Search

The immune system is one of our greatest defenses against disease and injury. But what happens when it betrays us?

With conditions like rheumatoid arthritis the immune system is manipulated to attack the human body. Inflammation, normally a protective immune response, can be employed to cause symptoms like pain.

Surprisingly, research suggests our immune system may be similarly affected in patients with neurodegenerative dementias. 

“We know there are increased numbers of inflammatory cells in the brains of patients with dementia but we don’t know what role they’re playing,” says Dr. Elizabeth Finger, a scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute and neurologist at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute. “Are they doing their proper job of cleaning up damaged cells or is their presence more sinister?”

Dr. Finger’s research group aims to identify and understand changes in the brain that lead to symptoms of dementia, find novel treatments to improve patient quality of life and hopefully prevent the disease altogether. Critical to this work is Dr. Finger’s collaboration with Lawson Imaging scientists Drs. Keith St. Lawrence, Udunna Anazodo, and Justin Hicks.

The researchers utilize Canada’s first hybrid positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) machine located at St. Joseph’s Hospital. This high-powered imaging allows them to assess changes to both structure and function in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative dementias like Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body dementia. 

In one of their many studies they are examining whether there is inflammation in the brains of patients with frontotemporal dementia and, if so, whether this inflammation is present in areas of the brain not yet damaged by the disease.

Image

“A presence in those parts of the brain would suggest that inflammation is not playing its normal role of cleaning up damaged cells,” explains Dr. Finger. “It would suggest the brain’s immune response is overactive and that we should consider clinical trials for medications that modulate this response.”

Dr. Finger is an active investigator for novel therapies. In 2019, her group will participate in at least two clinical trials for medications that target genetic mutations that can cause frontotemporal dementia. The studies are phase I trials, which means they are the first time the medications are being tested in humans. 

Dr. Finger is also leading a North American multi-centre trial called FOXY. The study will examine the therapeutic potential of a hormone called oxytocin to improve the loss of emotion and empathy that frequently occurs in patients with frontotemporal dementia. 

“In the past there were very few treatments for frontotemporal dementia,” explains Dr. Finger. “We are glad to say that Lawson and St. Joseph’s will offer the opportunity to take part in these advances. Words cannot adequately express the appreciation we have for our patients, caregivers and healthy volunteers who participate in research. The time and effort they selflessly donate with the goal of helping future patients is truly inspiring and motivating.”

Image

This story originally appeared in an annual publication from the Alzheimer Society London and Middlesex.

Community members and those in the field of health research attended a special open house and interactive tour by research groups at Lawson Health Research Institute – celebrating the holiday spirit and the gift of hope that is made possible through hospital-based research.

A part of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Parkwood Institute represents the next era in care, recovery and rehabilitation. Across the site, clinical and research teams in different disciplines and specialties are collaborating in new ways.

The teams that make up Parkwood Institute Research, a Lawson program, are conducting clinical studies with the goal of understanding disease and improving care for a wide range of patients.

“Many people in the community know the high-quality and compassionate care that is supported by the various clinical teams at Parkwood Institute,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Beryl and Richard Ivey Research Chair in Aging, Mental Health, Rehabilitation and Recovery, and Assistant Scientific Director at Lawson. “What most don’t know is that we have research teams working across these sites, with each other and research patients.

Researchers tackle the most important challenges and provide access to highly innovative and meaningful solutions that improve the lives of patients and their families, added Dr. Forchuk.

Image

At the open house on November 30, there were 11 interactive displays in the areas of cognitive vitality and brain health, mobility and activity and mental health. This included the Gait and Brain Laboratory, the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, wound care, the Mental Health Nursing Research Alliance and more: 

• The Mental Health INcubator for Disruptive Solutions (MINDS) of London Middlesex is a social innovation lab focused on developing, testing, implementing and evaluating disruptive solutions that promote the mental and emotional wellbeing of Transition-Aged Youth in our London-Middlesex community.
• The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), supported by CIHR and many partners, is the premier research hub for all aspects of research involving neurodegenerative diseases that affect cognition in aging – including Alzheimer's disease. 
• A dynamic lab with the top neurorehabilitation evidence-based reviews in stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, or insight into clinical trials of stroke rehabilitation using exoskeletons, exercise paradigms, pharmaceuticals, and clinical studies of psychosocial factors that influence chronic pain in brain injury and spinal cord injury populations.

The open house had a festive theme and each of the exhibits involved a problem solving element to encourage learning and foster teamwork.   

Image

Peggy Sattler, Member of Provincial Parliament for London West, and Terence Kernaghan, Member of Provincial Parliament for London North Centre, were among the over 300 people in attendance.

“This special open house opportunity is meant to be a fun experience where you were also learning about research,” explains Dr. Forchuk. “During this holiday season, we wanted to share our own gift of hope in the form of collaborative research that is making a real difference.”

See photos from the open house on Facebook.