John MacDonald, Scientific Director at Robarts Research Institute, is leaving the position he has held for two years to fully concentrate on his research into stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and prevention of brain cell loss.
“From my own perspective, my passion is the research and I felt I could contribute a lot more by doing my own stuff in the lab and collaborating with people than I felt I could as director of Robarts,” says MacDonald, who relinquished his role June 1. “The only reason I would do an administrative position is if I had the capacity to build the research of other investigators. I felt that was a pretty limited opportunity under the current circumstances.”
John MacDonald
He adds when he took the job in 2008 it was a matter of weeks when the recession hit, which he says severely limited the institute’s ability to grow and hire new scientists. His other role was shepherding the merging of Robarts into the university (now under the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry).
“Quite frankly a lot of the things done administratively by Robarts are redundant in terms of the university,” he says, adding there is no blame or animosity in his latest decision. “That side of it has steadily decreased as well, so it’s almost reached the point where it wasn’t clear that you need a director at Robarts.”
Michael Strong, incoming dean at Schulich, says there are no immediate plans to replace MacDonald.
“John has accomplished a great deal during his tenure, and particularly during very difficult financial times,” says Strong. “We need now to take some time to implement the new strategic plan and to strengthen the centres housed within in order to ensure that Robarts remains as a vibrant component of Schulich research. We will then look at the timing and nature of a new scientific director.”
MacDonald and his research team will stay at Robarts and continue work on the mechanism of cell loss and cell death in the brain during strokes, degenerative disease and epilepsy.
Over the last year, MacDonald has received significant funding towards his research including CIHR funding of $1,086,625 (over five years) and more recently $400,000 from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation for three suites of equipment.
In particular, MacDonald is interested in how a unique ion channel, TRPM2, couples with a glutamate receptor called NMDA to assist learning and memory. If this receptor becomes over-activated, for example during a stroke, it produces toxicity, which damages or kills the brain cell.
MacDonald has developed a peptide which will be tested to see if it’ll prevent this toxic interaction, without interfering with normal activity.
“Robarts is a terrific place with outstanding scientists and I have great opportunities to collaborate with people,” he says. “We have a terrific lab set up and have had really outstanding support from the university.”
Strong is thrilled MacDonald is be staying at Robarts.
“John is one of the most highly respected Canadian researchers in vascular disease and neurophysiology, with an enviable international reputation,” he says. “The fact that he has been able to attain significant new research funding while also being the scientific director speaks to this.”