“I congratulate these successful Rady Faculty researchers and their partner networks whose work is contributing to the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right here in Manitoba and around the world,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, UM’s vice-president (research and international). 

“It is wonderful to see Manitoba leading the nation with the highest average and median grant values, a testament to the outstanding quality of research conducted at the University of Manitoba.”  

Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, said that the funded projects in the Spring 2024 competition show the diversity of health research taking place across the faculty.  

“The researchers are examining a wide range of topics – from new drug combinations to treat blood cancer to determining how the communication between astrocytes and neurons occurs. This CIHR funding is crucial for advancing science and will inevitably have an impact on the health of patients both locally and globally,” Nickerson said.  

One of the 11 Rady Faculty grant recipients is Dr. Jude Uzonna, professor of immunology at the Max Rady College of Medicine and vice-dean (research) at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. He and his team received $1,005,976 over five years to study what could one day lead to new treatments for leishmaniasis.  

Leishmaniasis is an understudied parasitic disease spread by sand flies that can cause skin sores and even fatal damage to internal organs. The disease affects more than 12 million people worldwide, Uzonna said, and it’s starting to spread to non-endemic countries like Canada.  

“It’s coming,” he said. “It’s really coming because of global warming, increased immigration from endemic countries to Canada and soldiers coming back from peacekeeping duties. The numbers are growing, but if we can develop a vaccine for it, then it becomes a magic bullet used to prevent it.”  

The team has found that leishmaniasis triggers the production of a molecule called pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in infected people. PTX3 weakens a specific part of the immune system that normally helps fight the parasite, so Uzonna suggests that targeting PTX3 might be a good way to develop new treatments for the disease.  

This study aims to better understand the role of PTX3 in the disease. It will also look at whether the level of PTX3 can predict if someone will benefit from treatment or not, which is important because the current drugs used can be toxic.  

“If we can show that PTX3 is causing a problem, then we can develop a molecule that can target and block PTX3 production. We can combine the molecule with a drug to make treatment more efficient and better. That will have a significant impact,” Uzonna said.  

Rady Faculty of Health Sciences CIHR project funding recipients 

Dr. Marissa Becker, professor of community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine 

Grant: $100,000 (one year)  

Using a program science approach, Becker and the team will develop a deeper understanding of how physical, organizational, social and relational dimensions of place shape ecologies of risk and safety for adolescent girls and young women, female sex workers and their male sexual partners in Nairobi County, Kenya. This work will generate contextualized knowledge for prioritizing place-based strategies to optimize sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection prevention program coverage and address unmet needs. 

Dr. Sanjiv Dhingra, professor of physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre 

Grant: $1,067,176 (five years)  

Dhingra will lead a study focused on understanding the reasons for rejecting transplanted donor-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the heart. This research will help to develop strategies to prevent rejection and improve the survival of implanted stem cells in the heart. 

Dr. Jody Haigh, professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, Research Institute in Oncology and hematology, CancerCare Manitoba 

Grant: $1,071,000 (five years) 

Haigh aims to identify new drug combinations to treat aggressive forms of blood cancer and to determine ways to avoid drug resistance to these treatments that can sometimes occur during cancer therapy. This project will be important in identifying and confirming new drug approaches that can be used in personalized medical care for childhood and adult blood cancer patients in Canada. 

Dr. Julie Lajoie, assistant professor of medical microbiology and infectious diseases, and Francis A. Plummer Professorship in Global Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine 

Grant: $1,132,200 (five years)  

Lajoie and the team will follow female sex workers from Nairobi, Kenya, who are using an injectable contraception called depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) for six months and determine the immune activation and inflammatory profile in the blood and at the female genital tract. They will also examine whether using DMPA impacts the capacity to respond to previously exposed viruses and affects the cells’ capacity to respond to the stress hormone cortisol. 

Dr. Aaron Marshall, department head and professor of immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba 

Grant: $1,151,326 (five years) 

Marshall’s project deals primarily with B lymphocytes, the immune system cells responsible for producing antibodies. The research aims to define the cellular reprogramming signals that either switch on or switch off B lymphocytes and how these networks are altered in chronic autoimmune disease. 

Dr. James Nagy, professor of physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine 

Grant: $898,876 (five years)  

Using experimental mouse models, Nagy and the team will determine how spinal neurons, called V0c neurons, contribute to force level control in the limbs. He expects the results will challenge current textbook knowledge on force generation during movement and reveal new concepts on how command signals to motoneurons are converted to desired levels of muscle activity. 

Dr. Zulma Rueda, associate professor of medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine; Canada Research Chair in Sexually Transmitted Infection – Resistance and Control 

Grant: $688,501 (four years)  

Rueda will lead a study that will generate a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and practices about HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) among people living with HIV and people who face disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV/STBBI (people experiencing houselessness, people who inject drugs) and health and service providers in Manitoba. 

Dr. Tabrez Siddiqui, associate professor of physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Sciences Centre; researcher, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba 

Grant: $1,143,676 (five years)  

Neurexins are essential proteins that help nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other, and changes in the genes for these proteins can increase the risk of developing autism. Siddiqui’s research highlights the possibility of fixing certain brain communication issues by targeting specific proteins, offering hope for new treatments. 

Dr. Jillian Stobart, assistant professor, College of Pharmacy 

Grant: $944,776 (five years)  

Stobart’s project aims to determine how the communication between astrocytes and neurons occurs. This will be the first evidence that astrocytes can change brain circuits responsible for the sense of touch and is important because astrocyte-neuron communication changes in disease. Problems with astrocytes and their communication with neurons could be the missing link in these disorders. 

Dr. Geoffrey Tranmer, associate professor, College of Pharmacy  

Grant: $730,576 (five years)  

Tranmer and the team plan to create new and improved versions of the ALS drug edaravone and test the drug-like properties of these molecules in test tubes and ALS animal models. This will allow the team to determine and optimize the drug properties of the new ALS drug and will enable them to develop an optimized drug candidate ready for advanced clinical trials. 

Stobart’s research aims to explore the role of astrocytes, star-shaped glial (non-neural) cells in the brain and spinal cord crucial for brain function, which become abnormal in Alzheimer’s disease. This abnormality may cause cell death and damage, contributing to the memory loss and sensory problems experienced by patients. Stobart’s study will focus on the P2Y1 receptor on astrocytes, which increases during Alzheimer’s disease and may cause astrocytes to damage other brain cells, leading to memory loss and other symptoms.

By genetically reducing astrocyte P2Y1 receptors, Stobart and her team expect to see improved brain cell survival and function. With improved brain cell survival and function, the findings will enhance the understanding of brain damage in Alzheimer’s patients and pave the way for developing astrocyte P2Y1 receptor blocker drugs to slow the progression of this devastating disease.

“Funding programs like the New Investigator Grant allow early career researchers to establish new projects and get their research program rolling,” says Stobart. “I would like to thank the Alzheimer’s Society and Research Manitoba for this important financial support.”

The Alzheimer’s Society Research Program has been one of Canada’s most innovative funding programs since 1989 and has invested $73 million in research toward a future where Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are eradicated. Research Manitoba funding for new investigators is vital in supporting the growth of Manitoba-based researchers.

Individuals’ sense of touch is complex, requiring circuits in the brain to process incoming information much like a computer. These circuits are made up of electrically excitable cells, called neurons.

However, a new study led by College of Pharmacy assistant professor Dr. Jillian Stobart and graduate students Noushin Ahmadpour and Meher Kantroo has shown that brain cells called astrocytes fine-tune circuits that process the sense of touch. These findings were recently published in Nature Communications.

Neurons and astrocytes are known to send chemical messages to one another as a form of communication. This study found, for the first time, that astrocytes in the brains of mice use receptors called NMDA receptors to listen to circuits when the sense of touch is activated. 

In mice without astrocyte NMDA receptors, neuronal circuits were impaired.  Some circuits that normally process sensory information still worked, but some did not. This caused the mice to have problems with their sense of touch.

“Mice use their whiskers to touch and feel their environment, much like humans use their fingers,” said Stobart. “Mice are also very curious animals, and we took advantage of this to design a texture test with sandpaper.”

The mice were shown two objects covered in sandpaper that had the same texture and they were allowed to explore with their whiskers. Then researchers showed them a new object covered with a different sandpaper.

“If they can tell that the sandpaper is different, they will spend more time exploring the new object, thanks to their curious nature,” she noted.

Using this test, the team found that mice without astrocyte NMDA receptors struggled to identify the different sandpaper when the textures were similar. “Their sense of touch was not completely gone,” said Stobart. “But they had problems with acuity, meaning their sharpness and ability to tell the difference between similar surfaces was reduced.”

Stobart added that the information humans’ brains receive when touching an object is like rush hour traffic at a busy intersection. “Astrocytes are the traffic lights that direct the flow of information to their destination. When NMDA receptor signaling is disrupted in astrocytes, it’s like a broken left turn light. Some of the flow of information can continue straight through the intersection, but no left turn means that some information cannot reach its target.”

Stobart believes the study not only deepens understanding of the intricate communication between astrocytes and neurons in the brain, but also holds significance for neurological disorders.

“For example, patients with schizophrenia struggle with sensory impairments, including the processing of information from the sense of touch. Many of our research findings mimic how brain circuits operate in individuals with schizophrenia. It raises the possibility that astrocytes are the missing link in this disease.”

Armed with this knowledge, Stobart plans to study different drugs to potentially amplify astrocytes during information processing, opening the door for clinicians to treat patients with schizophrenia in different ways.

UM Today spoke with Shabanipour to talk about his pathway to a PhD program and what motivates him to work on Alzheimer’s disease.

What inspired you to pursue your field of study?

About 50 million people in the world are diagnosed with dementia, and this number is projected to triple, reaching up to 150 million by 2050. This statistic underscores the urgent need to understand and address Alzheimer’s disease, which is one of the most prevalent forms of dementia. Witnessing the devastating impact of this condition on individuals and their families further fueled my inspiration to pursue my field of study. I am deeply committed to contributing to the scientific efforts aimed at unraveling the complexities of Alzheimer’s and working towards effective treatments and prevention strategies.

Why did you choose the University of Manitoba (UM)?

I was truly fascinated by the abundance of cutting-edge research conducted in neuroscience at UM. The university’s commitment to advancing knowledge in this field was evident through the myriad of research projects and studies undertaken by distinguished faculty and students alike. What captured my attention even further was the remarkable diversity in the subjects explored within neuroscience – from cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging to neurobiology and neuropsychology. This dynamic and inclusive approach to research promises an enriching learning experience that goes beyond traditional boundaries, making UM an ideal destination for aspiring neuroscientists like myself.

Why did you choose this project?

My fascination with Alzheimer’s disease and its study didn’t simply emerge overnight. Like most students commencing their exploration of neuroscience, my field of interest was initially quite broad. It was during my time in Dr. Hassan Marzban’s lab at UM, while pursuing my master’s, that I delved into brain development and neurodegenerative conditions. This exposure piqued my curiosity regarding the multitude of ailments linked to memory and cognition impairment. I found myself pondering the mechanisms underlying these conditions and the avenues for comprehending them, as well as devising effective treatments.

Driven by a strong aspiration to acquire novel techniques, hone my skills and gain a deeper insight into the treatment realm, I embarked on my PhD in 2022 under Dr. Jillian Stobart.

My current focus lies in investigating the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and aging on the brain’s neurovascular system in mice. The ultimate goal of my project is to unravel the changes in brain blood flow regulation and the role of pericytes throughout the course of Alzheimer’s disease and with ageing. We anticipate that our findings will pave the way for future pharmacological experiments aimed at improving vascular dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and potentially mitigating cognitive impairments associated with the condition.

You were recently awarded $17,850 by Research Manitoba to pursue a research project, Brain pericytes and Ca2+ signaling in Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. What was your reaction?

Receiving this award fills me with happiness and honour, especially considering the financial challenges that students often face. I strongly believe that such support enables students to approach science with greater relaxation, focus, confidence and creativity.

Why did you choose UM for your graduate studies?

In my opinion, students should progress through their academic journey at a pace that allows them to reflect on their life and career aspirations. Personally, during my graduate studies at UM, I found the perfect balance that enables me to do just that. The university offers numerous opportunities to acquire relevant skills aligned with my academic and career objectives. For instance, in my current lab, in addition to gaining wet lab experience, I have the chance to explore more sophisticated microscopic techniques and even delve into coding. This exposure allows me to assess my interests and passion for these areas, determining if they align with my long-term goals and if I can engage in them without losing enthusiasm.

What else motivates you to do the work you do?

One of my primary motivations stems from witnessing the impact of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s on some of my family members during my childhood. Though I lacked knowledge about these diseases back then, my higher education journey exposed me to their complexities and fueled my determination to delve deeper into the subject and seek potential treatments. Now throughout my PhD, I actively engage in programs that allow me to meet individuals facing neurodegenerative challenges, listen to their stories and offer assistance. These encounters emphasize the urgency of the situation, making it more tangible and driving my motivation. For me, scientific research goes beyond mere curiosity; it carries a profound personal meaning, enabling me to contribute meaningfully to a cause that matters deeply.

What is next for you?

While we have not yet started, the upcoming stage of my research focuses on treatment. Our strategy involves partnering with other laboratories at UM that are actively engaged in the development of pharmacologically promising drugs for addressing Alzheimer’s disease.

I genuinely think that utilizing cutting edge imaging techniques along with complicated analytic methods would be one of the main steps toward building up my future career in this field. I would also like to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship.

While I desire to continue my work in an academic environment and achieve the rank of assistant professor, I am more than willing to join the field of neuroscience if the proper chance presents itself, as my passion extends beyond teaching it to practicing it.

This Q&A is part of a series on UM Today this summer featuring Rady Faculty of Health Sciences graduate students. You can find more grad student profiles here: #Radygradstudents.

Stobart was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in several small communities across the Prairies. She completed an honours bachelor’s degree in biochemistry through the UM co-op program in 2006.

“The co-op program was a great way to explore different research areas,” she remembers.

After a co-op term studying with Dr. Christopher Anderson, director of UM’s neuroscience research program, Stobart was hooked on investigating the circuitry of the brain. Rather than pursuing a master’s, she went directly into earning her PhD in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics in the Max Rady College of Medicine.

After completing her doctorate in 2012, Stobart went on to a postdoctoral fellowship in Switzerland. In 2018, she joined the UM College of Pharmacy as an assistant professor.

In this role, she contributes to research, teaching and service. She leads a lab that investigates the role of brain cells called astrocytes and pericytes in brain health and disease, with the goal of identifying new treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

“My research is taking advantage of some novel and exciting microscope techniques and new animal models,” she told UM Today in 2020 after receiving an Early Career Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Stobart also received a 2020 Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award. “Training future scientists is an important part of my research program, so I look forward to growing the number of undergraduate and graduate students in my lab and building a collaborative team,” she told UM Today.

In addition to planning and supervising experiments, writing grant applications, publishing papers and mentoring grad students, Stobart co-ordinates a first-year pharmacy course, delivers lectures and serves on university committees and panels.

She says the competencies she developed during graduate studies that prepared her for her current job include organizational skills (setting goals, breaking down goals into steps), communication skills (giving oral and poster presentations, writing), and collaborating effectively.

Her PhD thesis work and involvement in science outreach activities via the Manitoba Neuroscience Network were instrumental in building these skills, she says.

As a postdoctoral fellow in Switzerland, she had the opportunity to be involved in research management at a higher level, permitting her to master competencies such as budget management, ethical compliance and navigating administrative structures.

Having the mindset of a lifelong learner, Stobart is continually working on skills that help her contribute more effectively to research and higher education.

“For instance, I’m now trying to improve my management skills in order to be a more effective leader to my research team,” she says.

Her advice to current graduate students who are weighing career paths is to pick the direction that is most interesting to them.

“In the end, it comes down to being excited about your work. That will help with motivation, no matter what direction you choose.

“These new studentships provide important support to graduate students who have displayed excellent academic achievement and pursue vital research endeavours,” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and vice-provost (health sciences). “Congratulations to all recipients on this well-deserved recognition and we look forward to seeing your impact as researchers in the years to come.”

Studentships for master’s students are valued at $14,000 per annum and studentships for PhDs are valued at $18,000 per annum.

The deadline to apply for the next round of graduate studentships is September 15, 2022. Other eligibility requirements and application forms can be found on the Student Experience section of the UM website.

Featured graduate studentship awardees:

Ariyan Alaei

Ariyan Alaei

Ariysn Alaei is an international master’s student in the department of oral biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. Alaei started a M.Sc. in September 2021 under Dr.Kangmin Duan’s supervision.

“My M.Sc. research project is in the area of new antipathogenic agents against bacterial pathogens. The spread of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens leaves us a very vulnerable line of defense against some of the most formidable human pathogens. There is an urgent need to develop new effective drugs to counter antibiotic resistance.

“My project aims to identify and characterize active antipathogenic compounds from natural sources that potentially treat infectious diseases but also avoid the rise of resistance in pathogens. So, the results of the project can lay some basis for the development of arsenals against antibiotic resistance and infectious diseases.”

What does it mean to you to receive the graduate studentship?

”I feel honoured to be considered for this graduate studentship which means my studies are meaningful and valuable and can be an encouragement to work even harder! Furthermore, as an international student, it is hard to live and study in a foreign country without any financial support, so receiving a studentship could help me to focus on my research with peace of mind without worries of financial issues.”

Meher Kantoo

Meher Kantoo

Meher Kantoo is pursuing a M.Sc. at the College of Pharmacy and joined the University of Manitoba in the fall of 2021. Currently, Kantoo is working in Dr. Jillian Stobart’s lab on his master’s thesis.

“My project involves using mouse as a model system to study the functions of astrocytes, a type of brain cell. Recent studies have shown that astrocytes can influence that activity of brain by releasing certain molecules. However, it is now known how these cells modulate brain activity. I will be using experimental techniques like two-photon calcium imaging, lentivirus induced astrocyte cultures, biosensor probes to investigate the contribution of astrocyte N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors to calcium physiology and behavior.”

What does it mean to you to receive the graduate studentship?

“I feel extremely honoured and excited to receive the graduate studentship. Apart from the financial support, this studentship is important to me as it has also recognized my hard work towards academics and research work. I hope to continue working diligently in my research as well as course work and make a worthwhile contribution to my field.

“I am grateful to my advisor Dr. Stobart for her guidance and I am excited to continue working on my thesis project and uncover some interesting mechanisms about the role of astrocytes in brain function.”

Julie-Anne McCarthy

Julie-Anne McCarthy

Julie-Anne McCarthy a first-year PhD student in community health sciences at the Max Rady College of Medicine. McCarthy has a M.Sc. in community psychology and interests in population health, mental health promotion and mental illness prevention. McCarthy’s current research focuses on factors that contribute to promoting and protecting child and youth mental health and overall well-being.

What does it mean to you to receive the graduate studentship?

“It is both humbling and an honour to receive a graduate studentship. This represents invaluable protected time to work on research- that’s the dream! Furthermore, the community health sciences program is filled with incredibly high calibre educators and students. I see the studentship as a responsibility to meet the high standards set by my peers and mentors.

“I am grateful to the CHS program and to my supervisor Dr. Tracie Afifi for the support in my graduate studies so far. I am also very cognizant of past mentors who have helped me get to this point in my career. There is so much to learn about doing mental health research equitably and this is something that is very front of mind as I continue down this path.

“As a Franco-Manitoban, I also hope to represent my community through my work. Merci beaucoup pour cette merveilleuse opportunité.”

Carly Proctor

Carly Proctor

Carly Proctor is a master of science student in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences. Proctor’s research project is focused on physical activity interventions for diabetes management and is under the supervision of Dr. Cara Brown.

“I have worked as a physiotherapist clinician for 15 years and have always been passionate about how physical activity is not only important in disease prevention but also is an effective treatment for many chronic diseases. In diabetes care, physical activity is an underutilized intervention and I wanted to understand the role that exercise specialists like physiotherapists and kinesiologists could play in this area of clinical practice and support their work with interprofessional teams.

“The outcome of this study will be a referral pathway tool that will help primary care teams work effectively with exercise professionals in diabetes care by clarifying how physiotherapists and kinesiologists are similar and how they are distinct.”

What does it mean to you to receive a graduate studentship?

“I am very grateful and honoured to have been awarded a RFHS graduate studentship. I am thankful for the opportunity to perform research and for the support of my advisor Dr. Cara Brown and my committee members. As a working clinician and mom of small children, this studentship goes a long way to support my academic journey.“

Dr. Jillian Stobart, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, has received a CIHR Early Career Investigator Award in Circulatory and Respiratory Health. The three-year, $345,000 award will assist Stobart in her research into the role of pericyte cells, which are vascular cells that wrap around blood vessels in the brain, and trying to understand the role these cells play in regulating brain blood flow and how this changes with aging.

There is a strong correlation between cognitive decline and a reduction in blood flow, which ultimately contributes to the onset of dementia in some people. Stobart believes this the result of the capillary cells not working as efficiently.

“My hope is that we’ll have some really interesting results to characterize these cells and come up with a new angle to better understand cognitive decline and the reduction of blood flow with aging,” she says.

The award is part of CIHR’s mandate to develop and support researchers that are getting started in their careers, helping them gain independence, grow their research programs and hopefully set them up to be successful in other big funding competitions in the future. Only four awards were given out in Stobart’s pool of applicants for this award and she ranked first.

Stobart says that finding out she received the grant was a surprise considering the competitiveness of the category. She is heartened to know that there is interest in her area of research.

“It was a pleasant surprise, especially with the dark times for research at the moment with all of us working at home and everybody’s labs shut down,” she says.

Over the course of the three-year project, Stobart will look at the progression of these cells in aging and how they change and their basic physiology to better understand how these cells communicate with each other.

“We’ve known for a hundred years that these cells exist in the brain but it’s only been recently that we’ve developed the tools to study them more efficiently,” says Stobart, “My research is taking advantage of some novel and exciting microscope techniques and new animal models that will allow us to really pinpoint these pericyte cells and figure out what their is role in regulating blood flow and how they communicate with other vascular cells.”

The UM recently invested in the microscopic tool that Stobart will be using to do her work. She learned the techniques during her post-doctoral studies in Switzerland and is now helping to set up and establish the technology here in Manitoba. Stobart says this equipment will help her continue to grow her research program as well as open the door to collaborations with other researchers that are starting to branch out now that the technology is here.

“There are many different aspects of neuroscience and brain health we can study with these types of imaging techniques,” she says.

Stobart is predicting that the project will lead her to find that the drugs that might be effective in preventing reductions in blood flow in the brain already exist.

“I expect to find that there are specific pathways and molecules that are changing with age. There are already drugs available that are used for cardiovascular treatments and I’m hopeful that my research will show that those drugs are possibly also beneficial for blood flow in the brain and cognitive decline in the future,” she says.

“Congratulations to the U of M applicants who were successful in this highly competitive national funding process,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-dean research of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

“These projects represent a number of colleges and departments across the Rady Faculty. They demonstrate innovative and collaborative approaches to health research. Each of these exciting studies has the potential to advance health care in meaningful ways.”        

Here’s a look at the projects:

Dr. Allan Becker, professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher with Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)

Dr. Meghan Azad, Canada Research Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease; assistant professor, pediatrics and child health; researcher with CHRIM

Project Grant: $1,220,940

Becker and Azad seek to understand why asthma is more common in boys than girls, but shifts to being more common in women than men. The researchers will assess 1,000 children who are part of an ongoing cohort study, measuring whether changes in body fat, inflammation or sex hormones in puberty explain the “sex shift.” This knowledge will contribute to better prevention and treatment of asthma in all children.

Dr. Christine Kelly, assistant professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine

Project Grant: $726,750

Kelly will study directly funded (also known as “self-managed”) home care, which is expanding across Canada. Under this model, individuals receive government funds to pay for their own home care. Kelly will examine policy issues such as the role of home-care agencies in delivering these services and how this kind of home care can best be adapted to rural contexts. The aim is to generate insights about how directly funded home care can most equitably serve users, their families/supporters and home-care workers.

Dr. Gilbert Kirouac, neuroscientist; professor, oral biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry

Project Grant: $707,625

Kirouac will study how a region of the brain called the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus interacts with other brain regions to produce excessive anxiety. Using rodent models, Kirouac will apply innovative techniques to better understand the neural circuitry of stress-induced anxiety. The goal is to gain knowledge that will lead to new treatments for anxiety disorders.

Dr. Lily Lim, assistant professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher with CHRIM

Project Grant: $321,300

Lim will study employment experiences and challenges among young adults aged 18 to 30 who have lupus. People with lupus often deal with fatigue, chronic pain and mental health issues that can make working difficult. Lim’s findings will contribute to developing new ways to help young people with lupus obtain and keep employment. Dr. Eleanor Pullenayegum of the University of Toronto is co-principal investigator.

Dr. Jillian Stobart, assistant professor, College of Pharmacy

Project Grant: $504,900

Stobart will use advanced fluorescence microscopes and genetic tools to study pericytes – blood vessel cells – and blood flow in animal models. Blood flow in the brain decreases with age, and this may cause cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Abnormal pericytes may account for these blood flow changes. Stobart’s objective is to understand how pericyte signaling changes with age or during Alzheimer’s disease, and how this affects blood flow.  

Dr. Dan Chateau, assistant professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; research scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

Priority Announcement Bridge Grant: $100,000

Chateau will use anonymized health data to investigate the effects of prescription opioid and psychotropic medication use during pregnancy. The study will look at patterns of prescription opioid use among pregnant women, short-term effects on children exposed in the womb (such as neonatal abstinence syndrome) and longer-term outcomes for these children, such as readiness for school.

Dr. Robert Lorway, Canada Research Chair in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation; associate professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine

Dr. Lyle McKinnon, assistant professor, medical microbiology/infectious diseases and community health sciences; researcher with CHRIM

Dr. James Blanchard, Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health; professor, community health sciences

Dr. Marissa Becker, associate professor, medical microbiology/infectious diseases and community health sciences

Priority Announcement Bridge Grant: $100,000

Lorway’s team will study human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among men who have sex with men in Nairobi, Kenya. Members of this group are stigmatized and are often diagnosed with HPV-related disease, including anal cancer, at a late stage of illness. This research will provide evidence to support a community-led early screening, prevention and treatment program.

Dr. Frederick Zeiler, assistant professor, neurosurgery, Max Rady College of Medicine

Dr. Jai Jai Shankar, professor, radiology, Max Rady College of Medicine

Priority Announcement Bridge Grant: $100,000

Zeiler and Shankar will research the use of an advanced type of brain scan, computed tomographic perfusion, to diagnose brain death in patients with severe traumatic brain injury at the time of hospital admission. Currently, patients with this kind of injury often receive intensive treatment because it is not recognized that their injuries are fatal. The goal is to better understand patients’ prognosis and optimize the use of health-care resources.

Stobart [B.Sc.(Hons.)/06, PhD/12] sets the scene, explaining that the lights are astrocytes. They’re a type of glial cells – the supporting cells of the nervous system – not celestial bodies. “They do look a lot like stars, though,” she laughs.

The video shows a live mouse brain responding to stimulus, precisely targeted and highly magnified. The cells have been treated to fluoresce when they sense a particular chemical, calcium.

And the twinkling? That’s when the brain cells she’s targeting are activated. “They’re releasing the chemicals that signal to the next cell,” Stobart says. When the sensors fluoresce, that’s when the secrets of the brain’s universe are revealed.

Stobart, an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, once thought she’d like to be a high school teacher. With an easy manner and the ability to make even the most complex ideas come to life, she’s a natural for the classroom.

But while earning her bachelor’s degree, she fell in love with research – specifically, the unexplored reaches of the brain.

Stobart worked in three different labs during her time as a U of M undergraduate, including the National Microbiology Lab, where she studied mad cow disease. That’s where she first encountered astrocytes. “I really became fascinated because there’s so much that we don’t understand about these cells,” she says. Not only did the opportunity fire her curiosity, it also helped solidify her professional ambitions. “I experienced firsthand what research life was like,” she says.“We have the freedom to ask big questions that could potentially redefine our views of the brain or brain disorders, but we must also be tenacious because our ideas and experiments don’t always go to plan.”

After a term studying with Christopher Anderson [PhD/98], director of the U of M’s neuroscience research program, Stobart was hooked. She completed her PhD in pharmacology with Anderson, then went on to a postdoctoral fellowship in Zurich, Switzerland.

In the spring of 2018, she joined the College of Pharmacy and embarked on a career that gives her both time in the classroom and a lab to pursue her research. “It’s the best of both worlds,” she says.

Born in Moose Jaw, Sask., Stobart and her family moved often during her childhood, following her father’s assignments as an RCMP officer. She has lived in Winnipeg the longest and now considers the city home.

As her research unfolds, it seems that one discovery always leads to new avenues of exploration. “I’m applying a lot of the tools used to study astrocytes to now look at pericytes,” says Stobart, referring to another type of brain cell. “I’m trying to study how these cells regulate what the neurons are doing in the brain and how this changes in disease.”

She has received a two-year grant from Research Manitoba of $65,000 per year to study pericytes.

When she has deepened her understanding of cellular activity in the brain, Stobart plans to shift her focus to treatment. “I’m an astrocyte biologist, but I’m also a pharmacologist,” she says. “My long-term goal is something tangible – developing drugs to target cells and to treat disease.”

She’s not thinking small, either. She’s interested in conditions that are impacted by damage or loss to the pericytes and astrocytes – that’s major illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

“The neuroscience community is only just beginning to consider astrocytes and pericytes in disease. It wouldn’t surprise me if ultimately, my research could be applied to a number of different brain disorders where these cells have been the missing link.”