Researcher at Hamilton’s McMaster U honoured for breakthroughs in treating brain health

A McMaster University researcher credited for discovering a chemical compound with “huge potential” in treating brain health has been honoured with a 2024 Mitacs Innovation Award, one of eight presented in Canada.

Dr. Timsy Bhando is being recognized for her cutting-edge work to develop new, natural drugs to improve brain health, including the discovery of a novel fungi compound that is showing therapeutic potential for treating neurodegenerative disease and depression.

The breakthrough work has earned Bhando the prestigious award from Mitacs, a Canadian innovation leader that connects businesses and researchers to drive competitiveness and productivity in sectors such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing, energy, critical technologies, and agriculture.

The award will be presented at a ceremony at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa November 19.

Bhando – a postdoctoral researcher working with Professor Eric Brown in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster – is being recognized for advancing the field of natural product discovery. She successfully identified, extracted and characterized novel therapeutic compounds derived from fungi.

She is credited for discovering KCB-100, a lead chemical compound with potential in treating neurodegenerative (the decline of cells in the central nervous system) and psychiatric conditions. The project is being led by Vancouver-based Kapoose Creek Bio, a startup focused on accelerating the discovery and development of drugs from nature, which recently expanded their presence to Hamilton with an AI-powered drug discovery lab.

McMaster researcher Timsy Bhando

“The reality is we’ve exhausted our ability to explore synthetic drug compounds in the lab – researchers are generating millions of molecules but they’re not making new discoveries,” said Bhando, adding that historically, many effective drugs have come from fungi (yeasts, molds and mushrooms), including penicillin to treat bacterial infection, statins to lower cholesterol, and cyclosporine for transplant surgeries.

Her contribution to the emerging field of fungal natural product discovery includes the development of a library of thousands of fungal extracts for future exploration. She credits Mitacs for creating the perfect framework to accelerate her research, and for providing “the very essential support” required to bridge the gap between researchers and industry.

“We’re focusing our efforts on fungi as a source of new drugs because we believe nature makes the best medicine.”

In addition to identifying the KCB-100 lead compound, Bhando is also working to optimize it and characterize its therapeutic benefits. To date, she has demonstrated that the compound helps neurons in the brain to survive injury, grow and make connections called synapses, meaning it has potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia or Parkinson’s, as well as depression.

“We’ve shown that this compound effectively crosses the blood brain barrier, ensuring the drug will reach the brain,” explained Bhando, who recently accepted a full-time position at Kapoose Creek Bio to oversee preclinical testing of the fungal natural product in animal models. “We’re working to better understand the therapeutic benefits and improve its chemical properties so that it can best treat disease.”

The Mitacs Outstanding Innovation Award recognizes extraordinary talent from across Canada using Mitacs-funded research to achieve important societal and economic impacts, driving innovation and broadening our understanding of the world around us. Mitacs programs are supported by funding from the federal government and provincial and territorial governments across the country.

The eight winners are chosen from thousands of innovators who take part in Mitacs programs each year, and one of four winners in the Outstanding Innovation category.

“Not only do these awards recognize achievements of exceptional innovators across Ontario and Canada, but they also highlight the infinite potential for impact when creative leaders work together,” said MITAC CEO Dr. Stephen Lucas. “Our belief (is) that partnerships between research, enterprises, and talent – like the ones we honour with the Mitacs Innovation Awards – are key to a successful, prosperous Canada.”