Dani Reiss’s $10-million gift will support research into ageing and age-related diseases.
$10-million gift enables research into healthy ageing
Thanks to support from the recently announced Dani Reiss Innovation Fund for Healthy Ageing Research, Sinai Health is set to conduct breakthrough research into the fastest-growing population group in the country: older Canadians.
The $10-million fund, made possible by long-time supporter Dani Reiss, will enable innovative studies and discovery research aimed at improving understanding around the ageing process and age-related diseases. Additionally, it will facilitate the training of the next generation of ageing-focused researchers and provide leading-edge equipment for research.
The fund will advance the work of two distinguished scientists at the LTRI: Drs. Graham Collingridge and Daniel Durocher, both of whom have helped revolutionize thinking around age-related diseases.
The Reiss Fund will enable Dr. Collingridge to expand his work on how the ageing process increases risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The goal, says Dr. Collingridge, is to answer the question of how to slow the impact of ageing on the brain, preserve cognitive abilities and prevent age-related brain disorders.
Dr. Durocher’s area of expertise is in investigating how cells detect and repair damage to their DNA, which has implications for neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and the ageing process. The Reiss Fund will allow his team the flexibility to pursue areas of research not previously funded.
Dani, who serves on Sinai Health’s Board of Directors, believes funding research into healthy ageing has the power to positively impact all Canadians. “An investment in healthy ageing is an investment in the future,” he explains.
Photography by FRANCISCO GARCIA
