UBC faculty of medicine researchers have been awarded more than $2.9 million in federal funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for cutting-edge research infrastructure that will fuel new discoveries and health innovations.
The funding, provided through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), helps researchers conduct innovative research by giving them the tools and equipment they need to become leaders in their fields.
Eleven faculty of medicine researchers received awards for projects tackling key health topics like cancer, brain health and microbiome research. They are among 34 projects led by UBC researchers awarded a collective $7 million in funding.
The CFI JELF awards were announced as part of a $502 million federal investment to support science, researchers and students. The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue, made the announcement at the Université de Sherbrooke, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health.
“Today, we celebrate the remarkable researchers, students and institutions set to benefit from this vital funding,” said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “The Government of Canada will continue to empower them by providing the resources and opportunities to advance their groundbreaking work. By investing in their growth and development, we are reinforcing Canada’s leadership in global research and innovation and paving the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future for everyone.”
Faculty of Medicine-led projects
- Katrina Bouchard (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
Psychology, Health, and Sexuality (PHaSe) Laboratory - Carol Chen (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Identifying Disease Drivers of Lethal Brain Cancer - Govind Kaigala (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Tissue Microprocessing Platform: Technologies to Unravel Heterogeneous Interactions in Cancer - Aly Karsan (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Overcoming Therapy Resistance in Leukemia - Genelle Lunken (Pediatrics)
Nutrition and Microbiome Precision Health (N&M Precision) Lab - Marco Marra (Medical Genetics)
Multi-omic Analysis of Treatment Resistance and Cancer Heterogeneity (MATCH) - Graziano Oldani (Surgery)
Immune Suppression-Free Xenotransplantation - Dena Shahriari (Orthopaedics)
Implantable Smart Biomaterials and Sensors - Syam Somasekharan (Urologic Sciences)
Advanced RNA Translatome Profiling Facility to Identify Therapeutic Targets and Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer (ART-PC) - Adi Steif (Medical Genetics)
Single Cell Analysis of Chromosomal Instability in Cancer using Machine Learning - Cheryl Wellington (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Facility for Neurology Fluid Biomarker Innovation
See all CFI JELF funding recipients here.