Dedicated individuals
Dr. Gilbert Bernier
Researcher
“As early as 5 years old, I was crazy about encyclopedias. I’ve always sought to understand the world around me. I would collect rocks, minerals, bees, butterflies and analyze them for hours.” Dr. Gilbert Bernier never lost his boundless thirst for knowledge.
In 2018, his research team made a major breakthrough in their understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, fostering hope of curing it someday. The investigators appear to have discovered what goes wrong in the brain of people affected.
In these patients, the interruption of activity in a certain gene may be the cause. “This is a crucial starting point. We have found the ‘molecular button’ that activates the brain’s aging process. Now that we know what is going wrong, we have a good chance of being able to repair it.”
While it is expected that nearly 1.5 million Canadians will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease within the next 15 years, Dr. Bernier is determined to quickly add a new chapter to the science books. His dream: For thousands of people, including those who are ill and their care givers, whose life has been turned upside down by this disease, to cherish renewed hope of treatment. His recipe: Believe in what science can reveal to us while also remaining sensitive to others and their suffering in order to better understand it.
“It is just a matter of time… Thanks to discoveries made in the last few years and to the accelerated evolution of technology, everything will progress much more quickly. I am very optimistic about the future!”