Interdisciplinary health research gets $5.4M funding (July 18, 2005)

Ottawa, ON – The federal government has announced funding of $5.4 million for 16 high profile projects that bring together researchers from natural sciences or engineering fields with those in health research fields.

The projects are funded through the collaborative health research projects (CHRP) program, a joint initiative of Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The CHRP program is intended to encourage researchers in science and engineering and in health to collaborate and integrate their expertise; advance interdisciplinary research leading to knowledge and technologies for improving the health of Canadians; and train highly qualified personnel in research relevant to health.

"Discoveries in the natural sciences and engineering have been responsible for many of the spectacular advances we have seen in modern medicine," says Tom Brzustowski, president of NSERC. "I expect that this collaborative research funded by NSERC and CIHR will help continue the flow of important results that make a real difference in the lives of Canadians."

Following are the 16 funded projects, including the applicants, co-applicants, institutions and award amount. All are for three-year terms.

1) PROJECT: Dveloppement d’une plate-forme technologique pour le ciblage thrapeutique des cancers du sein, de l’ovaire et de l’utrus
APPLICANT: Asselin, ric; Department of Chemistry and Biology, Universit du Qubec Trois-Rivires
CO-APPLICANT: Brub, G, Department of Chemistry and Biology, Universit du Qubec Trois-Rivires
FUNDING: $48,167 NSERC; $48,167 CIHR

2) PROJECT: Un nouveau dosimtre versatile fibres optiques scintillantes pour application mdicale
APPLICANT: Beaulieu, Luc; Department of Physics, Physics Engineering and Optics
Universit Laval
CO-APPLICANTS: Gingras, L; Department of Physics, Physics Engineering and Optics
Universit Laval. Roy, R; Department of Physics, Physics Engineering and Optics
Universit Laval. Beddar, AS; M D Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas
FUNDING: $53,117 NSERC; $53,117 CIHR

3) PROJECT: Touch your patient: tactile display of physiological monitoring
APPLICANT: Dumont, Guy; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia
CO-APPLICANTS: Ansermino, MJ, Children’s Hospital of British Columbia; Fels, SS, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia; Schwarz, SK, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia
FUNDING: $78,723 NSERC; $78,722 CIHR

4) PROJECT: Advanced thermodynamics in cryopreservation
APPLICANT: Elliott, Janet; Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
University of Alberta
CO-APPLICANT: McGann, LE; Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta
Term: 3 years
FUNDING: $51,620 NSERC; $51,619 CIHR

5) PROJECT: Bioengineering a modular intervertebral disc
APPLICANT: Kandel, Rita; Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Hospital
University of Toronto
CO-APPLICANTS: Grynpas, M, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto; Hurtig, M, Clinical Studies, University of Guelph; Pilliar, RM, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Santerre, JP, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Waldman, SD, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University
FUNDING: $68,313 NSERC, $68,314 CIHR

6) PROJECT: Local tissue changes in dilated ascending aortas
APPLICANT: Leask, Richard; Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University
CO-APPLICANTS: Butany, JW, The Toronto Hospital; Cartier, RC, Faculty of Medicine, Universit de Montral; Mongrain, R, Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University
FUNDING: $64,030 NSERC, $64,031 CIHR

7) PROJECT: Infrared spectroscopy, a new diagnostic tool for periodontitis
APPLICANT: Liu, Kan-Zhi, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine
University of Manitoba
CO-APPLICANTS: Sowa, MG, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba; Scott, DA, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Manitoba; Singer, DL, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Manitoba
FUNDING: $33,000 NSERC; $33,000 CIHR

8) PROJECT: Osmolyte-based therapeutic design of CNS amyloid inhibitors
APPLICANT: McLaurin, JoAnne; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
University of Toronto
CO-APPLICANT: Nitz, M, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto
FUNDING: $44,783 NSERC; $22,392 CIHR; $22,391 CIHR Institute of Aging

9) PROJECT: A GIS-based human campylobacteriosis monitoring system: evaluation of the infectious risk related to water quality
APPLICANT: Michaud, Sophie; Department of Microbiology and Infectiology, Universit de Sherbrooke; Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
CO-APPLICANTS: Bonn, FJ, Department of Geography and Remote Sensing, Universit de Sherbrooke; Bni, GB, Department of Geography and Remote Sensing, Universit de Sherbrooke; Frost, E, Department of Microbiology and Infectiology, Universit de Sherbrooke; Thomas, OP, Observatoire de l’environnement et du dveloppement durable, Universit de Sherbrooke; Dsilets, J, The SM Group International, Sherbrooke, Quebec
FUNDING: $115,405 NSERC; $115,405 CIHR

10) PROJECT: Application of novel imaging techniques to identify therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disease
APPLICANT: Nichol, Helen; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Saskatchewan;
CO-APPLICANTS: Meinertzhagen, IA, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University; Boulianne, GL, Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology, University of Toronto; Pickering, IJ, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan; George, GN, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan
FUNDING: $75,588 NSERC; $75,587 CIHR

11) PROJECT: Epidetected coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy for high spatial resolution three-dimensional in vivo imaging of ophthalmologic tissue
APPLICANT: Ozaki, Tsuneyuki; Centre nergie, Matriaux et Tlcommunications, INRS
CO-APPLICANT: Kieffer, JS; Centre nergie, Matriaux et Tlcommunications (EMT), INRS, Varennes, Quebec
FUNDING: $60,050 NSERC; $60,050 CIHR

12) PROJECT: Ultrasound-guided epidural needle insertions
APPLICANT: Rohling, Robert; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia
CO-APPLICANT: Kamani, AS; Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia
FUNDING: $29,000 NSERC; $29,000 CIHR

13) PROJECT: Efficacit des bactriocines sur les pathologies fongiques
APPLICANT: Rouabhia, Mahmoud; Faculty of Dentistry, Universit Laval
CO-APPLICANTS: Fliss, I, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Universit Laval; Subirade, MN, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Universit Laval
FUNDING: $34,975 NSERC; $34,975 CIHR

14) PROJECT: Evaluation of frequency compression hearing aids for children
APPLICANT: Scollie, Susan; School of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario
CO-APPLICANTS: Kertoy, MK, School of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario; Seewald, RC, School of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario; Joanisse, JMF, Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario; Parsa, V, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Ontario
FUNDING: $6,574 NSERC; $3,287 CIHR; $3,287 CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health

15) PROJECT: Targeted and controlled delivery of immunotherapies
APPLICANT: Shoichet, Molly; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
CO-APPLICANT: Keating, A, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Term: 3 years
FUNDING: $91,515 NSERC; $91,515 CIHR

16) PROJECT: Imaging and therapy of lysosomal storage diseases
APPLICANT: Withers, Ste
phen; Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia
CO-APPLICANT: Adam, MJ, Science Division TRIUMF, Vancouver; Clarke, LA, Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia; James, MNG, Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta
FUNDING: $63,600 NSERC; $63,600 CIHR