Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Study reveals trained immunity may cause lung damage

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:09:16 +0000

Trained immunity – a process being explored in vaccine and therapy development to boost immune defences – appears be counterproductive in certain contexts, researchers at ��ϲ�� University and the Research Institute of the ��ϲ�� University 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

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:52:29 +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 ��ϲ�� University say subtle but persistent biases may be driving women out of the field.

Communication between body muscle and the brain influences fertility, study finds

admin — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:53:33 +0000

A newly discovered line of communication between body muscle and the pituitary gland may play an unexpected role in female fertility, according to a new study.

��ϲ�� University researchers found that a protein produced in the muscles helps manage the release of a hormone made in the pea-sized gland attached to the base of the brain.

The findings, published in Science, could lead to new treatment options for infertility, the researchers said.

New insights into how cancer spreads prompt rethink of metastasis care

admin — Mon, 05 May 2025 13:56:29 +0000

A ��ϲ�� University-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.

New discovery could help protect against influenza

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:23:27 +0000

A component found in all fungi may provide a shield against flu-related lung damage, according to a new study.

A team of scientists led by Maziar Divangahi, a Professor in ��ϲ��’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the ��ϲ�� University Health Centre, demonstrated that beta-glucan, administered to mice before their exposure to influenza, can reduce lung damage, improve lung function and lower the risk of illness and death.

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

admin — Tue, 06 May 2025 12:55:14 +0000

��ϲ�� University 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.

Scientific insights into how humans access deep spiritual states

admin — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:11:10 +0000

Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices – Buddhist jhāna meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues – have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests.

While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.

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

admin — Tue, 20 May 2025 13:17:01 +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.

COVID-19 boosters help avoid breakthrough infections in immunocompromised people, ��ϲ��-led study finds

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:26:36 +0000

New research findings provide solid evidence that annual COVID-19 vaccine booster doses continue to be advisable for certain immunocompromised people, researchers at ��ϲ�� University say.

Family Medicine Residency: New doctors headed to the Outaouais

admin — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:18:54 +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.

��ϲ�� discovery sheds new light on autism, intellectual disabilities

admin — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 17:39:13 +0000

A new study by ��ϲ�� University researchers yields insights into how the disruption of calcium transport in the brain is linked to autism and intellectual disability. The findings, published in the journal Nature, not only upend a long-held belief among neuroscientists, but could pave the way for treatments.

What drives mood swings in bipolar disorder? Study points to a second brain clock

admin — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:08:29 +0000

A brain rhythm working in tandem with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle may explain why bipolar patients alternate between mania and depression, according to new research.

The ��ϲ�� University-led study published in Science Advances marks a breakthrough in understanding what drives shifts between the two states, something that, according to lead author Kai-Florian Storch, is considered the “holy grail” of bipolar-disorder research.

Clinical research on psychedelics gets a boost from new study

admin — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:07:50 +0000

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

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

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:18:25 +0000

A ��ϲ�� University-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 ��ϲ��’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience.

Introducing the science world to a unique Quebec COVID-19 resource

megan.liley@mcgill.ca — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:33:06 +0000

PLOS ONE publishes foundational article on the Biobanque québécoise de la COVID-19 (BQC19)