February 6, 2023
A total of 67 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded more than $30 million in combined funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant: Fall 2022 competition.
- UBC researchers are leading 32 projects awarded Project Grants totaling $26.9 million
- 11 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded Bridge Grants totaling $1.1 million
- 24 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded Priority Announcement Grants totaling $2.4 million
On a national level, CIHR approved a total of 382 research grants, plus 93 bridge grants, for a total investment of approximately $325 million. In addition,190 priority announcement grants were funded for a total amount of $22 million and 12 supplemental prizes were awarded for a total of $375,000.
CIHR Project Grant Award Announcement
UBC-led Project Grants
- Deconvoluting Prognostic and Targetable Features of Endometrioid Ovarian Carcinomas of No Specific Molecular Profile
Principal Investigator(s): Anglesio, Michael S (Obstetrics & Gynaecology); Koebel, Martin (University of Calgary); Talhouk, Aline (Obstetrics & Gynaecology); Carey, Mark S (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Understanding and Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Older Adults in Canada
Principal Investigator(s): Baumbusch, Jennifer L (Nursing); Jodoin, Sebastien (McGill University)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- A pilot clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of: A prospective, unblinded, randomized-controlled, multicenter biomarker intervention trial of a urinary CXCL10 clinical surveillance program in pediatric kidney transplant recipients for early ascertainment and treatment of subclinical allograft inflammation and preservation of kidney transplant function.
Principal Investigator(s): Blydt-Hansen, Tom (Pediatrics)
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Role of XIST in human X-chromosome inactivation and health
Principal Investigator(s): Brown, Carolyn J (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Understanding epigenetic regulation and modulation of cell stress responses by the cholesterol transporter, scavenger receptor-B1 as a novel target for treating advanced prostate cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Cox, Michael E (Urologic Sciences); Wasan, Kishor M (Urologic Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Neck Muscle and Head-Neck Dynamics in Rollover Crashes
Principal Investigator(s): Cripton, Peter A (School of Biomedical Engineering); Siegmund, Gunter Paul (School of Kinesiology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Newly Optimized LNP Systems for Genetic drugs and Gene therapy in Neurological diseases
Principal Investigator(s): Cullis, Pieter R (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology); MacVicar, Brian A (Psychiatry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- High-throughput characterization of transcription factor variants in yeast
Principal Investigator(s): De Boer, Carl G (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Following reproductive and sexual health care and outcomes of adolescent and young adult cancer patients (FUTURE)
Principal Investigator(s): De Vera, Mary A (Pharmaceutical Sciences); Mctaggart-Cowan, Helen M (Simon Fraser University)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Investigation of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap DNA ( NET-DNA) induced signaling in the progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Principal Investigator(s): Dedhar, Shoukat R (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Research Institution: B.C. Cancer Research Centre (Vancouver)
- Re-imagining Recovery with Young People Who Use(d) Drugs and Their Caregivers in Metro Vancouver: A Longitudinal Qualitative and Community-Based Participatory Study
Principal Investigator(s): Fast, Danya (Medicine , Anthropology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- CRF modulation of motivation, decision making and dopamine transmission
Principal Investigator(s): Floresco, Stanley B (Psychology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Life Course Trajectories of Mental Health from the Early Years to Young Adulthood: An Ecological Systems and Intersectionality Perspective
Principal Investigator(s): Gadermann, Anne M (School of Population and Public Health)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Physiological and morphological mechanisms of increased dyspnea in females with COPD
Principal Investigator(s): Guenette, Jordan (Physical Therapy)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Neuropathology of cognitive impairment in chronic schizophrenia
Principal Investigator(s): Hirsch Reinshagen, Veronica (Pathology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Evaluating the utility of long-read genome sequencing for uncovering causal genetic variation and epigenetic signatures of rare disease
Principal Investigator(s): Jones, Steven (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: Genome Sciences Centre
- Localized immuno-cloaking organ engineering approach to prevent transplant rejection without immunosuppressants
Principal Investigator(s): Kizhakkedathu, Jayachandran N (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Michael Smith Laboratories)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- The PELvUS Study - Pelvic floor Exercise to Lessen Urinary incontinence and Sexual dysfunction in people with spinal cord injury
Principal Investigator(s): Lam, Tania (Kinesiology)
Research Institution: Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
- ACTIVE: Adding Life to Years in Cognitive Frailty by Preventing Falls
Principal Investigator(s): Liu-Ambrose, Teresa Y (Physical Therapy); Li, Linda C (Physical Therapy); Madden, Kenneth M (Medicine)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Innate immune mechanisms of viral myocarditis: Role of the cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway
Principal Investigator(s): Luo, Honglin (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Development and functional diversity of innate lymphoid cells
Principal Investigator(s): McNagny, Kelly M (Medical Genetics, School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Trajectories of STBBIs, access to health services and psychosocial determinants among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in three Canadian cities
Principal Investigator(s): Moore, David M (Medicine); Hart, Trevor A (Toronto Metropolitan University); Cox, John J; Lambert, Gilles; Lachowsky, Nathan J (University of Victoria); Tan, Darrell H (University of Toronto); Grace, Daniel (University of Toronto)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Comparing observation vs. bracing in radiologically dysplastic, stable hips in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip. An International Multi-Centre Non-Inferiority Randomized Control Trial
Principal Investigator(s): Mulpuri, Kishore (Orthopaedics)
Research Institution: B.C. Children's Hospital (Vancouver)
- Deciphering the Hottest Immune Neighbourhoods in Ovarian Cancer to Advance Immunotherapy
Principal Investigator(s): Nelson, Brad H (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Victoria)
*conditional award at time of posting
- Propagation of diet-derived immunoregulatory signals across tissues
Principal Investigator(s): Osborne, Lisa (Microbiology & Immunology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Synthetic amatoxins for applications in targeted therapy and molecular pharmacology
Principal Investigator(s): Perrin, David M (Chemistry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Parent-of-Origin-Aware Genomic Analysis in Hereditary Cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Schrader, Kasmintan A (Medical Genetics); Lansdorp, Peter M (Medical Genetics); Jones, Steven (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- The impact of chromosomal instability on ovarian cancer progression
Principal Investigator(s): Steif, Adi (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- Dominant genetics of cohesin pathway proteins to kill cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Stirling, Peter C (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- Genetic mapping of a stress response and pro-longevity network in C. elegans and human cancer cells
Principal Investigator(s): Taubert, Stefan (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Using translational biomarkers to define whether plane of motion and complexity of head kinematics modifies biomarker and neuropathological responses to concussion in mice and humans
Principal Investigator(s): Wellington, Cheryl L (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Cripton, Peter A (School of Biomedical Engineering); Wu, Lyndia (Chun) (Mechanical Engineering); Kozlowski, Piotr (Radiology, Urologic Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Smart Discharges in children over 5: Expanding a personalized public health approach to improving discharge care in resource-limited settings
Principal Investigator(s): Wiens, Matthew O (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Full list of Project Grant Awardees
UBC-led Bridge Grants
- Decoding the impact of single cell mutational processes in triple negative breast cancer and high grade serous ovarian cancer.
Principal Investigator(s): Aparicio, Samuel J (Molecular Oncology);
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- International Study to Field-Test a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Children with Lower Limb Differences
Principal Investigator(s): Cooper, Anthony (Orthopaedics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- A novel oncolytic virotherapy to overcome drug-resistance in acute myeloid leukemia
Principal Investigator(s): Jiang, Xiaoyan (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- Targeting sodium channels for beta-cell protection and insulin secretion in diabetes
Principal Investigator(s): Johnson, James D (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
*conditional award at time of posting
- Advanced Multi-parametric Retinal Imaging for AMD Classification Modeling
Principal Investigator(s): Ju, MyeongJin (School of Biomedical Engineering); Beg, Mirza Faisal (Simon Fraser University); Navajas, Eduardo (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Treatment of periodontitis by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor
Principal Investigator(s): Larjava, Hannu S (Dentistry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Acute human gingivitis systems biology
Principal Investigator(s): Overall, Christopher M (Dentistry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
*conditional award at time of posting
- Investigating altered sensorimotor processing in Huntington disease
Principal Investigator(s): Raymond, Lynn A (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Development and evaluation of novel nanoparticle formulations for therapeutic genome editing
Principal Investigator(s): Ross, Colin J (Pharmaceutical Sciences); Blakney, Anna (School of Biomedical Engineering, Michael Smith Laboratories)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Examining drivers of disparities in experiences and outcomes of perinatal care in Canada through community participatory action research
Principal Investigator(s): Vedam, Saraswathi (Family Practice)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Genetic and acquired defects in prohormone processing in diabetes
Principal Investigator(s): Verchere, Bruce C (Surgery, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Full list of Bridge Grant Awardees
UBC-led Priority Announcements
- People with Prediabetes and Mild Diabetes: characteristics, management and outcomes
Principal Investigator(s): Ambasta, Anshula (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics); Thompson, Wade (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics); Dormuth, Colin R (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics); Lega, Iliana C (Unievrsity of Toronto); Butalia, Sonia (University of Calgary)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Patient-Oriented Research: Early-Career Investigator
- Cancer-driver events in normal endometrium: impact on healthy aging and reproduction
Principal Investigator(s): Anglesio, Michael S (Obstetrics & Gynaecology); Mohamed, Ali Bedaiwy (Obstetrics & Gynaecology); Yong, Paul (Obstetrics and Gynaecology); Hanley, Gillian E (Obstetrics and Gynaecology); Tessier-Cloutier, Basile (McGill University);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Women's Health Research - Early Career Researcher Grant
- Optimization of next-generation RNA vaccines for pandemic preparedness
Principal Investigator(s): Blakney, Anna (Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research
- Dissecting the molecular basis of dietary fibre metabolism by beneficial Bacteroidetes of the human gut microbiota
Principal Investigator(s): Brumer, Harry (Michael Smith Laboratories, Chemistry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
- Identifying altered gene regulatory network states and underlying mechanisms in atrial fibrillation, a model polygenic disease
Principal Investigator(s): De Boer, Carl G (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
- Restoring gut symbiosis caused by a Western diet through a Mediterranean-like diet combined with novel probiotics that target the gut-brain metabolic interactome
Principal Investigator(s): Gibson, Deanna L (Biology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
- Endometriosis and ovarian cancer: Understanding which patients are at high risk for ovarian cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Hanley, Gillian E (Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology); Anglesio, Michael S (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Early Detection/Cancer Prevention
- SNF2 Histone Linker PHD RING Helicase as a novel tumor suppressor gene and risk factor in lung adenocarcinoma development
Principal Investigator(s): Lockwood, William W (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Research Institution: B.C. Cancer Research Centre (Vancouver)
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Cancer Research
- Systematic characterization of membrane contact sites in budding yeast
Principal Investigator(s): Loewen, Christopher (Cellular & Physiological Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
*conditional award at time of posting
- Elucidating the mitotic mechanisms that are needed for alveologenesis in the pregnant mammary gland and are likely to be disturbed in pregnancy-associated breast cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Maxwell, Christopher A (Pediatrics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Breast Cancer Research
- Podocalyxin's role in tumor invasion, metastasis, and immune evasion
Principal Investigator(s): McNagny, Kelly M (Medical Genetics, School of Biomedical Engineering); Roskelley, Calvin D (School of Biomedical Engineering, Cellular & Physiological Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Breast Cancer Research
- Artificial intelligence assisted Method, Optimizing the Prediction of Patient Outcomes among Long COVID-19 Patients.
Principal Investigator(s): Nicolaou, Savvakis (Radiology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research
- Translating Epigenomics into Clinical Care for Synovial Sarcoma
Principal Investigator(s): Nielsen, Torsten O (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Pediatric Cancer Research
- A development platform for mutation-resistant vaccines and antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 future variants
Principal Investigator(s): Plotkin, Steven S (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research
- Regulation of Periodontal Disease Pathogenesis by the Effects of Novel Monoamine Oxidase B Inhibitors
Principal Investigator(s): Putnins, Edward E (Oral Biological & Medical Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: IMHA: Oral Health
- Assembly of a pseudo-peptide antibiotic active against gram-negative bacteria
Principal Investigator(s): Ryan, Katherine S (Chemistry)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Infection and Immunity
- A synthetic biology approach to unlocking the role of the ribosome in cell competition
Principal Investigator(s): Shakiba, Nika (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
- Exploring the potential of type-1 regulatory T cells in treatment and recovery from intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease
Principal Investigator(s): Steiner, Theodore S (Medicine)
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Infection and Immunity
- Improving endometrial cancer risk prediction by including genetic, environmental, and temporal exposures
Principal Investigator(s): Talhouk, Aline (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Women's Health Research - Early Career Researcher Grant
- Harnessing early life developmental trajectories and the gut microbiota to identify new ways to prevent asthma and obesity.
Principal Investigator(s): Turvey, Stuart E (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
- Characterizing and validating diacetylspermine as a metabolic biomarker of drug response and precision treatment in triple-negative breast cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Velenosi, Thomas J (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Breast Cancer Research
- A master transcription factor driving cell lineage reprogramming in neuroendocrine prostate cancer development and progression
Principal Investigator(s): Wang, Yuzhuo (Urologic Sciences)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Cancer Research
- Deep Learning-Based Design of Synthetic Promoters for Oligodendroglia-Specific Expression
Principal Investigator(s): Wasserman, Wyeth W (Medical Genetics)
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
*conditional award at time of posting
- Care, Health, Economics, and Society: Spillover Effects of Caregiving in Canada
Principal Investigator(s): Zhang, Wei (School of Population and Public Health); Sawatzky, Richard (Trinity Western University); Salmon, Amy L (School of Population and Public Health)
Research Institution: Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences (Vancouver, BC)
Project Grant - PA: Patient-Oriented Research: Early-Career Investigator