In the News

Spinal Cord Breakthrough with Acne Drug

Posted October 12, 2011

By Sean McCann - Calgary Sun

University of Calgary researchers working on Spinal Cord Treatment are getting some help from the man in motion.

The Rick Hansen Institute is helping to fund work on an old drug that shows new promise treating spinal cord injuries (SCI).

Dr. John Hurlbert, along with co-investigators Dr. Steven Casha and Dr. Voon Wee Yong have found that minocycline — originally used to treat acne — helps restore movement in patients suffering from SCI. Read more here...

 

 

Faculty Members Receive 10,000 Citation Award

Posted August 17, 2011

By Aisling Gamble

Dr. Greg CairncrossAt the Celebration of Excellence event in February 2010, the Faculty of Medicine Awards & Recognition Committee introduced the 10,000 Citation Club. The award honours faculty members whose entire body of work over their career has accumulated more than 10,000 citations.  Over the course of their careers, less than 0.1% of researchers would accumulate 10,000 citations, making being a recipient of this award an exceptional achievement.

In 2010, three faculty members received the 10,000 Citation Club award: Paul Kubes, PhD, David Proud, PhD, and Dr. Morley Hollenberg.  To be awarded in 2012 will be Dr. Greg Cairncross and V. Wee Yong, PhD.

Greg Cairncross: professor and head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cairncross established the Brain Tumor Committee of the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Clinical Trials Group. He holds the Alberta Cancer Foundation Chair in Brain Tumor Research and currently directs the Clark H Smith Brain Tumor Centre in Calgary.

For the past 30 years, Cairncross has been studying and writing about gliomas, especially oligodendrogliomas, which are brain cancers that mainly effect adults. He has studied their molecular genetic basis and imaging characteristics, in particular, and has led or participated in clinical trials that have examined new ways to treat these illnesses, and published the findings.

Cairncross’s most cited publications have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Annals of Neurology.Dr. V. Wee Yong

V. Wee Yong: professor in the Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Oncology, Yong co-directs the Multiple Sclerosis Program of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and chairs the Medical Advisory Committee of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. He also sits on the International Advisory Board of the International Society of Neuroimmunology.

Yong’s research of multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury and brain tumors (malignant gliomas) is aimed at understanding, controlling and tipping the balance of neuroinflammation towards one of neuroprotection and regeneration from central nervous system insults. 

His papers, published in the context of understanding costs of MS and the introduction of medications to treat MS, have been cited 800 times per year on average.  Yong’s work has been published in such journals as Brain, Annals of Neurology, Nature Reviews and Neuroscience.

The 10,000 Citation Club Award will be presented to Dr. Cairncoss and Dr. Yong at the Celebration of Excellence event in February 2012.

 

News Archives

International conference brings experts together to understand brain function in health

20/May2011 - 80 delegates from all over the world travelled to Banff last weekend for the 8th Annual International Symposium on Non-invasive Functional Source Imaging of the Brain. From May 13 - 16, experts in the fields of fMRI and EEG localization techniques joined together to find new ways to understand brain function in health and disease. Read more here.

Healthcare providers spend a day in wheelchairs to raise awareness

06/May2011 - Several health care providers from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Alberta Health Services, are spending the day in wheelchairs for the 2nd annual CHAIR-LEADERS ‘Enabling Access’ Event. Read more here.

Stroke diagnosis Using iPhone App Extremely Accurate Study Finds 

09/May2011- New research from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine shows that doctors can make a stroke diagnosis using an iPhone application with the same accuracy as a diagnosis at a medical computer workstation. Read more here.

Clogged veins don't cause MS, study finds 

14/April/2011 - Clogged neck veins that restrict blood flow from the brain are not the cause of multiple sclerosis, but rather a result of the debilitating disease, new U.S. research suggests. Click here to read more.

National multiple sclerosis monitoring system created

28/March/2011 - Health officials are preparing to launch a national monitoring system to track the progress of Canadians suffering from multiple sclerosis. Click here to learn more about this new initiative.

Sisson: Don't wait for a near-death experience, see your doctor

2/24/2011 - Click here to read about a patient's experience with the warning signs and treatment for high blood pressure (Dr. Lawrence Korngut).

MS study being funded

01/26/2011- Click here to learn more regarding clinical studies designed to confirm the safety and efficacy of the Zamboni Treatment for MS patients.

Concentric Medical Announces First Stroke Patients Treated in Canada with Trevo(TM) System

01/26/2011 - Click here to learn more about a new breakthrough in acute ischemic stroke intervention (intverview with Dr. Mayank Goyal.

New MS target identified by canadian researchers

01/12/2011 - Click here to learn more about research conducted by Dr. Yong and his team at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine. 

Clinical Practice Guidelines as Marketing Tools

01/10/2011 - Click here to read more on the process behind the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines (Dr. Tamara Pringsheim).

Anti-epileptic drugs increase risk of fractures in patients above the age of fifty years

01/10/2011 - Click here to read more on the study conducted by Nathalie Jette and colleague, published in the January issue of Archives of Neurology.

Studies set up to test hotly debated MS theory 

12/27/2010 - Click here to review studies being conducted across Canada understand the relationship that exists between MS and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, as proposed by Dr. Paolo Zamboni.

Brain Expert Leads Key Research in Calgary

01/12/2011 - Click here to learn more about research being conducted by Dr. Adam Kirton, a paediatric neurologist at the Alberta Children's Hospital, to better understand brain function in children. 

3M for Stroke Research

11/22/2010 - Click here to learn more about Dr. Andrew Demchuk - the first recipient of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Stroke Research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine.

Myths Surrounding Migraines

11/12/2010 - Click here to read an interview with City TV and Dr. Tamara Pringsheim on some of the myths surrounding migraines.

New Treatment Insights Into The Dopamine Dilemma

12/15/2010 - Click here to see how studies conducted by Drs. Cory Toth, Oksana Suchowersky, and Doug Zochodne may change treatment options for Parkinson's disease in the future.

Scientists identify model for patients at greatest risk of dying in hospital after stroke

09/28/2010 - Click here to learn further about results of a study by Dr. Eric Smith and colleagues, using the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke registry.

Paediatric Neurologist tests treatment for young stroke patients

09/13/2010 - Click here to learn further about Dr Adam Kirton's study using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a rehabilitation therapy for pediatric stroke patients.