The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced today it has awarded $4, 172,493 to University of Manitoba researchers who are working on a variety of projects, enabling them to improve our knowledge of the world and continue to lead in their field.

“The investments being announced today at the University of Manitoba will further enhance our country’s reputation as a destination of choice for outstanding researchers,” said Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI. “They will make our universities even more competitive when it comes to attracting the best and brightest researchers from around the world.”

The contributions were provided under the Leaders Opportunity Fund, which supports infrastructure at Canadian institutions to attract and retain leading researchers. The University of Manitoba recipients are: Seán Cadogan, Prashen Chelikani, James Davie, Paul Fernyhough, Andrew Halayko, Denis Krause, Francis Lin, Sean McKenna, Suresh Mishra, James Nagy, John Page, Hélène Perreault, Mojgan Rastegar, Martin Scanlon, Sherif Sherif, Barbara Triggs-Raine, Johan van Lierop, and Francis Zvomuya.

“I congratulate all of our recipients, who are accomplished researchers in their field as well as passionate about their field of study,” said Dr. Digvir S. Jayas, Vice-President (Research) at the University of Manitoba. “I look forward to learning about their findings as they expand their efforts with this new funding.”

Seán Cadogan and Johan van Lierop, Faculty of Science, received $244,298 for small angle x-ray scattering and x-ray diffraction equipment to be used in their nanomagnetism research. Their work is expected to develop new inroads into controlled nanomagnetism that will help drive advances in such areas as hard-drives and MRAM, new transformer materials, the coming revolution in ‘green’ magnetic refrigeration; and translate to new ways to administer drugs via magnetic nanoparticles.

Prashen Chelikani, Faculty of Dentistry, received $252,992 to establish a biochemistry laboratory focused on G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are proteins found on the surface of the cell. They play an important role in asthma, allergies, hypertension, heart disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation. They are also the target of approximately half of all modern medicinal drugs and have an estimated $50 billion market worldwide. The funding will help purchase equipment for analyzing the biological features of GPCRs.

James Davie, Faculty of Medicine and Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology(a joint institute of the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba) received $378,074 for infrastructure that supports research into how oncogenes, diet and environmental toxins alter epigenetic programming. Epigenetics refers to processes that have heritable effects on gene expression programs without changes in DNA sequence. The funding will facilitate the purchase of an Illumina Genome Analyzer II, which is used for DNA sequencing. It will also allow Davie and his collaborators to decipher normal and dysfunctional epigenomes in cancer and other disease states, and apply epigenetic therapy to the treatment of cancer.

Paul Fernyhough and Peter Zahradka, Faculty of Medicine and St. Boniface Hospital Research, received $379,388 for equipment that will enable small amounts of primary tissue from animal models of diabetes - and also human biopsy material - to be assessed at high throughput. This will accelerate progress in our understanding of the etiology of diabetic complications. To date, the ability to screen large numbers of drugs has been restrained by low cell numbers, preventing a range of experiments and holding back research. This equipment will make it possible to screen thousands of existing and new compounds.

Denis Krause, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, received $337,150 towards a gut microbiome research program, focusing on both humans and livestock. Krause will improve our understanding of how microorganisms interact with each other and their host. Next generation microbial genomics and bioinformatics techniques will be used to evaluate the gut microbiome of both livestock and humans. This will lead to modified livestock management practices to reduce the transfer of pathogens to the environment and humans, and improve the health of both people and animals.

Francis Lin, Faculty of Science, received $157,368 for an inverted fluorescence microscope system to analyze immune cell migration in vitro and in living tissues, and a flow cytometer for investigating the signaling mechanisms of immune cell trafficking. This equipment at this world-class lab will help Lin conduct research aimed at better understanding the immune system and developing new therapeutic approaches for disorders such as autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Sean McKenna, Faculty of Science, received $159,922 to establish a centre to examine how human cells respond to viral infection. Diseases linked to viral infections are a widespread challenge to the health of Manitobans. Human cells possess intricate defense mechanisms designed to sense foreign molecules characteristic of viral infection and mount a multi-pronged immune response. McKenna will focus his research efforts on understanding the structural biology of proteins that sense foreign viral nucleic acid molecules. This centre is the only of its kind in Manitoba.

Suresh Mishra, Faculty of Medicine, received $128,220 towards establishing a Signal Transduction Laboratory in Diabetes Research to study the changes in the insulin signaling proteins involved in the development of Type 2 diabetes. The lab will serve a number of functions, such as providing new insights into the underlying mechanisms involved in the disease process at the cellular and molecular level, and indentifying new therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

James Nagy, Faculty of Medicine, received $398,086 for state-of-the-art microscopy equipment for small and large scale image capture, and analysis of brain structures and their protein constituents. This equipment will be used to explore how electrical synaptic transmission affects information processing in the brain; and how this mode of synaptic transmission may contribute to the development of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression and epilepsy. Nagy is also increasing our knowledge about current therapeutic drugs for these disorders and potential new treatments.

John Page, Faculty of Science, and Martin Scanlon, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, received $399,525 for ultrasound technology to study how waves travel through complex media where traditional imaging techniques often fail. Understanding wave transport in such materials is key to our health and well-being, since it allows us to detect defects in complex structures like concrete bridges, probe the properties of food products needed to sustain healthy living, and non-invasively detect disease. The funding will be used to purchase a versatile ultrasonic transducer-array system - which will be unique in Canada - and enable new imaging methods to be developed for probing complex structures and materials.

Hélène Perreault, Faculty of Science, received $325,546 to upgrade a laboratory dedicated to the study of post-transitional modifications, which are processes that are fundamental in controlling the functions and activities of proteins. A better understanding of the modifications that proteins undergo is integral to increasing our knowledge of how disease occurs. This funding will help purchase a mass spectrometer to enable characterization of proteins used in several applications, including cancer treatment, vaccine production, anemia control and the development of rapid diagnostic tests.

Mojgan Rastegar, Faculty of Medicine, received $159,522 to establish a “Gene Transduction and Analysis Laboratory” to enhance research and innovation in iPS (Induced Pluripotent Stem) cell generation, adult cell reprogramming, stem cell neurogenesis and gene therapy technologies. Rastegar’s laboratory would significantly enhance the capacity of stem cell differentiation/engineering, seeking to find novel strategies and tools for treatment of neurological disorders such as Rett syndrome and autism which currently have no classical treatment.

Sherif Sherif, Faculty of Engineering, received $134,013 to establish a Biophotonic Computational Imaging Laboratory, the only one of its kind in Canada. Sherif will design and implement new biophotonic computational imaging technologies that will significantly improve their current capabilities - such as extended depth-of-field, higher resolution and increased penetration depth - for non-invasive structural and spectroscopic imaging of biological tissue. Research enabled by this facility will enhance the health of Canadians through investigations into improved biomedical imaging of tissue and early detection of cancer.

Barbara Triggs-Raine and Andrew Halayko, Faculty of Medicine and Manitoba Institute of Child Health, received $536,593 to establish a Murine MicroCT/Optical Imaging Laboratory that will allow the incorporation of structural and functional imaging of the living mouse, and help investigators monitor disease progression and therapeutic responses over time. The devices use X-rays or excitation with light to generate images that are captured by a digital camera and processed to generate high-resolution 3-D images of the mouse. Triggs-Raine will be studying disease models of genetic disorders, some of which are unique to Manitoba.

Francis Zvomuya, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, received $181,796 to create a controlled environment lysimeter facility where researchers from different disciplines and from around the world will collaborate to develop more affordable and aesthetically acceptable methods for the clean-up of contaminated sites using plants. The facility will allow contaminated soil to be brought in from locations across Manitoba and around the world for testing; and facilitate research into the effects of different environmental variables on the mechanisms used by plants to clean up contaminants.

For a complete list of the projects awarded today, go to www.innovation.ca. The Canadian Foundation for Innovation is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. Since its creation in 1997, the CFI has committed almost $5.2 billion in support of more than 6,300 projects at 130 institutions in 65 municipalities across Canada.

For more information, please contact Katie Chalmers-Brooks, research communications officer, University of Manitoba, Tel: 204-474-7184 . E-mail: katie_chalmers-brooks@umanitoba.ca