Dr. Renée Douville, Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg, Department of Biology; Adjunct Professor, University of Manitoba, Department of Immunology
A UWinnipeg-based research lab aims to use crowd-funding — an increasingly popular activity whereby interested individuals pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations — to help fund its work in understanding neurological diseases such as ALS and schizophrenia.
The Douville Lab (Dr. Renée Douville, Jennifer Ferguson, Sheena Manghera, Samah Alsaadi, Matthew Turnbull, Heather Carr, and Michael Jonasson) is using the crowd-funding site microryza as a creative and alternative source of research funding, to offset the effects of government cutbacks. Online donors can make contributions via credit card (cheques may still be delivered in person, made out to Suzanne Gomes, lab microryza treasurer) towards the team’s goal of $15,000 by October 29th, 2013. Monies raised will help pay for laboratory equipment and research personnel.
Among its activities, The Douville Lab recently discovered that some viral DNA produces a potential neurotoxin (which kills brain cells). The discovery could lead to important insight into the brains of individuals with ALS and schizophrenia.
