UBC researchers attract $25.6m in funding through CIHR Project Grants Fall 2020 Competition

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have funded 354 research grants for a total investment of approximately $274m through the Project Grants: Fall 2020 competition. 

In addition, 97 priority announcement grants were funded to a total amount of $9,575,000 and 11 supplemental prizes were awarded for a total of $296,500.

SEE THE CIHR SUMMARY

UBC researchers attracted a total of $25.6m for 41 projects.

  • Thirty-three UBC-led projects received Project Grant funding totaling $24.8m
  • Eight UBC-led projects received priority announcement grants totaling $775,000

UBC-led Project Grants 

  1. Materials and Technologies for Highly Sensitive Biomarker Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles Toward Cancer Diagnostics
    UBC PI(s): Algar, Walter (Chemistry); Williams, Karla (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $367,200 (3 yrs)
     
  2. Transcriptional programs of synapse maturation
    UBC PI(s): Allan, Douglas (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $856,800 (5 yrs)
     
  3. Prostate cancer risk stratification for active surveillance using computer-aided analysis of histopathology and transcriptomics
    UBC PI(s): Bashashati, Ali (Biomedical Engineering); Black, Peter (Urologic Sciences); Goldenberg, Larry (Urologic Sciences); Salcudean, Septimiu (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
    CIHR Funding: $906,525 (5 yrs)
     
  4. Uncovering early mediators of lineage plasticity and validation of a metabolic vulnerability in neuroendocrine prostate cancer
    UBC PI(s): Collins, Colin (Urologic Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $1,147,500 (5 yrs)
     
  5. Correcting early vascular dysfunction to improve cardiovascular outcomes in type 1 diabetes
    UBC PI(s): Devlin, Angela (Pediatrics); Bernatchez, Pascal (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics); Panagiotopoulos, Constadina (Pediatrics)
    CIHR Funding: $841,500 (5 yrs)
     
  6. Evaluating the psychometric properties and help-seeking impact of HEARTSMAP-U: a digital psychosocial self-assessment and navigational support application for post-secondary students.
    UBC PI(s): Doan, Quynh (Pediatrics)
    CIHR Funding: $554,624 (4 yrs)
     
  7. Perinatal Anxiety Disorders Screening Study
    UBC PI(s): Fairbrother, Nichole (Psychiatry)
    CIHR Funding: $684,676 (4 yrs)
     
  8. Mechanisms of potassium channel activator action on Kv7.1 ion channel complexes.
    UBC PI(s): Fedida, David (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics)
    CIHR Funding: $971,550 (5 yrs)
     
  9. Opioid Overdose-Related Cardiac Arrest: What are the Best Interventions?
    UBC PI(s): Grunau, Brian (Emergency Medicine); Buxton, Jane (School of Population and Public Health); Christenson, James (Emergency Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $283,051 (3 yrs)
     
  10. Protein phase separation: A new mechanism of protein function regulation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    UBC PI(s): Gsponer, Joerg (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology); Mcintosh, Lawrence (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Chemistry)
    CIHR Funding: $887,400 (5 yrs)
     
  11. Treating Children with Arthritis According to their Individual Probability of Outcomes and Response to Treatments - The PERSON-JIA Trial
    UBC PI(s): Guzman, Jaime (Pediatrics)
    CIHR Funding: $455,175 (5 yrs)
     
  12. Cytokine networks controlling myeloid cell mediated immunosuppression in colon cancer.
    UBC PI(s): Harder, Kenneth (Microbiology and Immunology)
    CIHR Funding: $822,375 (5 yrs)
     
  13. Evaluating the impact of a mandatory switching policy for biosimilars
    UBC PI(s): Harrison, Mark (Pharmaceutical Sciences); Bansback, Nicholas (School of Population and Public Health)
    CIHR Funding: $298,350 (3 yrs)
     
  14. Dissecting aging associated epigenetic contributions to breast cancer
    UBC PI(s): Hirst, Martin (Microbiology and Immunology)
    CIHR Funding: $1,059,525 (5 yrs)
     
  15. Lentiviral infusion as a universal approach for genetically modified immune effector cell therapies.
    UBC PI(s): Holt, Rob (Medical Genetics)
    CIHR Funding: $642,600 (4 yrs)
     
  16. Using Indigenous Land-Based Education And Practices To Improve The Health And Wellness Among Vancouver Urban Indigenous Population.
    UBC PI(s): Jovel, Eduardo (Land and Food Systems)
    CIHR Funding: $252,450 (3 yrs)
     
  17. Women supporting women using local solutions to improve infant and young child feeding and care practices in Punjab, Pakistan
    UBC PI(s): Kassam, Rosemin (School of Population and Public Health)
    CIHR Funding: $799,425 (5 yrs)
     
  18. Minimally-invasive device and bioabsorbable hemostatic powder for managing non-compressible torso hemorrhage
    UBC PI(s): Kastrup, Christian (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology / Michael Smith Laboratories)
    CIHR Funding: $455,176 (4 yrs)
     
  19. Novel Infection Resistant Coating in an Era of Drug Resistant Bacteria for the Treatment and Prevention of Medical Device Infection
    UBC PI(s): Kizhakkedathu, Jayachandran (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Lange, Dirk (Urologic Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $520,199 (3 yrs)
     
  20. Identifying the impact of cannabis use on mental health outcomes among sexual and gender minority youth: A mixed-methods study
    UBC PI(s): Knight, Rodney (Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $478,126 (3 yrs)
     
  21. Targeting CD47 in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
    UBC PI(s): Lim, Chinten James (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $1,028,925 (5 yrs)
     
  22. SuPA Mobility: Supporting Physical Activity to Promote Mobility in Mobility-Limited Older Adults
    UBC PI(s): Liu-Ambrose, Teresa (Physical Therapy); Davis, Jennifer (Faculty of Management, UBCO); Li, Linda (Physical Therapy)
    CIHR Funding: $631,128 (6 yrs)
     
  23. In silico Design of Precision Electrical Stimuli for Electrical Vestibular Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease.
    UBC PI(s): Mckeown, Martin (Medicine/Neurology)
    CIHR Funding: $841,270 (5 yrs)
     
  24. High Resolution Structure of Human ABCA4, an ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) Lipid Importer Associated with Inherited Retinal Degenerative Diseases
    UBC PI(s): Molday, Robert (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
    CIHR Funding: $918,000 (5 yrs)
     
  25. Role of Female Sex Hormones on Aging in Women Living with HIV.
    UBC PI(s): Murray, Melanie (Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $382,500 (5 yrs)
     
  26. Using super-resolution microscopy to define the role of caveolin-1 in cancer
    UBC PI(s): Nabi, Ivan (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $910,350 (5 yrs)
     
  27. Promoting Health Equity Through Anti-Colonial Health Systems Transformation: The xacqanal itkinil (Many Ways of Working on the Same Thing) Research Project
    UBC PI(s): Shahram, Sana (Nursing)
    CIHR Funding: $956,250 (5 yrs)
     
  28. Novel antibiotic therapies that target bacterial energetic systems
    UBC PI(s): Tokuriki, Nobuhiko (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology / Michael Smith Laboratories)
    CIHR Funding: $956,250 (5 yrs)
     
  29. Tissue-resident mesenchymal progenitors and aging
    UBC PI(s): Underhill, Michael (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
    CIHR Funding: $971,550 (5 yrs)
     
  30. Evaluating the potential of blood biomarkers to improve Alzheimer's Disease risk stratification
    UBC PI(s): Wellington, Cheryl (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Brooks-Wilson, Angela (Medical Genetics); Hsiung, Ging-Yuek Robin (Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $1,503,224 (4 yrs)
     
  31. Somatic mutations in the JAK-STAT and IRF signaling pathways in Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
    UBC PI(s): Steidl, Christian (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $1,120,725  (5 yrs)
     
  32. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT): arrhythmogenic mechanisms and personalized intervention
    UBC PI(s): Tibbits, Glen (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $924,120  (5 yrs)
     
  33. Phototherapy to modulate regulatory T cells and prevent autoimmune disease
    UBC PI(s): Dutz, Jan (Dermatology and Skin Science)
    CIHR Funding: $382,499  (3 yrs)

Full list of Project Grant recipients

UBC-led Project Grants: Priority Announcements

  1. Technologies for Home Medication Vigilance and Protection (TEC4Home MVP)
    Priority Announcement: Health Services and Policy Research
    UBC PI(s): Ho, Kendall (Emergency Medicine)
    CIHR Funding: $50,000 / Canadian Medical Association (Ottawa) Funding: $50,000

  2. Advancing virtual care in stroke rehabilitation: TeleRehabilitation with Aims to Improve Lower Extremity Recovery Post-Stroke (TRAIL)
    Priority Announcement: Health Services and Policy Research
    UBC PI(s): Sakakibara, Brodie (Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)
    CIHR Funding: $50,000 / Canadian Medical Association (Ottawa) Funding: $50,000

  3. The CART PREG-Epi Study: Pandemic Reproductive health and health Equity- Guidance from Epidemiology to improve reproductive, perinatal, and maternal mental health and substance use care
    Priority Announcement: Population and Public Health - Public Health Systems
    UBC PI(s): Norman, Wendy  (Family Practice)
    CIHR Funding: $100,000

  4. Toward Equity- and Evidence-Informed Policy and Practice in Global Health Research
    Priority Announcement: Population and Public Health - Global Health Policy
    UBC PI: Plamondon, Katrina (School of Nursing UBCO)
    CIHR Funding: $100,000

  5. 'What Matters' - A digital solution to support person-centered care for people with dementia in care settings
    Priority Announcement: Patient-Oriented Research: Early-Career Investigator
    UBC PI: Hung, Lillian (Nursing)
    CIHR Funding: $100,000

  6. Teaching by Texting to Promote Healthy Behaviours in Pregnancy
    Priority Announcement: Healthy pregnancy/early child dev. in Indigenous contexts
    UBC PI: Janssen, Patricia (School of Population and Public Health)
    CIHR Funding: $100,000

  7. Every maternal death counts: understanding driving safety in pregnant and post-partum women
    Priority Announcement: Data Analysis Using Existing Databases and Cohorts​
    UBC PI: Hutcheon, Jennifer (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
    CIHR Funding: $75,000

  8. Elucidating the novel roles of a gap junction protein in the spatial arrangement of synapses
    Priority Announcement: Genetics
    UBC PI: Mizumoto, Kota (Zoology)
    CIHR Funding: $100,000

Full list of Institute Priority Announcement grant recipients