The funding will back the work of Dr. Galen Wright, Dr. Mark Nachtigal, Dr. Sachin Katyal and Dr. Tanveer Sharif, whose combined research spans the fields of neurological disorders, cancer and therapy resistance.

Each project is focused on advancing precision medicine, an emerging field that tailors medical treatment to the unique characteristics of each patient, including their genetic profile, environment and lifestyle.

Unlike traditional treatments that primarily manage symptoms, precision medicine targets the root causes of diseases, providing a more personalized and potentially more effective approach. By investigating the molecular mechanisms behind these diseases and developing targeted therapies, these researchers aim to break through the limitations of current treatments.

“These groundbreaking studies have the potential to transform patient care, improve survival rates and enhance quality of life,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “We are incredibly proud of these researchers, whose innovative efforts are pushing the boundaries of medical science and could lead to life-changing treatments for patients in Canada and beyond.”

Dr. Mark Nachtigal

Nachtigal, a professor of biochemistry and medical genetics, has been awarded a two-year grant of $130,000 to further his research into a groundbreaking treatment for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers affecting women.

His work, supported by Ovarian Cancer Canada and the Cancer Research Society, is focused on developing a novel drug that targets cancer cells in ways that traditional therapies cannot, offering new hope for patients whose cancers no longer respond to chemotherapy.

Ovarian cancer frequently develops resistance to treatment, leaving women with few options and poor survival prospects. By advancing this innovative drug, Nachtigal’s research has the potential to revolutionize ovarian cancer treatment, offering an effective alternative that could improve survival rates and enhance the quality of life for patients.

Dr. Galen Wright

Wright, an assistant professor of pharmacology and therapeutics and Canada Research Chair in neurogenomics, has been awarded a two-year grant of $130,000 to explore new treatments for Rett syndrome, a rare and devastating neurological disorder that primarily affects young girls.

Rett syndrome leads to severe developmental delays, loss of motor skills and cognitive impairments. Currently, there are no effective treatments.

Supported by the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada, Wright’s research will investigate the underlying mechanisms of the disorder to identify potential therapeutic strategies. By gaining a deeper understanding of how Rett syndrome progresses, his work aims to uncover treatments that could alleviate, or even reverse, its effects.

The research not only offers hope for children with Rett syndrome but could also pave the way for new approaches to treating other genetic disorders with similar underlying causes, such as fragile X syndrome and some forms of autism.

Dr. Sachin Katyal

Katyal, an associate professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, is focusing on overcoming chemotherapy resistance in glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant forms of brain cancer.

Glioblastoma grows rapidly, infiltrating healthy brain tissue, and is known for its high recurrence rate even after surgery and chemotherapy. As the cancer progresses, patients often experience a severe decline in quality of life, with few effective treatment options remaining.

His two-year project, supported by a $130,000 grant from the Cancer Research Society, targets a protein that helps glioblastoma tumours survive chemotherapy. Katyal’s research aims to inhibit the protein responsible for the tumour’s survival, potentially resensitizing it to chemotherapy and offering patients more effective treatment options.

If successful, his work could significantly improve survival rates and provide a new avenue for treating this aggressive cancer.

Dr. Tanveer Sharif

Sharif, an associate professor of pathology, is focused on a different aspect of glioblastoma research. While Katyal’s work centres on protein inhibition, Sharif’s research examines how glioblastoma tumours adapt their metabolism to survive the harsh environment of the brain, making them resistant to conventional therapies.

Funded by the Brain Canada Foundation and the Cancer Research Society, Sharif’s research is supported by a two-year grant of $130,000.

Sharif aims to identify metabolic shifts in tumours and develop targeted therapies that exploit these vulnerabilities. By addressing the tumour’s metabolic adaptation, Sharif’s research has the potential to reduce the chances of recurrence and improve survival rates, offering a new approach to glioblastoma treatment that could complement existing strategies.

CRCs are world leaders in their field funded by the Government of Canada in the areas of natural sciences and engineering, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities. “These symposia were a wonderful opportunity for researchers to get to know each other’s specialties, and to spark new collaborations with students and the wider community,” says Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “I thank all the CRCs for their groundbreaking contributions to address the issues faced by society today.”

This thought-provoking look at current UM research is available to view online, each featuring a brief presentation from the gathered CRCs followed by a question-and-answer period with the audience.

CRC Symposium 1, February 2, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Heather Armstrong, Chair in Integrative Bioscience; Guozhen Zhu, Chair in Mechanical and Functional Design of Nanostructured Materials; Trust Beta, Chair in Grain-Based Functional Foods; Eric Collins, Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services; Britt Drögemöller, Chair in Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine; Ned Budisa, Chair in Chemical Synthetic Biology and Xenobiology; Lori Wilkinson, Chair in Migration Futures; Jason Kindrachuk, Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health; Sabine Mai, Chair in Genomic Instability and Nuclear Architecture in Cancer; Jörg Stetefeld, Chair in Structural Biology and Biophysics; Carl Ho, Chair in Efficient Utilization of Electric Power; and Nandika Bandara, Chair in Food Proteins.

CRC Symposium 2, February 27, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Tracie Afifi, Chair in Childhood Adversity and Resilience; Robert Lorway, Chair in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation; Janilyn Arsenio, Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation; Puyan Mojabi, Chair in Electromagnetic Inversion for Characterization and Design; Annette Desmarais, Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty; Zulma Rueda, Chair in Program Sciences & Global Public Health; and Kathryn Sibley, Chair in Integrated Knowledge Translation in Rehabilitation Sciences.

CRC Symposium 3, March 28, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Ties Boerma, Chair in Population and Global Health; Kiera Ladner, Chair in Miyo we’citowin, Indigenous Governance & Digital Sovereignties; Rotimi Aluko, Chair in Bioactive Peptides; Zahra Moussavi, Chair in Biomedical Engineering; Terry Klassen, Chair in Clinical Trials; and Galen Wright, Chair in Neurogenomics.

CRC Symposium 4, April 24, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Lisa Lix, Chair in Methods for Electronic Health Data Quality; John Ataguba, Chair in Health Economics; Nicole Wilson, Chair in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance; Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Chair in Molecular Cardiology; Meghan Azad, Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease; and Kristine Cowley, Chair in Function and Health after Spinal Cord Injury.

CRC Symposium 5, May 16, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Kristina Brown, Chair in Arctic Marine Biogeochemistry; Nicole Rosen, Chair in Language Interactions; Robert Mizzi, Chair in Queer, Community & Diversity Education; Samar Safi-Harb, Chair in Extreme Astrophysics; and Susan Logue, Chair in Cell Stress and Inflammation.

CRC Symposium 6, June 19, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Andrew Halayko, Chair in Chronic Lung Disease Pathobiology and Treatment; Colin Gilmore, Chair in Applied Electromagnetic Inversion; James Blanchard, Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health; Marcelo Urquia, Chair in Applied Population Health; and Souradet Shaw, Chair in Program Science & Global Public Health.

Most of the 14 funded professors lead labs in the basic science departments of the medical college, such as immunology, physiology and pathophysiology, or biochemistry and medical genetics.

Their five-year discovery grants and one-year discovery launch supplements from NSERC total $545,000.

“Congratulations on obtaining these prestigious grants in support of cutting-edge science,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “We are fortunate to have a wealth of experts at UM whose laboratory discoveries have exciting potential to benefit human health.

“These NSERC grants also make it possible for our professors in medicine to train a large number of undergraduate and graduate students in state-of-the-art research techniques.”

Here are the funded studies:

Dr. Heather Armstrong, assistant professor, internal medicine; Canada Research Chair in integrative bioscience; researcher, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)

Discovery Grant: $28,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Armstrong’s team will focus on dietary fibres from agricultural products. They will examine how certain fibres alter microbial communities in the gut that are needed for the fermentation of fibre, and how this influences immune responses in the gut.

Dr. Robert Beattie, assistant professor, biochemistry and medical genetics

Discovery Grant: $37,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Beattie’s project centres on gene function in the normal embryonic development of brain cells in the cerebral cortex. His team will use new genetic technologies to examine molecular regulators of the proliferation of a specific kind of neural stem cell.

Dr. Britt Drögemöller, assistant professor, biochemistry and medical genetics; Canada Research Chair in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Discovery Grant: $37,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Drögemöller’s team will perform genomic analyses to identify novel genes and genetic pathways associated with variability in human hearing. They will also look at sex-specific auditory differences and how genetic pathways for hearing change as people age.

Dr. Jean-Eric Ghia, professor, immunology; researcher, CHRIM

Discovery Grant: $33,000

Ghia will examine the role of a stress protein in the gut microbiota and in smooth muscle contractions of the colon. In mice bred to lack this protein, his team will test whether a fecal microbiota transfer improves colonic muscle contraction.

Dr. Depeng Jiang, associate professor, community health sciences; researcher, CHRIM

Discovery Grant: $18,000

Jiang, a biostatistician, will develop new statistical models for multilevel data research by using a high-efficiency computer lab for statistical computations and simulations. These new models will provide researchers with new ways to understand their data.

Dr. Meaghan Jones, assistant professor, biochemistry and medical genetics; researcher, CHRIM

Discovery Grant: $31,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Jones will investigate how genes help cells to detoxify after exposure to dioxins, which are environmental pollutants. Her team aims to determine whether cells “remember” exposure to dioxins and mount a stronger response upon re-exposure, and whether this differs between embryos and adult mammals.

Dr. Oleg Krokhin, associate professor, internal medicine

Discovery Grant: $24,000

Krokhin, whose field is proteomics (the large-scale study of proteins), seeks to assist labs in separating peptides, which are produced when proteins are broken down. With the goal of advancing peptide separation science, his team will generate innovative tools and techniques.

Dr. Sam Kung, professor, immunology

Discovery Grant: $32,000

Kung’s project focuses on “natural killer” cells, which are important in maintaining immunity to viruses and tumors. His team will examine how a particular protein regulates natural killer cell biology, in part by studying mice that lack this protein.

Dr. Liam O’Neil, assistant professor, internal medicine; researcher, Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology

Discovery Grant: $28,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

O’Neil’s study centres on neutrophils, which are blood cells on the front line of the immune system. His team will investigate how neutrophils modify their release of proteins to improve their ability to neutralize invading pathogens.

Dr. Deanna Santer, assistant professor, immunology; GSK Endowed Research Chair in immunobiology of infectious diseases; researcher, CHRIM

Discovery Grant: $28,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Santer’s focus is type III interferons – proteins released by the immune system to fight viruses. Her team will study their signaling and receptor biology, illuminating processes such as what happens immediately after these interferons bind their receptor in individual immune cells.

Dr. Tabrez Siddiqui, associate professor, physiology and pathophysiology; principal investigator, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine

Discovery Grant: $56,000

Siddiqui’s team will explore the role of synapse-organizing proteins in synapse development in the brain. They will investigate, for example, how these proteins govern brain lamination (cell layering) and plasticity, and how they control synapse numbers.

Dr. Galen Wright, assistant professor, pharmacology and therapeutics; Canada Research Chair in neurogenomics; principal investigator, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine

Discovery Grant: $28,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Wright uses genomics to study DNA repair processes in the human brain. His team will use computational analyses and human stem cell-derived neural models to identify important DNA repair genes and explore the mechanisms underlying how they are regulated.

Dr. Jiuyong Xie, professor, physiology and pathophysiology

Discovery Grant: $32,000

Xie aims to understand how genes have evolved to produce diverse RNA and protein products through an innate process called “alternative pre-mRNA splicing.” His team will use state-of-the-art techniques to uncover molecular details, helping to predict how splicing will evolve in the future.

Dr. Frederick Zeiler, associate professor, surgery; Rudy Falk Clinician-Scientist Professor

Discovery Grant: $33,000; Discovery Launch Supplement: $12,500

Zeiler will develop new techniques for continuous rapid assessment of cerebral autoregulation (control of blood flow to the brain by cerebral blood vessels) in healthy humans. This will allow for analysis of variations in brain regions and differences based on age and sex.

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship program, founded in 2013, is designed to develop long-term collaborations between universities in Africa and North America. The project is one of 56 through which the program will pair African-born scholars in North America with institution in Africa to collaborate on research, graduate training and mentoring activities in the coming months.

The fellowships normally cover travel costs for the researchers to visit the host university, but with worldwide travel restriction in place due to COVID-19, visits will be done virtually for Wright and Drögemöller, who first met while pursuing their PhDs at Stellenbosch University.

Wright and Drögemöller moved to Canada in 2014 for post-doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia and came to the University of Manitoba in 2019. Both hold Canada Research Chair (CRC) positions, Wright in neurogenomics and Drögemöller in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine.

Both are human geneticists trained in genomics, so there is commonality in their work even though they work independently from one another.

“Galen’s work looks at precision medicine with regards to neurological conditions, as well as fundamental work on DNA repair in the brain, while mine is focused on trying to develop safer treatments for vulnerable and underserved populations,” said Drögemöller, assistant professor in biochemistry and medical genetics; research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba; and adjunct scientist, Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology.

The pair plan to host a workshop for students at Stellenbosch’s new neuroscience degree program as part of their fellowships. They will also be establishing mutually beneficial collaborations aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease in globally representative populations.

“The host applicant, professor Soraya Bardien, does a lot of neurological research and genomics in African populations, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease especially,” said Wright, assistant professor in pharmacology and therapeutics, and investigator in the Neuroscience Research Program at the Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine.

“There are some new clinical geneticists there looking to expand their capabilities to diagnose rare diseases.”

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, now in its fourth year, is designed to reverse Africa’s brain drain, strengthen capacity at the host institutions, and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya, which coordinates the activities of the Advisory Council. A total of 527 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception.

Tell us about your research

My research program is focused on using genomics to understand how the brain functions. To enable this, I make use of recent developments in computational biology, human genetics and functional genomics. An area of key focus is the study of the fundamental biology of DNA repair in the brain. DNA encodes the genetic instructions in humans and other organisms and is found in the majority of cells in our body. Due to high energy consumption in the brain, DNA needs to be repaired aggressively to avoid cell death and to ensure the integrity of this information. My CRC investigates how these repair pathways work in the brain. I will focus on the analysis of large genomic data sets from the brain using bioinformatic methods, such as machine learning, to understand how DNA repair pathways are regulated in the brain, and how these pathways enable the brain to continue to function.

Why is this research important to Canadians?

Although the work funded by my CRC is related to the natural sciences, DNA repair pathways have been linked to various human diseases, including those outside of cancer. One example is neurodegenerative disorders, which currently lack effective treatments and are becoming increasingly important with the aging population. Neurogenomics and human genetics therefore provide opportunities to both increase our biological understanding of complex systems and identify novel drug targets.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and did my graduate training at Stellenbosch University. After my PhD, I received further training at the South African National Bioinformatics Institute, before moving to Vancouver to start a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. I started my current position at UM in April 2020.

Why UM?

UM has placed a significant focus on hiring new faculty with expertise in data science and computational biology and there is a very supportive community of researchers here. My department has extensive and diverse expertise in the field pharmacology and therapeutics, which makes it great for collaborations and allows you to tackle scientific problems in a diverse manner. I will benefit through working closely with neuroscience experts in this synergistic environment, enabling excellence in this research.

What does CRC funding mean to you as a researcher?

This award is extremely timely – I have just started my first independent position and it allows me to efficiently tackle interesting and relevant biological questions. For example, it will allow me to follow up on genes that I have prioritised via computational analyses in the wet lab using neural cell lines. The CRC will therefore lay the platform for me to train the next generation of scientists and contribute towards Canadian society in a positive manner.

How did you feel when you learned you were awarded your Canada Research Chair?

I was extremely excited to be honored by this prestigious award. There are so many talented early career investigators in Canada, so I am humbled to be recognised by this position. Starting a research group during a global pandemic has been challenging, and this is definitely the best research-related news I have received, both during 2020, and throughout my research career.

What inspires you?

Problem solving and being the first to observe and discover a particular finding is extremely rewarding and something that a career in science can provide you with. I am also committed to open and reproducible science and look forward to training the next generation of diverse scientists. I have been fortunate to work with a number of inspiring role models during my research career. My previous postdoctoral supervisor, Dr. Michael Hayden, who is a Tier 1 CRC in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of British Columbia, also grew up and was trained in South Africa, before moving to Canada. He has been extremely successful in both academia and the industry, and played a significant role in my recent training. Finally, it is amazing to be able to work and collaborate with my partner and fellow new CRC, Dr. Britt Drögemöller; I am extremely fortunate to be able to share my passion for human genetics and genomics research. We are excited about contributing towards the UM research community!

What about you would people find surprising?

I share my name with, Galen, a Greek physician and philosopher from the Roman empire. He treated both gladiators and emperors during his time in Rome. I enjoy fly fishing and fly tying and look forward to exploring Manitoba further next summer.

Do you have any advice for students/young grad students starting their career?

Explore opportunities to take statistics and computer science courses. Even if biology is your passion, these skills are highly relevant for the majority of research projects. Further, find a supervisor that invests in your training, actively mentors you and wants you to succeed. Graduate training can open doors for you both in academia and in the industry, but this will help you have the most rewarding training experience.

The awards were announced today by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. The new UM CRCs will receive $6.4 million over the next five to seven years.

“Our government is taking action to attract and retain the world’s brightest and most distinguished researchers,” said Bains. “For over 20 years, the Canada Research Chairs Program has been mobilizing Canada’s most esteemed academics to train and mentor the next generation of researchers and pursue ground breaking research that responds to society’s economic, social and health needs.”

Ten of the UM CRCs have been awarded to early career researchers and one prestigious Tier 1 chair to an established UM clinician-scientist. The CRC Program provides funding to universities to recruit and retain Canada’s knowledge leaders. Tier 1 chairs are acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields and are appointed for seven years, receiving $1.4 million in funding over their terms. Tier 2 chairs are exceptional emerging researchers in their fields, appointed for rive years, receiving $500,000 in funding over their terms.

“I congratulate this amazing group of research leaders in being awarded Canada Research Chairs,” said Dr. Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) and Distinguished Professor. “It is a significant career milestone to receive such recognition of excellence by Canada’s research funding program.”

The new UM CRC’s are:

Nandika Bandara (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Food Protein Processing & Bioproducts

Kristine Cowley (Physiology and Pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Function and Health after Spinal Cord Injury

Britt Drögemöller (Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine

Danielle Gaucher (Psychology, Faculty of Arts) Tier 2 CRC in Social Inequality, Gender and Public Policy

Terry Klassen (Pediatrics & Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences/ Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba) Tier 1 CRC in Clinical Trials

Robert Mizzi (Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology, Faculty of Education) Tier 2 CRC in Queer, Community and Diversity Education

Zulma Rueda (Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Sexually Transmitted Infection – Resistance and Control

Souradet Shaw (Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Program Sciences & Global Public Health

Elizabeth Wall-Wieler (Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Population Data Analytics and Data Duration

Nicole Wilson (Environment & Geography, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources) Tier 2 CRC in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance

Galen Wright (Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Neurogenomics

The CRC program recognizes that diversity is indispensable to research excellence and is committed to working alongside Canadian institutions to achieve its equity targets and reflect the diversity of Canada’s population by 2029. Among the 259 Canada Research Chair recipients announced today, 26% self-identified as racialized minorities, 5% as Indigenous Peoples, 10% as persons with disabilities and 51% as women.