A virtual centre, the Ludmer Centre’s goal is to drive collaborations that maximise existing infrastructure and research expertise across multiple research institutions. This cost-effective and innovative partnership model encourages broader multi- and inter-disciplinary collaborations across diverse fields: a key component to the centre’s success in unlocking the potentials of big-data research in mental health.
Drawing on the strengths of these institutional collaborations, the Ludmer Centre is uniquely positioned to effect a significant impact on the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses and diseases as well as learning disorders.
As part of its mandate, the Ludmer Centre continues to seek new institutional collaborations to further expand its research potential.
Founding Institutions
The founding collaborators include three cutting-edge, Montreal-based, McGill-affiliated research institutions.
The Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital (the Neuro)
Founded in 1934, the Neuro, a McGill University research and teaching institute, is a world-leading destination for specialized neuroscience research and advanced patient care. The largest centre in Canada and among the largest globally, it houses over 65 specialized researchers in brain development and function, including both brain trauma and disease. In addition to housing the Ludmer Centre’s neuroinformatics pillar -the McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience directed by Dr Evans- the Neuro’s research arm, the Montreal Neurological Institute, hosts several unique cutting-edge research platforms that extend collaborative research potentials:
• McConnell Brain Imaging Centre: one of the three largest neuroimaging research centres globally.
• Centre for Neurological Disease Model: generates, houses and utilizes animal neurological-disease models.
• Cellular Imaging Facility: analyses these models at the network, cellular and subcellular levels.
• Centre for Experimental Therapeutics: undertakes translational studies.
• International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound Research: McGill’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and a joint multidisciplinary centre in cognitive neurosciences with the Université de Montréal.
For more information, please visit www.mcgill.ca/neuro .
The Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Centre (The Douglas)
Founded in 1881, the Douglas was Montreal’s first and remains its largest psychiatric hospital and is a McGill University teaching hospital. Its Research Centre has over 60 scientists and clinical investigators engaged in all aspects of mental health research; three of whom are among the most highly cited neuroscientists in the world. Recognized as a flagship centre in mental health research by the Quebec government (Fonds de la recherche du Québec-Santé), the Research Centre sets itself apart through innovative neuroscience, clinical and psychosocial research, encompassing four major themes:
• aging and Alzheimer disease;
• mood, anxiety and impulsivity-related disorders;
• schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders;
• services, policy and population health research.
In addition to the Ludmer Centre epigenetics research arm, the Dr Michael Meaney’s Laboratory and the MAVAN project, the Douglas hosts the unique Bell-Douglas Brain Bank containing over 3000 brains from patients with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders as well as the Douglas Brain Imaging Centre dedicated to mental health research on humans and small animals. Its world-class platforms enable full-cycle research, from molecule to human being, at a single site. The Douglas has also received recognitions of excellence from Accreditation Canada for its activities in knowledge translation.
For more information, visit douglas.research.mcgill.ca/ .
Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI)
Founded in 1969, the LDI is the research arm of Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital an acute-care McGill-affiliated teaching hospital and one of Canada’s leading health research institutes. In addition to the Ludmer Centre’s statistical genetics research arm, Dr Celia Greenwood’s team, the LDI is home to the McGill Memory Clinic and specialized units in clinical proteomics (the large-scale study of proteins, their structures and functions), high performance computing, and research pathology. With over 117 full-time researchers, the LDI has received international acclaim for research in cancer, hemovascular diseases, epidemiology, ageing diseases, HIV/AIDS, and psychosocial science. Important discoveries made at the LDI have contributed to the health and well-being of patients in Quebec, Canada, and around the world.
For more information, visit www.ladydavis.ca .