Priority research theme in Québec
The brain is the person. And yet, though the brain is such a vital organ, so much is still not known about how it works. That’s why the Marie-Robert NeuroTrauma Foundation, formerly the Marie-Robert Foundation for Head Trauma Research, contributes to the advancement of knowledge into traumatic brain injuries.
The Foundation looks to the development of new medical treatments key to improving the survival rates and quality of life of victims. To this end, the Foundation sought the collaboration of the Director General of the five hospitals and tertiary trauma centres in Québec - our partners since 1996 - in supporting this field of research as a priority theme for researchers at their institutions.
A call was therefore made to Montréal’s Sacré-Cœur Hospital, Québec City’s Enfant-Jésus Hospital, the Montréal General Hospital, the Montréal Children’s Hospital and Montréal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital. Among the priorities identified, the members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors chose one; namely, to:
“Measure the physiological and pathological processes in acute cases of craniocerebral trauma (electro-physiology, cerebral oxygenation, metabolism, genetic markers) and establish a link with neuropsychological and functional evaluations over the long-term to generate hypotheses permitting the development of potential new therapies”.
The Foundation focuses on discovering the best clinical practices for the first 15 days following head trauma, as this period is critical in determining the future of severely injured persons - regardless of age. These practices could ultimately help eliminate or limit the extent of after-effects, as well as improve the survival rates and quality of life of victims, and make their re-integration into society that much easier.
With this objective, the Marie-Robert NeuroTrauma Foundation will join forces with the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) to make a formal appeal asking Québec researchers to submit projects related to this priority. The FRSQ will then proceed with a scientific evaluation of all submitted projects in order to select the one that best pertains to this priority.
To support this initiative, more than $300,000 must be collected between now and January 2011. Thank you in advance for supporting our efforts and until the next time, we send our best wishes.
Sincerely,
MARIE ROBERT, LL.B.
Founding President and CEO