Pakistan. One of the study’s co-authors, Shafaq Chaudhry, PhD, of the University of Central Lancashire, in the UK, sought internships for six weeks ...

Chinese herbal medicine’s potential in preventing dementia

Chinese herbal medicine’s potential in preventing dementia
2024-11-06
Attempts to discover a breakthrough dementia drug might be drawing attention these days, but traditional medicinal products can offer hints for preventive medicine. A research group led by Specially Appointed Professor Takami Tomiyama of Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Medicine has found that administering the dried seeds of a type of jujube called Ziziphus jujuba Miller var. spinosa, used as a medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, holds promise in restoring cognitive and motor function in model mice. By administering hot water extracts of Zizyphi spinosi semen to model mice with ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists find a region of the mouse gut tightly regulated by the immune system

How school eligibility influences the spread of infectious diseases: Insights for future outbreaks

UM School of Medicine researchers link snoring to behavioral problems in adolescents without declines in cognition

The Parasaurolophus’ pipes: Modeling the dinosaur’s crest to study its sound #ASA187

St. Jude appoints leading scientist to create groundbreaking Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology

Hear this! Transforming health care with speech-to-text technology #ASA187

Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths #ASA187

Mass General Brigham and BIDMC researchers unveil an AI protein engineer capable of making proteins ‘better, faster, stronger’

Metabolic and bariatric surgery safe and effective for patients with severe obesity

Smarter city planning: MSU researchers use brain activity to predict visits to urban areas

Using the world’s fastest exascale computer, ACM Gordon Bell Prize-winning team presents record-breaking algorithm to advance understanding of chemistry and biology

Jeffrey Hubbell joins NYU Tandon to lead new university-wide health engineering initiative & expand the school’s bioengineering focus

Fewer than 7% of global hotspots for whale-ship collisions have protection measures in place

Oldies but goodies: Study shows why elderly animals offer crucial scientific insights

Math-selective US universities reduce gender gap in STEM fields

Researchers identify previously unknown compound in drinking water

Chloronitramide anion – a newly characterized contaminant prevalent in chloramine treated tap water

Population connectivity shapes cultural complexity in chimpanzees

Direct hearing tests show that minke whales can hear high-frequency sounds

Whale-ship collision risk mapped across Earth’s oceans

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is recyclable and fully ocean-degradable

Unveiling nature of metal-support interaction: AI-driven breakthrough in catalysis

New imaging method enables detailed RNA analysis of the whole brain

Stability of perovskite solar cells doubled with protective coating

Chemists create world’s thinnest spaghetti

Empowering neuroscience: Large open brain models released

From traditional to technological: Advancements in fresco conservation

Design and imagination as essential tools during the climate crisis

Innovating archaeology: HKU scholars utilize immersive 3D tech to document and study the human past

What's the story, morning glory?

[Press-News.org] National Mental Health Institute awards CAD 45 million to develop mental health treatments 
Sylvain Bouix, professor-researcher at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), in Montréal, to Lead a Research Team