ALS Canada is proud to recognize and celebrate Dr. Richard Robitaille, a leader in ALS research and a professor at Université de Montréal, who has received the prestigious Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing from the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital. The award was presented on Sunday, December 8, during the 35th International MNDA Symposium in Montreal, co-hosted by ALS Canada and ALS Quebec.
Dr. Robitaille is a dedicated member of the ALS research community, a volunteer for patient community-focused initiatives, and a member of the ALS Society of Quebec’s Board of Directors and ALS Canada’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Council (SMAC). His journey into ALS research began more than a decade ago when a colleague suggested that his work on the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) might hold potential for ALS treatment. Dr. Robitaille shifted his focus, exploring how repair mechanisms governed by perisynaptic Schwann cells (PSCs) were impaired in ALS.
One of his most exciting breakthroughs involves a drug called darifenacin, initially approved for bladder control. Dr. Robitaille’s research demonstrated that darifenacin restores PSC function in ALS models by targeting muscarinic receptors and significantly affecting disease progression. Recognizing the potential impact, he has concentrated all his efforts in recent years on expediting darifenacin into human clinical trials.
Dr. Robitaille is bringing this promising therapy closer to people living with ALS thanks to his perseverance and collaboration with clinicians, researchers, and industry partners. His story is a testament to the power of passion, innovation, and community in our collective efforts to work toward a world free of ALS.
ALS Canada is proud to support Dr. Robitaille’s research with nine grants throughout his career, beginning in 2013 with his first ALS Canada Discovery Grant and, most recently, an ALS Canada-Brain Canada Discovery Grant in 2023 and an ALS Canada-Brain Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2024, supported by Fondation Vincent Bourque. These investments have helped fuel his work from early-stage discoveries, demonstrating the critical role of donor-funded research in accelerating progress toward understanding the disease and new treatments.
Congratulations, Dr. Robitaille, on this well-deserved recognition!