ARCHIVED - Your Health Research Dollars at Work 2005-2006
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Ontario
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Supports Health Research in Ontario
Ontario at a Glance
Ontario receives the largest share of CIHR funding - approximately $269 million in 2005-06, an increase of more than 87% from 2000-01. This funding supports more than 2,940 projects by principal investigators in 37 funded institutions.
Funding Excellence
CIHR-Funded Health Research in Ontario
Universities in Ontario are known for their expertise and research achievements in a variety of areas. Here are some examples:
The Ongoing Impact of the Walkerton Tragedy
Dr. Amit Garg, London Health Sciences Centre, The University of Western
Ontario, London
Years after the outbreak of stomach infections and deaths caused by an E. coli-infected water supply in Walkerton, Ontario, the effects of the outbreak are still being felt. A study of almost 2,000 area residents found that 27% of those who had no symptoms at the time of the outbreak have since been diagnosed with hypertension. This figure climbs to 35% among people who had had severe symptoms of gastroenteritis. Roughly the same percentage of respondents also suffered from reduced kidney function. CIHR-supported researcher Dr. Amit Garg of the London Health Sciences Centre is the principal author of the study.
Of Microbes and Antibiotic Resistance
Dr. Gerard Wright, McMaster University, Hamilton
According to research by Dr. Gerard Wright of McMaster University, microbes found in soil have incredible resistance to antibiotic drugs. Dr. Wright collected 480 samples and found that each and every one was resistant to at least seven or eight antimicrobial agents. The study raises concern that such resistance mechanisms can be and are being transferred to existing bacterial pathogens affecting humans, creating superbugs resistant to new antibiotics.
Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma
Dr. Yue Chen, University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Air pollution sends poorer children to hospital with asthma more often than it does children from more affluent homes, according to research by CIHR-funded investigators, including Dr. Yue Chen of the University of Ottawa. The team was examining the effect of gaseous air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide was most harmful to boys in low socio-economic groups, while sulphur dioxide was most harmful for girls from this group. The risk of asthma is higher for people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Mapping Protein Interactions
Drs. Jack Greenblatt and Andrew Emili, University of Toronto
Dr. Jack Greenblatt of the University of Toronto has recorded the most comprehensive and reliable map of protein interactions in a living organism to date. His work, conducted with Dr. Andrew Emili, used sophisticated proteomic techniques to identify close to 4,000 proteins and 550 protein complexes involved in 7,123 protein-protein interactions in yeast cells. Disease results when these complexes and interactions go awry. The structure of proteins and their interactions in yeast cells are virtually identical to those in humans.
Technology Transfer Partnerships Accelerating Commercialization
Guelph, Waterloo, McMaster, Western Ontario Universities
A partnership among the technology transfer offices of McMaster University, University of Waterloo, University of Guelph and The University of Western Ontario is receiving funding from the Tri-Council Intellectual Property Management Program to help commercialize the results of research conducted at their universities. Under the partnership, the four universities will pool their technology transfer expertise, building horizontal teams on life sciences and physical sciences as well as groups in patent administration and industrial interaction. Potential private sector partners looking for new and innovative technologies will be able to tap into the intellectual property of four research-intensive universities using a single contact point. The University of Windsor and Wilfred Laurier University will also be network members and, through this partnership, will be able to develop capacity in technology transfer.
The Power of Volunteers - Ontario Researchers Helping to Build CIHR
CIHR volunteers, drawn from Canada's research community, form the backbone of the organization. They ensure that only the best proposals receive funding, help set priorities and ensure CIHR meets its mandate.
Dr. Janet Rossant, CIHR's Institute of Genetics Advisory Board
Dr. Rossant is the Chief of Research at The Hospital for Sick Children and winner of the 2005 CIHR Michael Smith Prize in Health Research. Dr. Rossant is a world-leading developmental biologist who has made major contributions to our understanding of how an embryo develops, how genes control development and how embryonic and other stem cells arise. Her research interests centre on understanding the genetic control of normal and abnormal development in the early mouse embryo, work that has shed light on how congenital anomalies in the heart, blood vessels and placenta develop. Through her membership on the Institute Advisory Board, she is sharing the expertise acquired through a fruitful research career with the wider genetics community.
Dr. Mark Loeb, CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity Advisory Board
Dr. Loeb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton. Dr. Loeb's research interests include emerging infectious diseases, infections in seniors, respiratory infections and antimicrobial use and resistance. Dr. Loeb is Chair of the Pandemic Preparedness Research Task Group, part of CIHR-led pandemic preparedness research efforts.
Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, CIHR's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research Advisory Board
Dr. Grimshaw is the Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Programme of the Ottawa Health Research Institute at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on methods to promote the uptake of research findings by healthcare professionals. He was awarded the CIHR Knowledge Translation Award in 2004. He has been a member of the Institute's Advisory Board since 2004.
About CIHR
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian healthcare system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
160 Elgin St., 9th Floor, Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/