July 21, 2023
A total of 50 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded $37 million in combined funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant: Spring 2023 competition.
- UBC researchers are leading 40 projects awarded Project Grants totaling $35.7 million
- 2 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded Bridge Grants totaling $200,000
- 8 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded Priority Announcement Grants totaling $1 million
On a national level, CIHR approved a total of 381 research grants, plus 12 bridge grants, for a total investment of approximately $325 million. In addition, 62 priority announcement grants were funded for a total amount of $7,200,000 and 5 supplemental prizes were awarded for a total of $250,000
CIHR Project Grant Award Announcement
UBC-led Project Grants
- Mechanisms and targeting of repair deficient cancers with G-quadruplex small molecule ligands
Principal Investigator(s): Aparicio, Samuel J (Molecular Oncology);
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- 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)
Co-investigators: Cescon, David W; Roth, Andrew J
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- The role of Dystrogylcan and conservation of function in development and maintenance of the peripheral glial sheath.
Principal Investigator(s): Auld, Vanessa J (Zoology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- AMPLIFY: Elevating the stories of Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit peoples
Principal Investigator(s): Bingham, Brittany L (Social Medicine); Price, Roberta (Nursing)
Co-investigator(s): Applejohn, Milo I; Askarian, Sasha; Bonshor, Leslie; Burd, Logan C; Cassidy-Matthews, Chenoa M; Dame, Jessy M; Deering, Kathleen N; Goldenberg, Shira; Jubinville, Danette S; Krüsi, Andrea B; Patrick, Lyana M; Perry, Chelsey L; Pilarinos, Andreas; Pooyak, Sherri D; Salway, Travis; Shannon, Kate
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Engineering next-generation self-amplifying RNA therapeutics encoding bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) antibodies for treatment of ovarian cancer
Principal Investigator(s): Blakney, Anna (Michael Smith Laboratories)
Co-investigator(s): Huntsman, David G; McNagny, Kelly M
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- FIRE-Diet: Food as an Intervention to Reduce the Effects of Woodsmoke Exposure on Respiratory Health
Principal Investigator(s): Brigham, Emily P (Medicine/Respirology)
Co-investigator(s): Carlsten, Christopher; Lamers, Yvonne; Rebuli, Meghan E
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Virtual Reality Exposure for Vaginismus: A Replicated Single-Case Design
Principal Investigator(s): Brotto, Lori Anne (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Co-investigator(s): Altas, Melanie; Brown, Natalie B; Jacob, John; Kingstone, Alan F; Klein, Carolin; Loop, Kirsten; Pulsifer, Jodie
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Dissecting the molecular basis of dietary fibre metabolism by beneficial Bacteroidetes of the human gut microbiota
Principal Investigator(s): Brumer, Harry (Michael Smith Laboratories)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Metabolite Control of Microbiome-Microglia Communication in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Principal Investigator(s): Ciernia, Annie V (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Co-investigator(s): Tropini, Carolina (Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Engineering)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Histone Acetylation Regulates Microglial Innate Immune Memory
Principal Investigator(s): Ciernia, Annie V (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Rational Design of Lipid Nanoparticle Systems for mRNA Delivery
Principal Investigator(s): Cullis, Pieter R (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Co-investigator(s): Jan, Eric
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Steroid catabolism in mycobacteria
Principal Investigator(s): Eltis, Lindsay D (Microbiology and Immunology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- 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, UBC Okanagan)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer: Understanding which patients are at high risk
Principal Investigator(s): Hanley, Gillian E (Medicine/Obstetrics & Gynecology); Anglesio, Michael S (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
Co-investigator(s): Gilks, Cyril B; Hoang, Lynn; Jamieson, Amy; Mcalpine, Jessica N; McRae, Kathryn; Pors, Jennifer; Singh, Naveena; Yong, Paul
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Online Participatory Digital Storytelling for People with Endometriosis: Investigating Therapeutic Potential, Authentic Portrayal, and Knowledge Translation
Principal Investigator(s): Howard, Amanda F (Nursing); Pukall, Caroline F (Queen's University); Yong, Paul (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
Co-investigator(s): Carlyle, Margaret; Currie, Leanne; Oliffe, John L; Orr, Natasha L
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- The longer-term cost consequences of Cesarean delivery
Principal Investigator(s): Hutcheon, Jennifer A (Obstetrics and Gynecology); Liauw, Jessica (Obstetrics and Gynecology); Niles, Kirsten M (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Co-investigator(s): Berry-Einarson, Kathryn; Foggin, Hannah; Giesbrecht, Ellen; Hobbs, Amy; Schummers, Laura; Strumpf, Erin C
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Pre-clinical development of a novel class of broad-spectrum natural product antivirals
Principal Investigator(s): Jean, François (Microbiology and Immunology)
Co-investigator(s): Andersen, Raymond J
Research Institution: University of British Columbia - Glucose restriction-mediated changes to mitochondria as a driver of anti-tumour CD8+ T cell function.
Principal Investigator(s): Klein Geltink, Ramon (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Co-investigator(s): Bennewith, Kevin L; Lynn, Francis C; Park, Yongjin
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Treatment of periodontitis by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor
Principal Investigator(s): Larjava, Hannu S (Oral Biological & Medical Sciences)
Co-investigator(s): Hakkinen, Lari
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Use of CAR Tregs to induce transplantation tolerance
Principal Investigator(s): Levings, Megan K (Surgery);
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- STOPNET - A Randomized Study of Cessation of Somatostatin Analogues after Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Mid and Hind Gut Neuroendocrine Tumours
Principal Investigator(s): Loree, Jonathan M (Medicine); O'Callaghan, Christopher J (Queen's University)
Co-investigator(s): Asmis, Timothy R; Barker, Daniel; Burge, matthew; Goodwin, Rachel A; Laidley, David; Little, Marie-Terese; Rayson, Daniel; Singh, Simron; Solar Vasconcelos, Joao Paulo; Tu, Dongsheng; Wyld, David
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- Dissecting the interplay between histone marks in directing transcription in pluripotent stem and neural precursor cells.
Principal Investigator(s): Lorincz, Matthew C (Medical Genetics);
Co-investigator(s): Janssen, Sanne M
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Astrocyte Piezo1 channels in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration
Principal Investigator(s): MacVicar, Brian A (Psychiatry);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Elucidation of the client repertoires and functions of the two related DNAJB6 and B8 co-chaperones
Principal Investigator(s): Mayor, Thibault (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments (HEAL); a Pan-Canadian study
Principal Investigator(s): Murphy, Rachel (School of Population and Public Health); Kirkpatrick, Sharon (University of Waterloo); Vena, Jennifer E (Cancer Control Research)
Co-investigator(s): Awadalla, Philip; Bhatti, Parveen; Brook, Jeffrey R; Dummer, Trevor J; Faulkner, Guy; Lamarche, Benoît; Minaker, Leia; Ross, Nancy; Widener, Michael J
Research Institution: B.C. Cancer Research Centre (Vancouver)
- Translating Epigenomics into Clinical Care for Synovial Sarcoma
Principal Investigator(s): Nielsen, Torsten O (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Co-investigator(s): Hirst, Martin; Underhill, Michael
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- The role of microglia in mediating sex-specific neurodevelopmental responses to maternal stress
Principal Investigator(s): Rosin, Jessica M (Dentistry);
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 (Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering)
Co-investigator(s): Cullis, Pieter R; Dellaire, Graham P; Hafeli, Urs O; Hedtrich, Sarah; Kumar, Ujendra; Li, Shyh-Dar; Rodrigues, Brian B; Salvarinova, Ramona; Velenosi, Thomas J
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Multi-modal, multi-parametric liver imaging for ultrasound-based stratification of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Principal Investigator(s): Salcudean, Septimiu E (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Kozlowski, Piotr (Radiology and Urologic Sciences); Pang, Emily (Radiology); Rohling, Robert N (Electrical and Computer Engineering & Mechanical Engineering)
Co-investigator(s): Chang, Silvia D; Ramji, Alnoor; Schaeffer, David F; Singla, Rohit; Wang, Z. Jane; Yoshida, Eric M
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Advanced optical monitoring of free tissue transfer hemodynamics
Principal Investigator(s): Shadgan, Babak (Surgery)
Co-investigator(s): Anderson, Donald W; Butskiy, Oleksandr
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Understanding the Geography of Overdose: A Mixed Methods Study
Principal Investigator(s): Slaunwhite, Amanda K (School of Population and Public Health); Crooks, Valorie A (Simon Fraser University); Schuurman, Nadine C (Simon Fraser University)
Co-investigator(s): Bardwell, Geoff; Bridgeman, Jessica; Harder, Kari; Hu, Ziqiang; Palis, Heather; Wilson, Erin
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Exploring the potential of type-1 regulatory T cells in resolution and recovery from intestinal inflammation
Principal Investigator(s): Steiner, Theodore S (Infectious Diseases/Internal Medicine)
Co-investigator(s): Sly, Laura M
Research Institution: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- E-Prevention And Vaping (EPAV): Mobilizing youth-generated evidence to co-produce a digital e-cigarette intervention
Principal Investigator(s): Struik, Laura L (School of Nursing, UBC Okanagan); Coen, Stephanie (University of Nottingham); Martin, Gina (Athabasca University)
Co-investigator(s): Ben-David, Shelly; Burke, Shauna M; Gilliland, Jason A; Haines-Saah, Rebecca J; Hasan, Mohammad K; Janke, Robert; Nelson Ferguson, Kendra
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Reinforcing the battle at the bacterial cell wall: Structure-guided characterization and inhibition of beta-lactam antibiotic resistance signalling mechanisms
Principal Investigator(s): Strynadka, Natalie C (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Innate lymphoid cells in hepatitis and liver fibrosis
Principal Investigator(s): Takei, Fumio (Terry Fox Laboratory)
Research Institution: BC Cancer, part of PHSA (Vancouver)
- Mechanisms of regulation of Cell-Matrix adhesion in development and disease
Principal Investigator(s): Tanentzapf, Guy (Cellular and Physiological Sciences)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Telehealth for Emergency-Community Continuity of Care Connectivity via Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring (TEC4HOME-BP)
Principal Investigator(s): Tran, Karen (Medicine)
Co-investigator(s): Cressman, Sonya; Dahri, Karen; Dawes, Martin G; Ho, Kendall; Khan, Nadia A; Kim Sing, CHAD A; Mak, Meagan Y; Mangat, Birinder K; Novak Lauscher, Helen J; Wong, Hubert H
Research Institution: Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
- Colonic mucus-derived sugars fuel the growth and virulence of pathogenic enteric bacteria.
Principal Investigator(s): Vallance, Bruce A (Pediatrics)
Co-investigator(s): Yu, Hongbing
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Physiological and pathological regulation of GABAA receptor functions
Principal Investigator(s): Wang, Yu Tian (Medicine, Neurology)
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Acute intermittent hypoxia as a novel cardio-therapeutic for spinal cord injury
Principal Investigator(s): West Christopher R (School of Kinesiology); Foster, Glen E (School of Health and Exercise Sciences)
Co-investigator(s): Krassioukov, Andrei
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Full list of Project Grant Awardees
UBC-led Bridge Grants
- How far is too far? Creating an evidence base to support safe provision of medication abortion for people living far from emergency services.
Principal Investigator(s): Norman, Wendy V (Family Practice); Henry, Bonnie J (Province of British Columbia); Munro, Sarah B (Obstetrics & Gynaecology); Schummers, Laura (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Co-investigator(s): Abdulai, Abdul-Fatawu; Begun, Stephanie; Bingham, Brittany L; Brehmer, Lovisa M; Brooks, Melissa; Cameron, Sharon; Cleeve, Amanda; Darling, Elizabeth K; Davies, Cheryl; Dunn, Sheila F; Gemzell Danielsson, Kristina; Gill, Roopan K; Godfrey, Emily M; Lee, Sabrina C; Martin-Ferris, Samantha S; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Mazza, Danielle; Monchalin, Renee J; Nethery, Elizabeth M; Paynter, Martha J; Pymar, Helen; Reynolds-Wright, John J; Stroulia, Eleni; Vallee, Carol-Anne; Wahl, Kate
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
- Program of Outcomes Research on Treatment with Injectables for Addiction: Accessibility Needs and Tangible Actions
Principal Investigator(s): Oviedo-Joekes, Eugenia (School of Population and Public Health)
Co-investigator(s): Blawatt, Sarah; Braich, Aman; Byres, David; Chow, Nancy; Davidson, Sara; Gagnon, Jennifer M; Goyer, Marie-Eve; Harrison, Scott; Lajeunesse, Julie A; Lock, Kurt; MacDonald, Donald S; Magel, Tianna; Marchand, Kirsten I; Marsh, David C; Patricelli, Charissa; Schechter, Martin T; Spittal, Patricia M
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Full list of Bridge Grant Awardees
UBC-led Priority Announcements
- Implementation research to improve scale-up of the delivery of evidence-based community exercise programs for stroke
Principal Investigator(s): Eng, Janice J (Physical Therapy)
Co-investigator(s): Hung, Stanley; Manyanga, Taru; Monaghan, Jennifer; Mortenson, William B; Pollock, Courtney L; Sakakibara, Brodie M; Schneeberg, Amy; Stelling, Sally-Anne; Winston, Paul; Yao, Jennifer K
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Patient-Oriented Research
- Evaluating the delivery of breast cancer care for patients undergoing breast reconstruction: A provincial quantitative and qualitative evaluation of care
Principal Investigator(s): Isaac, Kathryn V (Surgery); Galica, Jacqueline (Queen's University); Howard, Amanda F (Nursing); Sutherland, Jason M (School of Population and Public Health)
Co-investigator(s): Brown, Carl J; LeVasseur, Nathalie; McKevitt, Elaine; Nichol, Alan M; Trask, Michele
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Health Services and Policy Research
- Population-based study to determine the appropriateness and determinants of antibiotic use in primary care for migrants in Canada using administrative data: from data science to policy and action
Principal Investigator(s): Lalji, Fawziah (Pharmaceutical Sciences);
Co-investigator(s): Patrick, David M; Saatchi, Ariana; Schwartz, Kevin L; Silverman, Michael
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Antimicrobial Resistance (Bridge Grant)
- Accelerated Lung Aging in People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Principal Investigator(s): Leung, Janice (Medicine)
Co-investigator(s): Eddy, Rachel L; Hernandez Cordero, Ana I; Kirby, Miranda A; Kobor, Michael S; Lam, Stephen; Lane, Pierre; Leipsic, Jonathon; Lima, Viviane D; Montaner, Julio S; Peters, Carli; Sin, Donald
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: HIV/AIDS and STBBI
- SOX4 regulation of human islet cell genesis and growth*
Principal Investigator(s): Lynn, Francis C (General Surgery);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
*conditional award at time of announcement
- Elucidating the novel role of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in presynaptic assembly
Principal Investigator(s): Mizumoto, Kota (Zoology);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Operating Grant - PA: Genetics (Bridge Funding: Research Priorities)
- Acute human gingivitis systems biology*
Principal Investigator(s): Overall, Christopher M (Oral Biological & Medical Sciences);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - Priority Announcement: IMHA: Oral Health
*conditional award at time of announcement
- Impact of loss of commensal bacteria on enteric infection
Principal Investigator(s): Tropini, Carolina (Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Engineering);
Research Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Grant - PA: Infection and Immunity (Early Career Research Support)