The DMRF Canada is pleased to announce our support of the 2018 - 2019 Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award. We are thrilled to announce, in partnership with The Banting Research Foundation, DMRF Canada is proud to support Nomazulu Dlamini, MD PhD. Neurology, from the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Dlamini's research project, entitled: Neural network reorganization and maladaptive plasticity in dystonia post childhood basal ganglia stroke: a developmental model for the investigation of the neurobiological substrate of dystonia, was one of nine grants this year, out of 47 applications this year.
The Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award supported by DMRF Canada is a one-year grant of $25,000 per year that will support research related to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, and treatments which could potentially enable medical breakthroughs and transformative health care advances to find a cure for dystonia. For details on funding criteria, click here.
The Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award Grant Recipient, supported by DMRF Canada, was awarded through the grant program of the Banting Research Foundation with input from the DMRF Medical Advisory Committee. For details on the Banting Foundation announcement, and other grant recipients, click here.
Dr. Dlamini's grant application states; The basal ganglia are an interconnected network of deep brain structures which integrate and control movement, learning and emotion. Disturbances within the basal ganglia are implicated as a common pathway of dystonia. In children with basal ganglia stroke post-stroke, dystonia is one of the commonest movement disorders of childhood, providing us with a unique window to examine the network differences between children with and without post-stroke dystonia. This knowledge will improve understanding of ‘why dystonia occurs, when it occurs, and in whom it occurs’, potentially providing paradigm shifting opportunities for the development of future mechanism and individual targeted therapies to impact the quality of life of children, adults, and their communities.
Stay tuned for more details on Dr. Dlamini's research in the coming months. Our thanks to The Banting Research Foundation for their partnership in this important research initiative.