In the human body, connections are what hold us together. Exploring one of these vital connections is a team of researchers at the University of Ottawa (U of O), who were recently awarded a $2.5-million grant to support their work.
The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded the research team affiliated with the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI) the grant to explore a possible genetic link between Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and leprosy. All three of these diseases are severe and debilitating, though not fatal.
Led by Dr. David Park, the director of uOBMRI, and Dr. Michael Schlossmacher, a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the study aims to test the hypothesis that there is a common genetic immune system link between the three different diseases.
The uOMBRI team recruited experts from across the country, who specialize in a variety of fields ranging from chemistry to genetics, to decide who the grant should be awarded to.
According to the CIHR website, funding applications are peer reviewed by experts in the same field in order to meet an internationally accepted benchmark for ensuring quality and excellence in scientific research.
The common factor shared by Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and leprosy is that they are all linked to the body’s immune system in some way. The team is focusing on the LRRK2 gene, which is “believed to regulate immune system function,” according to a U of O press release.
“It had been known by multiple groups in the field . . . there were specific mutations in the LRRK2 gene that actually are highly linked or correlated, depending on the disease of the patient population, with Parkinson’s,” Park said.
“We think that the LRRK2 protein might regulate multiple aspects of the immune system, which, depending upon how you’ve been exposed to environmental stresses, might lead to Crohn’s disease, or if you’re exposed to a certain bacteria, to leprosy, and also to Parkinson’s,” he said. “So it’s kind of a unifying theme. Are they acting the same way? We don’t know. That’s what we’re going to be testing.”
However, it remains to be seen how Canadians and others suffering from these diseases will benefit from the uOBMRI team’s research.
“In all three disease types, if we can understand some of the root causes of why these things are happening, then you can treat them through a variety of strategies,” Park said.
With the grant now in their hands all that remains now is to “do the science, to feed off each other’s insights . . . and to work together collaboratively,” according to Park.
Related articles:
University of Guelph gets $2 million in soybean research grants
