E-newsletter – December 2011

In this issue:

• Message from the Scientific Director
• Institute News
• Public Engagement
• Partnerships
• Brightest Minds
• Kudos
• Rising Stars
• Current Funding Opportunities
• Student and Trainee Opportunities
• Did You Know?

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Message from the Scientific Director

I am pleased to welcome you to this, my first issue of the Institute of Aging Newsletter since taking the reins as IA Scientific Director and Executive Director of the International Collaborative Research Strategy on Alzheimer's Disease or 'ICRSAD' . It has been an extraordinarily busy 4 months driven by escalating public, government and international interest in issues of aging which has enhanced the Institute of Aging's role as an authority in this domain.

A number of academic conferences this fall offered me timely opportunities to become re-acquainted with and meet new members of the Institute's ever-growing community. And of course, since August, we have also been occupied with assembling the Institute of Aging offices at the University of Montreal Geriatric Institute (IUGM) and appointing new Montreal-based IA staff.

A federal Ministry of Health house standing committee on chronic disease and aging has recently invited briefs from a range of national experts, including many IA-affiliated researchers. Representing CIHR, I was honoured to speak before this committee about the critical importance of research on aging, including frailty and health services and systems for an aging population, and of research platforms such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The Minister of Health's office has in addition sought advice from the Institute on matters of research funding for Alzheimer's and related dementias.

I have also had the privilege this fall of a meeting with The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors). Minister Wong is highly supportive of research on aging and notes her personal concerns for the health of Canada's aging immigrant population and for elder abuse.

The Institute's leadership of the International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders (ICRSAD), one of CIHR's first Roadmap Signature Initiatives, has been consolidated with my appointment as ICRSAD Executive Director. My co-lead, Tony Phillips, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction and I have struck a working group comprised of Board members of the two Institutes, to advise on the roll-out of the ICRSAD strategy throughout its first phase.

In accordance with its status as an affiliate of the European Union's ERA-AGE consortium, IA was invited to participate in the launch of the launch of the FUTURAGE Roadmap for Ageing research in Europe at the European Parliament in October. This visionary analysis of research needs is a valuable framework for other jurisdictions, including Canada.

At the time of publication, the new Institute Administration will have held its first meeting of the Institute Advisory Board. This important group serves as the transitional and ongoing voice of IA's community.

Finally, it is with great pleasure that I announce the appointments of the new Assistant Director- Montreal for the Institute of Aging, Joanne Goldberg; and the Institute Administrator Dorothy Spindelmann-Redhead.

Institute News

Building relationships with the Institute's U.S. counterpart, the National Institute of Aging (NIA) was an important inaugural activity for the new IA mandate. Yves Joanette and the IA Assistant Directors met with NIA staff in late September for high-level discussions that ranged from aligning research classification systems to trainee exchanges through each country's summer programs in aging.

A joint planning meeting between CIHR and National Natural Science Foundation of China was held in Shanghai in September to discuss collaborative research efforts in Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias. With thanks to former Institute Advisory Board member, Dr. Daniel Lai and his trainee Hongmei Tong, who helped with arrangements, Yves Joanette visited the Shanghai Research Centre on Aging where he spoke with Xue Feng, Director, and Vice-Director, Yin Zhi Gang. Three teams were supported in the first round of the China-Canada Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Team grant competition.

The Canadian Conference on Dementia, held in Montreal (Oct 27-29) offered IA an opportunity to join Pfizer Canada and its global parent in a one-day exploration of research gaps in Alzheimer's and related dementias.

A reception for Canadian delegates and international 'friends of IA' was held again this year at the 64th Gerontological Society of America in Boston. This event increasingly brings together researchers and stakeholders who typically do not find opportunities to connect with each other at smaller or more specialized meetings.

As in previous years, the Institute once again joined the Canadian Dementia Knowledge Translation Network (CDKTN) in supporting trainee travel awards to this important meeting. The Institute also hosted an open information session on its Alzheimer's research strategy (the International Collaborative Research Strategy on Alzheimer's Disease or ICRSAD) and a meeting of its Cognitive Impairment in Aging partners.

Public Engagement

October 1st marked Canada's first national Senior's Day. With thanks to the CIHR Communications team, Yves Joanette spoke on the subject of health aging to newspaper and radio reporters.

Partnerships

At the 40th Canadian Association on Gerontology Annual Educational and Scientific Meeting (CAG-ASEM), the Institute once again partnered with CAG on a range of events. Close to eighty trainees presented their work to panels of academic and stakeholder judges in the CIHR-CAG student poster competition. This represents an impressive 4-fold increase in the number participating 5 years ago. IA also co-hosted a luncheon and pre-conference workshop with the CAG Student Connection and sponsored keynote speakers Kimberlyn McGrail and Richard Hammond. The winners of the poster prizes are featured later in this newsletter, in the Rising Stars section.

Brightest Minds

Dr. Alex Clark, Associate Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Nursing of the University of Alberta was recently appointed by the Royal Society of Canada to represent Canada in the World Economic Forum: Young Global Leader, in China. With more than 500 participants, this meeting gathered politicians, business people, academics and CEO's of some of the most important companies in the world. The main objective was to discuss how to improve the world across different sectors of the population. As Dr. Clark pointed out: "Seniors are economically important. To keep economies going, we need a healthy and happy older population and it's never too late to think of exercise and healthier diets".

His research focuses on psychosocial, behavioural, and organizational dimensions of Coronary Heart Disease (heart failure / acute coronary syndromes). Dr. Clark applies qualitative methods and systematic reviews investigate secondary prevention, disease management and self-care. We congratulate Dr. Clark in this wonderful honour and achievement.

Kudos

The Institute also congratulates the following researchers in aging for their inspiring accomplishments:

• Weihong Song, University of British Columbia: has been awarded the "National Friendship Award" by the Chinese Government.
• John Breitner, McGill University: Tier I Canada Research Chair in the Prevention of Dementia.
• Louis Bherer, Université du Quebec à Montreal: Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Aging and the Prevention of Cognitive Decline.

Rising Stars

The Institute congratulates the winners of the CAG-CIHR Student Poster Competition described above.

In the Masters Category:

• Estefania Chriqui, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Évaluation de l'acuité visuelle chez la personne âgée atteinte de troubles cognitifs.

In the Ph.D. category:

• Manon Guay, Université de Sherbrooke. Exploring Needs for Support of Home Health Aides Involved in Choosing Bathing Equipment.

In the Post doctoral category:

• Geneviève Lemay, University of Ottawa. Utilization of TeleHome Monitoring in Patients over the Age of 75 with Complex Heart Failure; Does Age Make Any Difference?
• Audrey Swift, University of Manitoba. Self-Definitions of Successful Aging and Perceived Control in Older Men: The Manitoba Follow-up Study.

Recent Funding Highlights

IA applauds all our investigators who have been successful in the most recent competitions. Of the many funded, we focus in this issue on the Catalyst Grant: International COEN Initiative in Neurodegeneration and the Secondary Analysis of Database Operating Grant.

International Network of Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (COEN) – Catalyst Grant Initiative is an initiative between funding partners in six countries - Canada, Germany, UK, Belgium Flanders, Italy and Ireland - with the objective to build productive links between research groups within recognized centres of excellence in neurodegeneration.

Of the eight grants funded, seven had a Canadian research component. We congratulate the recipients of these grants from the October 2011 competition:

• Dr. Eric Smith, University of Calgary.
  • Standards for determining the vascular contribution to neurodegeneration.
• Dr. David S. Park, University of Ottawa.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction and susceptibility to Parkinson's disease: New models of pathogenetic interactions.
• Dr. Claudio Cuello, McGill University.
  • Early synaptic plasticity and network dysfunction in transgenic rat models of Alzheimer's disease.
• Dr Antonio P. Strafella, Centre for Addition and Mental Health (Toronto).
  • Immune subtype in Parkinson disease.
• Dr. Siegfried Hekimi, McGill University.
  • C. elegans models of mitochondrial deficiency in the nervous system.
• Dr. Mario Masellis, University of Toronto.
  • The GENetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (GENFI): a new multi-centre platform for the study of frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
• Dr. Joerg Gsponer, University of British Columbia.
  • Identification of generic supressors of proteinopathies.

The Secondary Analysis of Databases

Secondary Analysis of Databases grants are intended to provide an opportunity for expert analysis of existing data sets and by doing so, improve the evidence for decision-making and create new knowledge in aging, maternal and child population health and health care, neurosciences, mental health and addiction. We congratulate the following Institute of Aging grantees:

• Dr. Elizabeth M Badley, University Health Network (Toronto)
  • In sickness or in health? How well are the baby boomers aging compared to older generations: an analysis of age, period and cohort effects.
• Dr. Simon Duchesne, Université Laval.
  • Dynamic biomarker model in Alzheimer's disease: trajectory analysis and modulating factors.
• Dr. Robert A Fowler, Sunnybrook Research Institute.
  • A National Comparison of Intensity of End-of-Life Care in Canada: Defining Changing Patterns, Risk Factors and Targets for Intervention.
• Dr. Yaping Jin and Dr. Graham E Trope, University of Toronto.
  • Do different provincial and territorial government vision health insurance policies generate different vision health outcomes? A cross-sectional and longitudinal study.
• Dr. Janice M Keefe, Mount St-Vincent University
  • Public and private spending in home care services: The Boomer challenge
• Dr. Ari N Meguerditchian, McGill University
  • Adherence to Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy: Understanding Challenges in Seniors with Breast Cancer

Complete information on recent CIHR funding decisions can be seen on the CIHR website.

Funding opportunities

Age+ Prize
The Age+ Prize is aimed at graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents from all disciplines, working in the field of aging. Applications are accepted 3 times a year. Approximately 10 to 15 awards are offered annually to meritorious authors of published, scientific articles on aging.
Next application deadline: January 15, 2012

Travel Awards in Aging
IA provides travel funds for Master's and Doctoral students, and Post-doctoral fellows to present their work at a conference, workshop or symposium. The application process will be available on CIHR's Funding Opportunity Database in December 2011.

Summer Program in Aging (SPA)
The annual Institute of Aging Summer Program in Aging (SPA) offers a four-day intensive training and networking experience to students and post-doctoral fellows involved in aging research that crosses disciplines, sectors, institutions and geography and that addresses one or more of IA's research priorities.

SPA 2012 will be held in partnership with Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre in the province of British Columbia, May 6-11th, 2012. The application process will be available on the Institute's website after January 15, 2012.
Application deadline: March 15, 2012

Did you know?

Dementia is not only a disease of the western world: 60 percent of people with dementia live in developing countries, and that number will increase at a much greater rate than in developed countries¹. The prevalence of dementia in China is now similar to that in developed countries, and the percentage of elderly in China is projected to triple from 8 percent to 24 percent between 2006 and 2050. By 2040, there will be as many people with Alzheimer's in China as in the entire developed world².

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1. Ferri, C.P., et al."Global prevalence of dementia: a Delphi consensus study" Lancet 366: 2112-17 (2005).
2. Qiu, J. "Ticking time bomb faced by China's ageing population" The Lancet Neurology 6: 582-583 (2007).