Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Brain Repair

Phone: 709-864-4955
Email: craig.moore@mun.ca

Research involves:
Investigating novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.

Research relevance:
This research will identify and novel treatment strategies for treating chronic neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

Promoting repair in the central nervous system
The rates of brain-related diseases in Canada and the developed world are on the rise. This rise is not only occurring in diseases often afflicting older populations, but also in diseases that have a relatively early onset, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is the most common neurological disease in young adults aged 18-45 with Canada unfortunately having some of the highest rates globally.

While current treatments can decrease the duration and severity of MS-associated symptoms, they have been primarily designed to target the immune system and have little or no effect on the brain. As a Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Brain Repair, Dr. Moore is investigating how novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets can help drive the brain’s own repair processes with the vision of translating these findings into clinical practice.

Dr. Moore’s clinically translational research program investigates how specific genes/microRNAs contribute to disease processes related to brain injury and repair in patients with MS. Over the past several years, Moore and his research team have identified novel molecules that are altered in the immune and central nervous systems of MS patients, which may provide insight into disease processes and serve as biomarkers that could predict an individual patient’s progression, repair capacity, and response to various drug therapies.

While Dr. Moore and his team are focused in disease mechanisms related to MS, their research findings could provide insights into other neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, brain cancers, and spinal cord injury. Given our vulnerable population, these insights may improve health outcomes for many Canadians, while reducing the growing economic and societal burdens on Canada’s health care systems and caregivers.