The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) is pioneering Open Science tools and practices to share data, resources, and expertise to advance neuroscience and impact patients' lives worldwide.
The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), a leading neuroscience research centre and hospital, is participating in the Global Health Initiative 2023 campaign led by TBD Media Group in support of the World Health Organization. The documentary series aims to galvanize healthcare leaders, scientists, policymakers, industry, pharma, and members of the general public to ensure the health of the global community.
The Neuro was selected as the representative for neurological disorders and highlights the need for Open Science - transparent, borderless global science - to find effective treatments for neurological disorders.
Global burden of neurological disorders:
- Neurological disorders such as stroke, dementia, migraine, and epilepsy are collectively the leading global source of disability
- The World Health Organization estimates that one billion people are affected by neurological disorders
- 9 million die every year from these illnesses
- An ageing population makes this an immediate and pressing challenge
- By 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over
To meet the global public health challenge of neurological disorders, The Neuro has radically transformed its approach to brain science. As the first university institute in the world to fully embrace Open Science, The Neuro is sharing resources and expertise, and has been pioneering open tools and infrastructure to share research data and biological samples with the global research community.
“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.
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.
Partnering with patients and their families in The Neuro’s Open Biobank is enabling the global research community to tackle the significant burden of brain diseases facing us all today. “As someone living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), I have decided to donate my patient data and biological samples to The Neuro’s Open Biobank, says Kris Noakes, patient advocate. “It’s inspiring to be a part of something where globally people are collaborating in this manner. There is real momentum and it's wonderful to be part of something new and hopeful for patients with neurological disorders.”
