Health researchers at the University of Alberta will lead projects to advance next-generation drug development, medical AI, equitable health care and chronic disease recovery, thanks to $20.4 million in new project grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
“These 22 newly funded research projects span six faculties within and beyond our College of Health Sciences, reflecting our collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to advancing life-changing medical discoveries,” says Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek, vice-president of research.
“From targeting antimicrobial-resistant E. coli and treatment-resistant ovarian cancer, to developing powerful AI diagnostic tools, ensuring patients have equitable access to vital care and bringing new hope to people living with spinal cord injuries and chronic conditions, these projects highlight the leading role our researchers are playing in addressing some of the world’s most complex health challenges.”
CIHR Project Grants support research with the greatest potential to advance health-related knowledge, research, patient care and health outcomes.
U of A researchers receiving CIHR Project Grants
David James Bennett (Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine)
The role of axonal GABA in facilitating proprioception, movement and recovery from spinal cord injury
$1,407,600
Dean Eurich (School of Public Health)
First Nations Catalyzing Resources and Relationships for the Uptake of Screening and Healthcare for Cancer (FN CRRUSH Cancer)
$1,289,024
Amir Tabatabaei Dakhili (Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Peripheral co-activation of orexin and GLP-1 receptors for obesity treatment with muscle preservation
$1,269,900
Joanne Lemieux (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Protease targeted therapeutics to address the global AMR threat associated with pathogenic E. coli
$1,204,876
Stephanie Yanow (School of Public Health)
A molecular fever panel to support malaria elimination, management of fever, and arbovirus surveillance in a resource-limited district of Colombia
$1,189,576
Jason Dyck (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
The role of ROMO1 in mediating myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury
$1,181,926
Deniz Top (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Circadian transcription synchrony and the molecular basis of behaviour regulation and behavioural disorders
$1,158,976
Silvia Pagliardini (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
The "ins" and "outs" of ventilation during sleep: empowering active expiration to counteract loss of inspiratory activity in sleep disordered breathing
$1,105,426
Ross Mitchell (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Interdisciplinary AI development for clinical translation of intestinal tract segmentation in inflammatory bowel disease
$1,040,400
John Seubert (Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Targeting soluble epoxide hydrolase to modulate cardiomyocyte senescence
$1,032,750
Ismail Ismail (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Targeting MAEA to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance in high-grade serous ovarian cancer: Mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
$975,376
Toshifumi Yokota (Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry)
Development and optimization of DG9-peptide-conjugated morpholino oligomers for the systemic treatment of spinal muscular atrophy
$918,000
Justin Di Trani (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
The electron transport chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its role in biofilm formation, quorum sensing, and value as an antibiotic target
$891,226
Spencer Gibson (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Role of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in cancer-related lymphedema progression
$837,676
Geoff Ball (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Applying Navigation and Care to Help Ongoing Retention (ANCHOR): A hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial
$787,950
Shannon MacDonald (Faculty of Nursing)
Ellen Rafferty (Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry)
Equity-informed evaluation of expanding hospital-based childhood vaccination services
$665,552
Sadie Deschenes (Faculty of Nursing)
Kaitlyn Tate (Faculty of Nursing)
Co-creating understandings of Métis peoples’ experiences in the ICU
$623,474
Dan Romanyk (Faculty of Engineering)
Investigating the mechanobiological behaviour of cranial suture abnormalities in a murine model
$497,250
Padma Kaul (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry)
Maternal Allergy and AsthMA and early life events of allergy and asthma in children (MAMA-Asthma)
$447,526
Puneeta Tandon (Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry)
ARC: Active Recovery across the surgical Continuum: A pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial
$436,050
Shannon Scott (Faculty of Nursing)
Lisa Hartling (Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry)
Co-development and multi-method evaluation of knowledge translation tools for parents experiencing unintentional pediatric cannabis intoxication
$382,500