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OTTAWA, January 28, 2011  —  To mark Alzheimer’s Awareness month, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced today that the University of Ottawa will receive a total of $167,500 for two research initiatives targeting the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in Canadians.

Larisa Y Romanova, a graduate student from the Faculty of Medicine, will receive support from CIHR for her research titled Role of BCL-family proteins in the regulation of autophagy.

Wandong Zhang, adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine, will receive funding through CIHR for his project titled Identify and characterize the genetic changes in cholesterol-regulator genes in late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

An estimated one in 10 Canadians aged 65 and older has some form of dementia, and Alzheimer's disease will make up two thirds of these cases. In addition, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to increase as the population ages, placing growing demands on community health and social services, as well as on long-term care facilities.

The University of Ottawa, one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities, is working to improve the health of all Canadians through research. We are committed to excellence and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world.