AHFMR News
Two University of Calgary students receive major health research award
(CALGARY, AB), Tuesday, February 19, 2008... Two University of Calgary Ph.D. students in the Faculty of Medicine are co-winners of a major health research scholarship.
Karl Iremonger and Pierre Mattar will be awarded the 14th annual Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship today at a lunch reception. The award is given by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) to outstanding students from the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, or University of British Columbia, who have demonstrated excellent promise in health research. The award will contribute an additional $21,500 each to Mr. Iremonger and Mr. Mattar's support.
Mr. Iremonger, who is pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, investigates how nerve cells in a certain part of the brain cope with stress and injury, and how that relates to disease. Mr. Mattar is working toward a Ph.D. in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, examining the development of nerve cells in the brain - knowledge which could lead to new techniques to replace these cells when damaged or lost.
The award honors the late Dr. Lionel McLeod, AHFMR's first president. Dr. McLeod was also a past Dean of Medicine at the University of Calgary, the head of Endocrinology at the University of Alberta, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospital in Vancouver. Dr. McLeod's widow, Barbara, will present the award.
Please call Dwayne Brunner, AHFMR Communications, at (403) 619-4556 for more information.
Backgrounder
Karl Iremonger studies response and adaptation to ever-changing stressful environments. Stress comes in many forms, ranging from psychological stress induced by having to meet a work deadline, to physical stress induced by blood loss or injury. In order for an organism to survive, it must both respond to a stressor appropriately and adapt so that it can better deal with similar stressors in the future. These responses and adaptations to stress are controlled by nerve cells in distinct regions of the brain. When these nerve cells fail to respond appropriately, the health of the organism is affected and this may in turn lead to disease. Karl wants to determine how nerve cells in these areas of the brain cope with stress and injury and how that relates to disease.
Pierre Mattar examines the neocortex, the region of the brain responsible for higher order cognitive functioning. Nerve cells of the neocortex form during embryonic development. In the adult, these nerve cells have little ability to regenerate in the face of disease or injury so resulting neurological damage can be serious and permanent. Pierre studies the genetic programs that determine the development of the nerve cells in the neocoretex . Understanding how this genetic programming works may have clinical implications; the knowledge could one day be applied to new cell-based therapies designed to replace damaged or lost cortical nerve cells.
The Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship is given annually to an outstanding student at the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, or University of British Columbia for research related to human health.
Dr. McLeod was the past Dean of Medicine at the University of Calgary , the head of Endocrinology at the University of Alberta, President of AHFMR from 1981-1990, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospital in Vancouver.
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research currently provides funding for more than 600 researchers and researchers-in-training at the province's three main universities. AHFMR's commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and carried out by new and established investigators and researchers-in-training. Since 1980 AHFMR has provided more than $900 million in funding to Alberta's medical research community. For more information, visit www.ahfmr.ab.ca