Michael Fehlings: translating evidence from bench to bedside

Abstract

“Initially I really did not understand the concept of doctors doing research. I was interested in clinical care and clinical medicine. But I discovered to my surprise that I really enjoyed the academic side of medicine, and that I was actually pretty good at it. Making discoveries and asking questions has defined me and my professional life.” Professor of Neurosurgery Michael Fehlings (University of Toronto, ON, Canada) will soon be scrubbing up for theatre; following our phone call he will be operating on a man with spinal cord injury. Alongside his clinical practice in complex spinal surgery, he is Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery, and directs the Surgeon Scientist Training Program at the University, where he mentors clinical scientists and teaches surgeons to integrate research and clinical practice. At 62 years of age, his life's work (so far) spans four decades of fine tuning a translational model of medicine to improve patient care for those living with CNS injury and disease. Safety and efficacy of riluzole in patients undergoing decompressive surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy (CSM-Protect): a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trialIn this trial, adjuvant treatment for 6 weeks perioperatively with riluzole did not improve functional recovery beyond decompressive surgery in patients with moderate-to-severe degenerative cervical myelopathy. Whether riluzole has other benefits in this patient population merits further study. Full-Text PDF Genetic determinants of survival in progressive supranuclear palsy: a genome-wide association studyGenetic variation at the LRRK2 locus was associated with survival in PSP. The mechanism of this association might be through a lncRNA-regulated effect on LRRK2 expression because LINC02555 has previously been shown to regulate LRRK2 expression. LRRK2 has been associated with sporadic and familial forms of Parkinson's disease, and our finding suggests a genetic overlap with PSP. Further functional studies will be important to assess the potential of LRRK2 modulation as a disease-modifying therapy for PSP and related tauopathies. Full-Text PDF