Every year, thousands of Canadian children are diagnosed with, or treated for, brain disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and cerebral palsy. As a national scientific research network, NeuroDevNet has dedicated its mission towards finding the root causes of these disorders.

“The Mitacs Elevate program helped prepare me for a career where I’d be merging ideas and leveraging the abilities of people with seemingly divergent skill sets and disparate backgrounds. I feel like I’m much better prepared to coordinate projects that involve balancing the different expectations of clinical, academic, and industrial partners. I have been given the tools that will allow me to manage diverse stakeholder interests while maintaining a focus on our common goals.”

One of the most talked-about biomedical breakthroughs of 2010, this new development offers hope to sufferers of blood and immunological diseases, such as leukemias, who are often unable to find a suitable donor.