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Infrastructure
If you build it, they will
come...
World-class research programs are built with world-class researchers who have the facilities and
equipment they need to do their work. Alberta has built the infrastructure and the researchers have come-from across Canada and around the world-contributing
their skills, ideas and talents to unfold the prion mystery.
Support for Universities
Since its inception, the Alberta Prion Research Institute has worked to build the infrastructure needed to attract world-class researchers to the province and to support their scientific investigations. In its inaugural year, APRI earmarked $4 million for equipment, renovations and capital construction of research facilities to support prion-research recruits. As of March 31, 2009, the entire amount has been invested or committed.
University of Alberta and University of Calgary
In 2008-2009, the Alberta Prion Research Institute committed $1.9 million to support equipment and building costs for a new Biosafety Level 2 laboratory at the University of Calgary. This infrastructure support will substantially increase prion research capacity at the university.
Similar funding from APRI to the University of Alberta in 2006 made the development of a major prion research centre possible.
Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases
The Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases was formed in October 2004 when sixteen University of Alberta
researchers, with a combined total of $41 million in current research funds, banded together to form a research centre investigating diseases such as
Alzheimer's and BSE. The Prion Institute has been heavily involved in the creation of the Centre; it was built with substantial support from both the
Prion Institute and a big commitment from the University.
The space is comprised of 27,000 square feet of lab and office space, on three building floors, containing communal, state-of-the-art equipment and small animal facilities.
Dr. David Westaway, a molecular biologist with a special interest in the use of genetically engineered mice to recreate and understand human neurological disorders, is the head of the Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases at the University of Alberta. He is regarded as a major international researcher in the areas of prions and other neurological diseases.
The Centre is attracting internationally-known senior researchers and junior researchers. It will support seven top prion researchers and their teams working intensively on high-caliber projects. Some include work on how proteins actually behave in the brain, and how it morphs into the “bad stuff.” The work also includes connections to rural economy, rural sociology and environment. Social Science research, examining the impact BSE has had on the agricultural industry in Alberta and the subsequent social costs to the rural communities in Alberta, is also an important area in order to mitigate the impact of prion disease.
The Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases is now the Canadian epicentre for prion research. It opened the doors to Phase One of its new lab facility on October 26, 2007.
The Institute will continue to work with its partners, such as the Government of Alberta and funding agencies, to secure the additional funding to support the infrastructure requirements needed to build a world-class research program. Such initiatives include the new SRM-CAP program.
