21st Century Nano Tools To Repair The Nervous System

January 21, 2008

Rio Tinto Alcan reinforced its commitment to community involvement

with a $1-million donation to the 'Thinking Ahead Campaign' at the

Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNI), affiliated with

McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre. The

campaign is a five-year $40-million initiative to invest in people

and expand facilities and services.

The donation, in support of the MNI's multidisciplinary

NeuroEngineering program, was announced by Rio Tinto Alcan Chief

Executive at Rio Tinto Alcan's Montreal Headquarters.

Mr. is a member of the MNI's 'Thinking Ahead Campaign'

cabinet. R. Colman, Director, MNI, said: " We are proud that

Rio Tinto Alcan and Dick have chosen to invest in the MNI.

Their support of the ground-breaking NeuroEngineering program gives

us the opportunity to expand our research into new directions that

we can't even imagine now - exploring and bringing together new

disciplines and technologies that we hope will improve the quality

of life for those debilitated by injury or neurological disease. "

" Rio Tinto Alcan believes in supporting inventive institutions and

organizations in the communities where we are present, " said

, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Alcan. " Good health and strong

healthcare facilities are key to a community's success and growth.

Supporting the MNI's innovative NeuroEngineering Program is another

way that we can play a role in improving the quality of life of

people in Quebec and around the world. Advancement in this area

could lead to significant scientific and medical breakthroughs that

benefit populations everywhere. "

The NeuroEngineering Program is a truly synergistic effort in which

neuroscientists are engaging physical scientists to work together on

some of the most compelling, unsolved problems related to nervous

system damage, such as in traumatic spinal cord injuries. Using the

expertise of the physical scientists, the entire team is devising

biological platforms and " engineering tools " geared to restoring

function and repairing the nervous system. The creation of a new

research laboratory will allow the MNI to recruit world-class

scientists who will add unique expertise to come up with fresh,

innovative ideas and apply them to neurological problems.

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