UBC researchers awarded $47 million to lead health research through CIHR's Spring 2025 Project Grant competition

A total of 54 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded $47.0 million in combined funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant: Spring 2025 competition.

• UBC researchers are leading 48 projects awarded Project Grants totaling $46.4 million, including one project awarded a supplemental prize Award of Excellence in Research in Aging
• Six projects led by UBC researchers were awarded Priority Announcement Grants totaling $0.6 million

On a national level, CIHR approved a total of 435 research grants, for a total investment of approximately $411 million. In addition, 46 priority announcement grants were funded for a total amount of $5.1 million and nine supplemental prizes were awarded for a total of $310,000.

See CIHR's announcement

UBC-Led Project Grants
 

1. Ambasta, Anshula (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics)
   Additional PIs: Butalia, Sonia (University of Calgary); Dormuth, Colin (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics); Lega, Iliana (University of Toronto); Thompson, Wade (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics)
   People with Prediabetes and Mild Diabetes: management and outcomes (PPreMild DM study)
    
2. Bamji, Shernaz (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
   The role of the ZDHHC8 enzyme in neuronal connectivity, function and behavior
    
3. Barbic, Skye (Occupational Therapy)
   Additional PIs: Marchand, Kirsten (UBC / CHEOS / Foundry); Sutherland, Jason (School of Population and Public Health); Tee, Karen (Foundry)
   IYS Impact 1.0: A multi-methods, qualitative, and population-level study of the impact of Integrated Youth Services (IYS) on youth mental health care access and experiences in British Columbia
    
4. Birol, Inanc (Medical Genetics)
   Sequence-based Ancestry Inference, Multi-genome Synteny Detection, and Interactive Visualization
    
5. Brubacher, Jeffrey (Emergency Medicine)
   The association between cannabis and motor vehicle collisions - looking beyond THC
    
6. Cherkasov, Artem (Urologic Sciences)
   Additional PI: Strynadka, Natalie (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
   Structure-based design of small molecule inhibitors of the transsulfuration pathway in Ewing Sarcoma.
    
7. Conway, Edward (Medicine / Centre for Blood Research)
   Characterisation of cross-talk pathways between insulin signaling/glucometabolism and coagulation mediated by the insulin receptor (IR) and tissue factor (TF)
    
8. Daugaard, Mads (Urologic Sciences)
   Therapeutic antibodies targeting oncofetal glycosaminoglycans in prostate cancer
    
9. De Vera, Mary (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
   Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Arthritis Research: A Mixed-Methods Group Concept Mapping Approach
    
10. Elango, Rajavel (Pediatrics)
    Amino acid requirements in young adult females: Effect of menstrual cycle phases
     
11. Enfield, Katey (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    Harnessing cell sociology of the lung tumour microenvironment to develop biomarkers of immunotherapy response
     
12. Geoffrion, Roxana (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
    Synthetic Versus Autologous Sling for Stress Incontinence (SASSI): A Randomized Controlled Trial
     
13. Grunau, Brian (Emergency Medicine)
    Additional PIs: Dainty, Katie (University of Toronto); Kuo, Calvin (School of Biomedical Engineering); Sekhon, Mypinder (Medicine); Shadgan, Babak (Orthopaedics / School of Biomedical Engineering)
    Real-World Validation of Machine Learning Algorithms for a Wearable Cardiac Arrest Detection System
     
14. Gsponer, Jörg (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
    AI-supported mapping and probing of the regulation of cardiac voltage-gated calcium channels
     
15. Haase, Kristen (Nursing)
    Additional PIs: McConnell, Kelly (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center); Puts, Martine (University of Toronto); Sattar, Schroder (University of Saskatchewan)
    A mixed methods study of cancer care in Canada
     
16. Horwitz, Marc (Microbiology and Immunology)
    Optimizing the Humanized Mouse Models of EBV Infection: Unraveling Viral Influence on Autoimmune Development and Assessing Feasibility of EBV-Targeted Therapeutics in Optimized Humanized Mouse Models of Infection
     
17. Howard, A. Fuschia (School of Nursing)
    Additional PIs: Haljan, Gregory (Medicine); Istanboulian, Laura (University of Toronto)
    Co-Creating and Amplifying Patient Perspectives to Transform Recovery (CAPTURE) after Critical Illness: Peer-Facilitated Online Group Photovoice
     
18. Johnson, James (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
    Targeting Scn9a Na+ channels for beta cell survival and disease modification in type 1 diabetes
     
19. Ju, Myeong Jin (Ophthalmology / School of Biomedical Engineering)
    Additional PI: Matsubara, Joanne (Ophthalmology)
    Establishment of a novel multi-parametric assessment protocol for identification of distinctive pathological pathways in age-related macular degeneration
     
20. Karsan, Aly (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    Hematopoietic stem cell aging
     
21. Kim, Hugh (Oral Biological & Medical Sciences)
    Pro-inflammatory platelet signaling: identifying novel therapeutic targets for periodontitis
     
22. Kopp, Janel (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
    Hyperinsulinemia in pancreatic cancer progression and mortality
     
23. Lack, Nathan (Urological Sciences)
    Molecular drivers of androgen receptor activity in castrate resistant prostate cancer
     
24. Lavoie, Pascal (Pediatrics)
    Understanding the impact of early-life RSV infections on infant immunity and long-term health
     
25. Liu-Ambrose, Teresa (Physical Therapy)
    Additional PIs: Barha, Cindy (University of Calgary); Galea, Liisa (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health); Li, Linda (Physical Therapy)
    Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain: Aerobic Exercise to Promote Brain Health in Perimenopause
    Also a recipient of supplementary prize: Award of Excellence in Research in Aging.
     
26. Luo, Honglin  (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
    Unraveling enterovirus-induced autophagy disruption for novel therapeutic strategies in viral myocarditis
     
27. Mannas, Miles (Urologic Sciences)
    Stimulated Raman Histology for Real-Time Identification and Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer
     
28. Miller, Steven (Pediatrics)
    Trajectories of Brain Maturation and Neurodevelopment in Adolescents Born Very Preterm
     
29. Miller, Steven (Pediatrics)
    Additional PI: Chau, Vann (Hospital for Sick Children)
    Brain maturation and neurodevelopment in moderate-late preterm infants
     
30. Mitra, Souvik (Pediatrics)
    Additional PI: Schmoelzer, Georg (University of Alberta)
    Single-dose Prophylactic INdomethacin in extremely preterm infants - A Multicenter Pilot Randomized Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial (the SPIN Pilot RCT)
     
31. Murray, Melanie (Medicine)
    Hormones and Markers of Aging in Women
     
32. Ogilvie, Gina (School of Population and Public Health)
    Additional PIs: Gottschlich, Anna (Wayne State University); Proctor, Lily (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
    HPV FOCAL LEGACY: Longterm Evaluations of Gains in Cervical Cancer Prevention
     
33. Ong, Christopher (Urologic Sciences)
    Targeting Epigenetic Phenotypic Switching to Overcome Prostate Cancer Treatment Resistance
     
34. Puterman, Eli (School of Kinesiology)
    Remote Exercise iNtErvention for Wellbeing (RENEW) Trial: A 2-arm randomized at-home, app-based exercise trial to improve adherence, mental health, and wellbeing of British Columbian healthcare workers
     
35. Rahmim, Arman (School of Biomedical Engineering / Radiology / Physics & Astronomy)
    Additional PI: Uribe, Carlos (Radiology)
    Towards state-of-the-art long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT imaging of cancer patients
     
36. Richardson, Lindsey (Sociology)
    Additional PI: McLeod, Christopher (School of Population and Public Health)
    Substance Use, Work and Well-Being in Trades and Construction
     
37. Ryan, Katherine (Chemistry)
    Assembly and targeted isolation of nitrogen-nitrogen-bond-containing antibiotics
     
38. Sadarangani, Manish (Pediatrics)
    Additional PI: Quach-Thanh, Caroline (University of Montreal)
    Better Outcomes in Babies with Bacterial meningitis, a randomized controlled trial: BOBBie
     
39. Sakakibara, Brodie (Southern Medical Program / Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)
    Exploring the 1-year Natural History of chronic diseAse self-maNagement and health resourCE utilization after stroke: The ENHANCE Study
     
40. Samuel, Susan (Pediatrics)
    Additional PIs: Takano, Tomoko (McGill University); Thazhath, Jiffin 
    Investigating immune biomarkers in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome
     
41. Scott, David  (Medicine)
    Common precursor cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: characterization, evolutionary trajectories and clinical applications.
     
42. Sekhon, Mypinder (Medicine)
    Additional PIs: Dhanani, Sonny (University of Ottawa); Seely, Andrew (University of Ottawa)
    Brain-based Prediction of the dying duration in humans after withdrawal of life sustaining measures to inform donation after circulatory death.
     
43. Tremlett, Helen (Medicine)
    Early Warning Signs of Immune-Mediated Chronic Diseases: A Comparative Study of the Prodromal Phase in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Other Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disorders (ProMS-ID)
     
44. Van Petegem, Filip  (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
    Molecular Mechanisms of Malignant Hyperthermia and Myopathies
     
45. Wilson, David (Orthopaedics)
    Additional PI: Lodhia, Parth (Orthopaedics)
    Biomechanical and imaging assessments of hip microinstability
     
46. Yachie, Nozomu (School of Biomedical Engineering)
    The Mouse MicroRNA Atlas Project
     
47. Yong, Paul (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
    Additional PI: Howard, A. Fuschia (Nursing)
    Navigating Sexual Pain and the Pelvic Examination in Endometriosis
     
48. Zandstra, Peter (School of Biomedical Engineering / Michael Smith Laboratories)
    Engineered In Vitro Niches for Blood Development to Enable Advanced Cellular Therapies from Renewable Sources
     

See full list of project grant awardees

UBC-Led Priority Announcements

1.  Allan, Douglas (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
   Transcriptional programs of synaptic function
   Priority Announcement: Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
    
2. Henderson, Sarah (School of Population and Public Health)
   Understanding the public health impacts of evacuations due to climate-related disasters: A mixed methods approach
   Priority Announcement: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research
    
3. Oruc, Ipek (Opthalmology)
   Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate sex and gender differences in diabetic retinopathy
   Priority Announcement: Sex and Gender in Health Research - Advancing intersectionality in sex and gender science
    
4. Plotkin, Steven (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
   A platform for developing rationally guided, broadly neutralizing antibodies for future pandemics, using SARS-CoV-2 as a model
   Priority Announcement: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research
    
5. Putnins, Edward (Oral Biological & Medical Sciences)
   Novel MAO-B inhibitors' regulation of dual-specificity phosphatase expression and their effects on periodontal disease pathogenesis
   Priority Announcement: Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis: Oral Health
    
6. Rossi, Fabio (School of Biological Engineering / Medical Genetics)
   Investigating the role of muscle stromal cells in pancreatic cancer cachexia and associated myosteatosis
   Priority Announcement: Cancer Survivorship

See full list of priority announcement awardees