Dr. Alyson Fournier
Professor
Dr. Alyson Fournier earned her undergraduate degree from McGill University in 1993. She completed PhD training at McGill University in 1998 under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa McKerracher. She then completed post-doctoral training at Yale University with Dr. Stephen Strittmatter in 2003, exploring the molecular underpinnings of nerve regeneration. Dr. Fournier was appointed to the Faculty of McGill University at the Montreal Neurological Institute in 2003 as a Canada Research chair and is currently a full professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Her research program is focused on understanding the molecular basis of central nervous system degeneration and regeneration, with an emphasis on understanding how nerve cells (neurons) respond to pathological inflammation and how one may harness that knowledge to devise neuroprotective strategies for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).
Learn more about Dr. Fournier
How did you become interested in MS research? What inspires you to continue advancing research in this field?
I have had a long-standing interest in understanding why nerve cells in the Central Nervous System are unable to spontaneously repair themselves following injury.CNS inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis leads to a great deal of neuronal damage that contributes to progressive forms of the disease, therefore, this area of research was a natural fit.There is an unmet clinical need for therapies that target progressive forms of Multiple Sclerosis and this is an important motivator for our continuing work.
Describe the importance and level of collaboration in your research?
We collaborate extensively in Canada and abroad.Collaboration allows us to expand the types of research questions that we are asking and to use state of the art approaches in our work.
How important is the support from the MS Society in enabling you to conduct research?
The MS Society has played a pivotal role in providing operating funds and fellowship support for our research.With the current shortage of operating money for the Canadian Tri-Council Agencies, the MS Society has ensured that support for Canadian Research in Multiple Sclerosis has been maintained.
What inspires you to continue advancing research in this field?
The critical mass of researchers and clinicians focusing on common problems underlying MS pathology gives hope that the field’s collective research will lead to improved treatments for people with MS.
How do you hope to change the lives of people living with MS through your research?
It is our hope that fundamental research to understand how nerve cells are damaged in MS may lead to novel neuroprotective strategies that could be eventually translated to clinical trials.