Ontario and Israel Team Up For Brain Research
Posted on: July 22, 2011

Israel and Ontario have embarked on a joint project which has the potential for groundbreaking – and lifesaving – medical discoveries.

The National Post's Angela Hickman covered the recent launch of a collaborative initiative between the Ontario Brain Institute and Israel Brain Technologies, aimed at uncovering solutions to a range of brain diseases. The report notes that 25% of people in the West suffer from brain-related illnesses, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Autism, and depression.

This venture signals just one more joint project between Canadian and Israeli researchers. Both countries are home to a well-educated, highly skilled workforce and a cutting-edge technology sector – making the two an ideal match for research collaboration. As noted in the Post:

Canada and Israel have a long history of collaboration, and the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF) has facilitated partnerships across various industries, including automotive and health. The foundation, a partner in this week's Canada-Israel Technology Innovation 2011 summit in Israel, worked with Israel Brain Technologies and the Ontario Brain Institute to host the first OntarioIsrael bilateral roundtable on brain research in Toronto last week.

Both Ontario and Israel are important brain research centres, says Dr. Henri Rothschild, president of CIIRDF. By collaborating on new technologies, he says, our collective understanding of brain diseases and disorders will improve, which will in turn improve treatment possibilities.

…Brain technologies such as imaging (an area of Ontario's specialization) and brain stimulation through electrical, electro-magnetic or optical methods (one of Israel's technological strengths and an important area of research for treating Parkinson's disease), are improving rapidly and we are poised for some big breakthroughs, Rothschild says.

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