Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  That makes good sense. It also enables the opportunity to perhaps identify the contributing or triggering factor that has initiated the ALS. If there's a commonality--for example, environmental--the more information we have, the more statistical data out of Veterans Affairs, the

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  I think it would make a dramatic difference, simply because if you divide the $600,000 or $700,000 into the $350 million, it will generate a significantly larger body of research and knowledge. I know that we have finite dollars.... I haven't done the analysis that would respond

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  You heard François say that trying to get a grant for a wild idea is not likely to happen. At this point, CIHR is granting about 19% to 20% of the applications, so you've got all that group of around 80% that are simply not being granted.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  No, that's right across the board.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  Yes. That's why we have expanded our program, to the point where we're investing over $2 million a year in research.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  The way the system works is that when the review is done they have to be above a certain level. So some of those 80% would fall below, but an awful lot are above the level, and there's simply no money up there. We put together a program a couple of years ago that we called disco

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  It's hundreds of millions of dollars. A grant for three to five years is in the $600,000 to $700,000 range, maybe. So extrapolate that out over all of the fields. One thing I just want to make clear on this subject of CIHR. Nigel was talking about $350 million. We're not asking

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  First of all, let me say that it's my understanding that Veterans Affairs Canada has already taken the initiative to go out to all of those veterans who have been turned down. And actually, just a couple of days ago we received a comment from somebody in B.C. who wrote to the loc

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  One of the things that I find with the ALS research community internationally is a tremendous collaboration, a collaborative spirit. All of the senior researchers know one another; they all go to the same research conferences right around the world, and there is a sharing of info

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  Just as a follow-up to that, it's been my experience with the company that makes Rilutek that if there is a need, they will address it.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  This partnership began in 1999 and it was a tripartite relationship among Muscular Dystrophy Canada, ALS Canada, and CIHR central, at that point in time. Each of the three parties agreed to put in $550,000 a year. So there was $1.65 million available in what's called the neurolog

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  Perhaps I may comment first. One of the additional unfortunate aspects of ALS is that there is little to no drug intervention therapy. There is one drug, Riluzole, that has efficacy with some patients. It needs to be used early in the diagnosis. It may delay symptoms for a brie

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  The challenge outside of the urban centres is very real. Actually, there are a couple of provinces now, supported by ALS Canada, who with the provincial society have identified mobile clinics. British Columbia is one, Alberta another, where they will get a team together, a neurol

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  We do not have Canadian data and we rely on the U.S. data. The integrity of the data that we might be able to pull out in Canada suffers from the fortunately small size of the community. But in the United States they originally saw anomalies after the first Gulf War and they saw

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  There are no studies of which I am aware in Canada, at this point, although we do have a clinical trials network in Canada. ALS Canada was part of the catalyst to bring it together. So there are 15 ALS clinics across Canada that are now just about ready to launch the third clinic