With support from Foundation Vincent-Bourque, more than $500,000 has been committed to advance ALS care and research as the Trainee Awards program marks 20 years of impact
TORONTO, February 11, 2026 – The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) and Brain Canada are proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 ALS Canada–Brain Canada Clinical Research Fellowship and Trainee Awards. This year’s funding supports one Clinical Research Fellowship and three Trainee Awards, empowering early-career clinicians and researchers who are working to improve care and deepen understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating disease that affects nearly 4,000 people in Canada.
This year marks 20 years of ALS Canada’s commitment to fostering early-career researchers and clinicians through dedicated funding opportunities to strengthen the future of ALS research and care. These programs have supported emerging leaders who are now driving innovative studies, clinical initiatives, and global collaborations. Since 2014, Brain Canada has partnered with ALS Canada, beginning with support generated through the Ice Bucket Challenge, an enduring collaboration that continues to expand research capacity and accelerate scientific discovery in Canada’s ALS community.
“For two decades, ALS Canada has focused on investing in early-career clinicians and researchers, who have gone on to lead programs, improve clinical care, and advance research in ALS. We are proud to steward the funds generously donated by our donors and invest in the people who will deliver discoveries, a deeper understanding of the disease, and future treatments,” says Tammy Moore, CEO of ALS Canada. “With partners like Brain Canada providing matched support, we can scale promising work and move closer to effective treatments.”
Together, ALS Canada and Brain Canada have committed $515,000 in research funding for the 2025 Clinical Research Fellowship and Trainee Awards.
“These awards reflect the impact that coordinated, long-term investment can have in accelerating discovery and improving care. Building research capacity is essential to accelerating breakthroughs in ALS,” says Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President and CEO. “Brain Canada is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with ALS Canada and to help equip the next generation of researchers with the support they need to move the field forward.”
The Clinical Research Fellowship is designed to support a clinician’s training in research and clinical care related to ALS over two years. This training is crucial to strengthening Canada’s clinical infrastructure for ALS care.
Summary of 2025 Clinical Research Fellowship
- Can a novel animal model of ALS help us understand if the spread of misfolded proteins contributes to disease progression?
TDP-43, SOD1, and FUS proteinopathies in vivo: interrogating prion-like mechanisms and drug rescue in zebrafish and ALS hiPSC-derived neuron xenotransplant models
Dr. Michele DuVal, a clinical fellow supervised by Dr. Wendy Johnston and Dr. Ted Allison, University of Alberta, awarded $200,000
The Trainee Awards include two streams of funding: Doctoral students pursuing their PhD and postdoctoral fellows, who receive financial support to cover their salaries for up to three years, providing Canadian labs with the necessary funds to have top researchers working on the best projects to understand the disease better and drive toward new treatments for individuals living with ALS.
A total of $315,000 was awarded through the 2025 Trainee Awards.
Summary of 2025 Doctoral Awards
- Can targeting support cells improve muscle-nerve repair in ALS?
Study of perisynaptic Schwann cells contribution on NMJ reinnervation efficiency in ALS
Simon Alvado, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Richard Robitaille, Université de Montréal, awarded $75,000 over three years
- How does cellular stress impact TDP-43, a key ALS protein?
Examining the role of TDP-43 SUMOylation following ALS-relevant stress
Veronica Grybas, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Maxime Rousseaux, University of Ottawa, awarded $75,000 over three years
Funding for Veronica Grybas’ Doctoral Award was made possible through a partnership with Foundation Vincent-Bourque, who generously contributed $37,500 to ALS Canada, which Brain Canada matched through the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF).
Summary of 2025 Postdoctoral Award
- Can a virtual AI platform make speech‑language care more accessible for ALS?
Feasibility RCT of a digital tool for management of bulbar disease in ALS
Dr. Jennifer Soriano, a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Yana Yunusova, University of Toronto, awarded $165,000 over three years
About ALS Canada and the ALS Canada Research Program
The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) is working to change what it means to live with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an unrelenting and currently terminal disease.
Grounded in and informed by the Canadian ALS community, we respond to the urgent unmet need for life-changing treatments by investing in high-quality research that will fuel scientific discovery and by engaging industry, supporting increased clinical capacity, and advocating for equitable, affordable, and timely access to proven therapies.
Responding to the tremendous need for current and credible ALS knowledge, awareness, and education, we empower Canadians affected by ALS to navigate the current realities of ALS, be informed consumers of ALS information, and advocate effectively for change.
Through the ALS Canada Research Program, we fund peer-reviewed research grants, foster collaboration and build capacity within Canada’s ALS research and clinical community, and invest in new areas of research positioned to have high impact. As the only national dedicated source of funding for ALS research across Canada, the ALS Canada Research Program aims to accelerate research impact by providing funding for the most promising ALS projects focused on translating scientific discoveries into treatments for ALS. We are grateful for the support of our donors and the contributions from participating provincial ALS Societies through the Walk to End ALS.
About Brain Canada
Brain Canada Foundation is a national registered charity that enables and supports excellent, innovative, and paradigm-changing brain research in Canada. By fostering collaboration and leveraging public and private funds through the Canada Brain Research Fund, a unique arrangement between Brain Canada and the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, Brain Canada accelerates discoveries that improve health outcomes for people living with brain disorders, injuries, and diseases.
Visit Braincanada.ca and @BrainCanada.
About Foundation Vincent-Bourque
Vincent was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. He knew that ALS was not an incurable disease, but an underfunded one. With his wife, Isabelle Lessard, and many friends, he created a Foundation to help families living with ALS and to support research in order to eradicate ALS. He passed away in 2018, but his legacy to the ALS community is immeasurable. The Foundation Vincent-Bourque has raised more than $1,200,000 since 2018, given eight research grants to star researchers dedicated to ALS, and distributed more than $400,000 to help families. The Foundation Vincent-Bourque is proud to be working with ALS Canada and Brain Canada toward a future without ALS.
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Join the conversation and connect with the ALS community online. Find ALS Canada on X, Instagram, or like our page on Facebook. Visit als.ca to find out more.
For more information:
ALS Society of Canada
media@als.ca
437-703-5402
Brain Canada
Jillian Donnelly
jillian.donnelly@braincanada.ca