McGill University Small Molecule Translational Research Grant

McGill University Small Molecule Translational Research Grant

Award: CAD $150,000 grant for small molecule translational research

Status: Completed (awarded July 2022)

Funder: Overcome SYNGAP1, Wandoan Campdraft for a Cure, and SynGAP Research Fund (in partnership)

Recipient Institution: McGill University in Montreal, Canada

Principal Investigator: Prof. Derek Bowie, PhD - leading international neuroscientist with 25+ years studying glutamatergic synapses

Project Details

Research Focus: Small molecule combination therapy to address SYNGAP1 intellectual disability symptoms

Objective: Investigate efficacy of a specific combination therapy that corrects targets downstream of glutamatergic synapses using SYNGAP1 mouse models

Research Premise: Dysfunction in critical proteins contained within glutamatergic synapses is a common feature in intellectual disability and can be caused by various gene variants, including SYNGAP1. Prof. Bowie believes that correcting downstream targets can result in common improvement of the ID phenotype.

Funding Support

• Supports a post-doctoral researcher
• Supports a research assistant
• Funds lab reagents and supplies
• One-year duration

Co-funding: Campdraft, an Australian SynGAP family effort, generously co-funded this grant in partnership with SynGAP Research Fund Australia

About Prof. Bowie

• Co-Director of Cell Information Systems in the Bellini Life Sciences Complex at McGill
• Canada Research Chair in Receptor Pharmacology (since 2002)
• Director of FRQS-funded research group, GEPROM
• Treasurer of Canadian Association for Neuroscience
• Member of International Brain Research Organization US/Canada Regional Committee
• Expertise in structure-function properties of ionotropic glutamate receptors, GABA-A receptors, and sodium channels

Focus Areas

• Glutamatergic synapse biology
• Intellectual disability pathways
• Small molecule therapeutics
• Combination therapy approaches