The Flight of Canadian Scientists

With no vision of an innovative Canada, or the funds to make it real, the country risks losing its best researchers.

Co-authored by Rita Kosseifi

The past few years have seen a major reshaping of the world of biomedical sciences. The discovery of the human genome and the development of new non-invasive tools allow for a better understanding of human diseases. These innovations promise great advances in science and health care, but they require an increased financial commitment from government. In Canada, the absence of this short- and long-term commitment is threatening the country’s ability to keep its scientists, to innovate, and, ultimately, to stay competitive in the ascendant knowledge-based economy.

Chief among these innovations is the development of systems biology, an approach to investigating human physiology and disease by analysing the human system as a whole, instead of focusing on its individual components; and translational research, a research model that accelerates the practical application of new discoveries. These approaches bring faster solutions to human disease – they have yielded significant results in cancer research, for instance – and have become the modus operandi for leading scientists across the world.

The wide application of these approaches requires significant investment in human resources. Translational research requires increased biomedical research budgets, particularly for the costly use of human subjects. The potential of systems biology to understand and cure human diseases depends upon training a new breed of young scientists, who need much more support under these models than under classical ones. The funding should be specifically focused on curiosity-driven research operations, which are now particularly likely to yield highly innovative results, and on mentoring young faculty to help them incorporate these new strategies into their research agendas. The lack of funding, and the failure to develop clusters of scientists who work together on different areas of a disease, drive the brain drain that is threatening Canadian biomedical sciences.

Although we are seeing increased investments in buildings and equipment, the support for research operations and human resources is being significantly cut. This occurs at a time when, south of the border, the administration of President Barack Obama has pledged to put science and basic research where it should be: on top. Obama has followed up with significant investments in major biomedical research funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.

These new investments have fascinated a lot of young Canadian scientists and several of them will undoubtedly be attracted by the vision that is being championed by the U.S. administration; in fact, it is more this vision than it is increased funding that is so refreshing and attractive to scientists. It’s this vision that guarantees long-term prioritised support for basic research.

Such support will lead to the development of a knowledge-based economy and new intellectual property. These are the bases of wealth-creation in our society; innovation drives new economic developments and creates quality employment. In the case of biomedical sciences, investments in systems-biology approaches to understanding, preventing and curing human diseases, as well as a translational research agenda will certainly lead to better therapies and will help control the spiraling increases in health costs.

Canadian scientists deserve the support of our government. The country is in dire need of a new research agenda with a new vision that entails first and foremost significantly increased support for curiosity-driven research and for young investigators. If not, we will witness a continuous brain drain to places where this vision and the means to support it are being emphasized. This has prompted my own move, and others, unfortunately for Canada, will follow.