The Neuro is pioneering Open Science tools and practices to share data, resources, and expertise to advance science and impact the lives of patients worldwide
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide
- Neurological disorders such as stroke, dementia, migraine, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and brain injury are collectively the leading global source of disability.
- The World Health Organization estimates that one billion people are affected by neurological disorders and that 9 million die every year from these illnesses.
- An aging population makes this an immediate and pressing challenge. By 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over.
The brain – final frontier
The human brain is the most complex organ, with one hundred billion nerve cells and 100 trillion connections. This complexity combined with a limited access to brain tissue, has meant that progress in understanding and treating neurological disorders has been slow.
Revolutionizing neuroscience. Transforming lives.
To meet the global challenge of neurological disorders, The Neuro has radically transformed the approach to brain science. As an Open Science institution since 2016, The Neuro has been developing open tools and infrastructure to share research data and biological samples with the global research community.
Through open collaborations and strategic partnerships with pharma and industry around the world, The Neuro is developing business models to bring open-source discoveries to the marketplace, and better capitalize on innovations in biomedicine and big data.
Neurological biobank – open and accessible to researchers worldwide
The Neuro has created the world’s first and only combined Open Science biobank and patient registry devoted to neurological diseases. It includes imaging, clinical, demographic, genetic, cellular and neuro-psychiatric data, as well as biological samples from more than 3,000 de-identified participants. The Neuro’s Open Biobank enables the global community to better investigate neurological disorders and help accelerate the development of effective treatments. All data, biospecimens and patient-derived cell lines are open to be shared with scientists and institutes worldwide.
Partnering with patients
Partnering with patients and their families in The Neuro’s Open Biobank is enabling the global research community to tackle the significant burden of brain diseases facing us all today. “As someone living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), I have decided to donate my patient data and biological samples to The Neuro’s Open Biobank, says Kris Noakes, patient advocate. “It’s inspiring to be a part of something where globally people are collaborating in this manner. There is real momentum and it’s wonderful to be part of something new and hopeful for patients with neurological disorders.”
Brain health = Global health
“The Neuro is committed to improving the lives of patients with neurological disorders and advancing science and medicine to resolve the debilitating and destructive global burden of neurological diseases,” says Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of The Neuro. “When research is open, borderless, and global; and institutions share expertise and collaborate on fundamental discoveries; then new treatments for neurological diseases are within this generation’s reach, promising enormous benefits for our healthcare systems and economies.”