The Government of Canada is the country’s largest investor in health research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

“Some of Canada’s most important health discoveries are being made right here in Winnipeg. This announcement highlights the bright minds and the strong support for research and innovation at the University of Manitoba,” said Ouellette.

Health research leads to discoveries and knowledge that helps improve the health of Canadians through new treatments, health services and health promotion and disease prevention programs.

The funding will support the work of researchers at the University of Manitoba across the spectrum of health research areas, ranging from microbiology and nanoparticles, to healthcare delivery and population-based wellness strategies.

Two U of M researchers shared snapshots of their collaborative research projects.

Dr. Julie Ho, associate professor of internal medicine and immunology in the Max Rady College of Medicine (Rady Faculty) and a team of researchers at the U of M will lead a new clinical trial led that could change the current standard of care for monitoring kidney transplant patients and potentially increase the longevity of successful kidney transplants.

Ho, Principal investigator on the study, says many Canadians don’t realize that kidney disease is a silent killer. “It’s actually really sad.… When patients tell their families they have kidney disease, it doesn’t have the same implication as if they were to say ‘I have cancer.’ But the mortality rate with kidney disease is actually just as bad as with many cancers, although there is less public awareness about it.” [Read more about this study.]

Marissa Becker [MD/99], an associate professor in community health sciences (U of M) with cross-appointments to internal medicine and medical microbiology,  will lead a project designed to understand how the consequences of conflict, migration and disrupted health services affect risk in the context of HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The study is being conducted by an international, inter-disciplinary team in order to understand this complex public health issue.

The study will generate important information for its Ukrainian partners, who provide HIV prevention programs in Dnipropetrovsk, and address an important knowledge gap globally.
“We’re working with local program partners, researchers and policy makers,” Becker says. “We’ve been doing work in Ukraine for a number of years now. It’s important to us to sustain and further develop those partnerships for impactful work.” [Read more about this study.]

The following researchers also received funding:

Christopher Anderson | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Keith Fowke | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Spencer Gibson | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Richard Keijzer | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Christine Kelly | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Ayush Kumar | Brian Mark | Faculty of Science
Josée Lavoie | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Brian Mark | Faculty of Science
Lyle Mckinnon | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Donald Miller | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
James Nagy | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Abdelilah Soussi Gounni | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Jude Uzonna| Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

The Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group (MCSB) launched this past summer with a focus on the emerging field of chemosensation. A diverse group of researchers is exploring molecular, chemical and sensory biology towards the discovery of novel molecules that can alter or modify human chemical senses. The potential for the group is enormous in what is seen as a burgeoning area of research.

“It is an up and coming area,” said Dr. Prashen Chelikani, director, MCSB group and graduate chair in the College of Dentistry’s department of oral biology. “The work we are doing is multi-disciplinary and fairly well focused. When it comes to taste chemosensation, we are the only group in Canada right now.”

The four thrust areas of MCSB – taste, bacterial chemosensation, signal transduction and clinical applications of the science – cover virtually all areas of the human chemosensory experience. Potential applications from their research run the gamut from the food industry to clinical applications in myriad areas of health care.

“Clinical, pharmacology, consumer products, all those areas,” Chelikani said. “We’re looking at research on taste receptor biology, taste disorders, food chemistry, novel taste blockers and taste modifiers.”

Comprised of eight scientists from diverse disciplines across the University of Manitoba, the group targets research grants that fit with their areas of expertise. For the past several years now and in collaboration with Dr. Rotimi Aluko (dept. of human nutritional sciences), Chelikani’s lab has focused on developing taste modifiers. This area has already drawn immense interest from the food industry.

The group’s work however, goes well beyond consumer products. Microbiologists Drs. Ayush Kumar and Kangmin Duan are investigating how bacteria communicate with each other and with a host cell, a major factor in bacterial infections.

“We want to understand the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and virulence in bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” Kumar explained. “This organism is one of the most common pathogens causing lung infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients. Our role in the group is to understand how it may interact with the host defense mechanisms and if this interaction is linked to its antibiotic resistance.”

Collaborative research within MCSB is investigating the interactions between bacterial Acyl-Homoserine Lactones (AHL )signal molecules and human airway cells. The phenomenon that bitter taste receptors on lung epithelial cells serve as bacterial AHL receptors is being explored.

Dr. Robert Schroth, associate professor, Colleges of Dentistry, is interested in looking at the association between caries and taste in children and adolescents.

“This partnership will help to understand the role that taste may have in determining a child’s risk for developing caries (cavities), including early childhood caries,” he said.

To spur their research, members of the group review calls for research projects that dovetail into their respective areas of expertise. “When we apply for grants, we look at our own research and how we can mutually complement our expertise to strengthen the proposal,” Chelikani said, noting competition is often fierce for grant funding.

“The climate for peer–reviewed granting funding is very tough right now. You’re looking at 10 to 15 per cent success, depending on what you are applying for. In that scenario, collaboration is essential.”

Each member of the team has already enjoyed considerable success in their respective fields. The group is optimistic that banding together under the MCSB banner can better leverage future opportunities.

“We know we are focused and most of our principle investigators have good track records and significant, multi–year grants,” Chelikani said, adding it usually takes up to five years for a research group to determine how well it is performing. “The idea is for this group to become a Canadian Centre for Chemosensory Research down the road.”

The new multi-disciplinary Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group builds on the College of Dentistry’s successful International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health (ICOSH), launched in 2008, and also envisioned as a nucleus for collaboration and innovation.

“ICOSH has received multiple international awards and recognition along with substantial government and private funding so we already know this model works.  Dr. Chelikani is uniquely qualified to lead this new group and I have no doubt that it will be extremely successful,” said Dr. Anthony M. Iacopino, Dean, College of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences.