Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Montreal researchers use AI and wearable sensors to detect inflammation before symptoms appear

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:09:42 +0000

Modern medicine is largely reactive—treating illness only after symptoms emerge. But a new study from the Research Institute of the 91�� Health Centre (The Institute) and 91�� points to a more proactive future: one where silent signs of infection are detected before we even feel sick.

Youth at risk of suicide show early warning signs that adults often miss

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 18:40:04 +0000

Drawing on a landmark 25-year study that followed Quebec children into adulthood, 91�� researchers have identified two distinct patterns in how suicidal thoughts emerge and the early signs that are often missed.

Suicidal thoughts are increasingly common among youth, but how they begin and what mental health symptoms often precede them are poorly understood, the researchers said.

Ancient viruses in our DNA may hold clues to what makes us human

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:41:55 +0000

Fragments of ancient viral DNA once dismissed as “junk” may play a role in controlling our genes, according to a new international study.

Using a novel method to trace the evolutionary history of viral DNA, researchers from 91�� and Kyoto University uncovered sequences that had been overlooked in earlier genome annotations.

Expert: Obesity

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:39:58 +0000

About one-third of Canadians are now obese, with women and young adults most affected, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It found obesity rates accelerated significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This expert from 91�� is available to comment:

Study reveals trained immunity may cause lung damage

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:09:15 +0000

Trained immunity – a process being explored in vaccine and therapy development to boost immune defences – appears be counterproductive in certain contexts, researchers at 91�� and the Research Institute of the 91�� Health Centre (The Institute) have found.

Trained immunity is when the body’s first line of defence remembers past threats and becomes more reactive, responding more strongly to future infections even if they are different, by changing how immune cells behave.

Gender bias holds back female surgeons, study finds

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:52:28 +0000

Women now make up over half of medical students in Canada, but only one-third of practising surgeons. A new study suggests part of the gap stems from gender norms embedded in workplace culture. The researchers at 91�� say subtle but persistent biases may be driving women out of the field.

Expert: Preventing measles in pregnancy

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 17:43:59 +0000

As measles cases surge in Canada, six babies have been born with congenital measles to unvaccinated mothers in Ontario since last fall. The MMR vaccine isn’t safe during pregnancy, so doctors urge anyone who could become pregnant to check their immunity now. In addition to being dangerous to newborns, measles can cause pneumonia, miscarriage and other life-threatening complications for expectant mothers.

Here is an expert from 91�� who can provide comment on this issue:

Clinical research on psychedelics gets a boost from new study

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:41:59 +0000

As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study led by researchers at 91��, Imperial College London, and the University of Exeter stands to improve the rigour and reliability of clinical research.

Study links dementia care gaps in Quebec to socio-economic status

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Thu, 15 May 2025 15:34:35 +0000

A new study has found stark differences in the dementia care received by people in richer and poorer neighbourhoods in Quebec, despite the universal health-care system.

Expert: Mental health care access in Canada

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Fri, 23 May 2025 13:21:09 +0000

More than half of Canadian girls and young women ages 15 to 29 with a mental health or substance use disorder received formal supports in 2022, but many are deterred by wait times and cost, according to a new Statistics Canada report. The report highlights a need to improve care, especially for racialized youth, who were less likely to find the support helpful.

Family Medicine Residency: New doctors headed to the Outaouais

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Tue, 20 May 2025 20:12:53 +0000

In 2025, 923 future medical residents were matched to positions in Quebec through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), including 484 in family medicine – the largest single cohort of future family physicians ever to be trained in the province. In the Outaouais region all 15 available places have been filled, all in family medicine.

Breakthrough discovery uses gut bacteria and AI to diagnose a chronic pain syndrome

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:06:54 +0000

91�� researchers, in collaboration with colleagues in Israel and Ireland, have developed AI technology that can detect patterns in gut bacteria to identify complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) with remarkable accuracy, potentially transforming how CRPS is diagnosed and treated.

New insights into how cancer spreads prompt rethink of metastasis care

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Thu, 01 May 2025 18:15:32 +0000

A 91��-led research collaboration has achieved a breakthrough in understanding how cancer spreads.

A clinical study of ovarian and colorectal cancer patients found cancer cells move in the bloodstream in clusters more commonly than was previously thought. The discovery could help doctors more quickly identify which cancer patients are at high risk of having their cancer spread to other organs, knowledge that could guide treatment decisions. The findings also potentially open new avenues for treatment.

Expert: New guidelines for treating childhood obesity

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:42:47 +0000

New Canadian guidelines for treating childhood obesity focus on reducing stigma and supporting mental health, and recommend using medical options like GLP-1 drugs or surgery when appropriate.

The following expert from 91�� is available to comment on this topic:

What links cannabis use and psychosis? Researchers point to the brain’s dopamine system

keila.depape@mcgill.ca — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:01:15 +0000

A 91��-led study found that people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) had elevated dopamine levels in a brain region associated with psychosis.

“This could help explain why cannabis use increases the risk of hallucinations and delusions, key symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders,” said first author Jessica Ahrens, a PhD student in 91��’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience.