UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers were awarded more than $40 million in combined funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant: Spring 2025 competition.
The funding supports 45 projects led by Faculty of Medicine researchers. Spanning a wide range of fundamental and applied research areas, the projects will address some of the most pressing health challenges facing Canadians including youth mental health, cancer treatment and prevention, diabetes and more.
Across the university, a total of 54 projects led by UBC researchers were awarded $47 million, including 48 Project Grants and six Priority Announcement Grants.
On a national level, CIHR approved 435 research grants, for a total investment of approximately $411 million. In addition, 46 priority announcement grants were funded for a total amount of $5.1 million and nine supplemental prizes were awarded for a total of $310,000.
Faculty of Medicine-Led Project Grants
- Anshula Ambasta, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Additional PIs: Colin Dormuth and Wade Thompson, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
People with Prediabetes and Mild Diabetes: management and outcomes (PPreMild DM study) - Shernaz Bamji, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
The role of the ZDHHC8 enzyme in neuronal connectivity, function and behavior - Skye Barbic, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Additional PIs: Kirsten Marchand, School of Population and Public Health; Jason Sutherland, School of Population and Public Health
IYS Impact 1.0: A multi-methods, qualitative, and population-level study of the impact of Integrated Youth Services (IYS) on youth mental health care access and experiences in British Columbia - Inanc Birol, Medical Genetics
Sequence-based Ancestry Inference, Multi-genome Synteny Detection, and Interactive Visualization - Jeffrey Brubacher, Emergency Medicine
The association between cannabis and motor vehicle collisions – looking beyond THC - Artem Cherkasov, Urologic Sciences
Additional PI: Natalie Strynadka, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Structure-based design of small molecule inhibitors of the transsulfuration pathway in Ewing Sarcoma. - Edward Conway, Medicine/Centre for Blood Research
Characterisation of cross-talk pathways between insulin signaling/glucometabolism and coagulation mediated by the insulin receptor (IR) and tissue factor (TF) - Mads Daugaard, Urologic Sciences
Therapeutic antibodies targeting oncofetal glycosaminoglycans in prostate cancer - Rajavel Elango, Pediatrics
Amino acid requirements in young adult females: Effect of menstrual cycle phases - Katey Enfield, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Harnessing cell sociology of the lung tumour microenvironment to develop biomarkers of immunotherapy response - Roxana Geoffrion, Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Synthetic Versus Autologous Sling for Stress Incontinence (SASSI): A Randomized Controlled Trial - Brian Grunau, Emergency Medicine
Additional PIs: Calvin Kuo, School of Biomedical Engineering; Mypinder Sekhon, Medicine; Babak Shadgan, Orthopaedics/School of Biomedical Engineering
Real-World Validation of Machine Learning Algorithms for a Wearable Cardiac Arrest Detection System - Jörg Gsponer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
AI-supported mapping and probing of the regulation of cardiac voltage-gated calcium channels - James Johnson, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Targeting Scn9a Na+ channels for beta cell survival and disease modification in type 1 diabetes - Myeong Jin Ju, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences/School of Biomedical Engineering
Additional PI: Joanne Matsubara, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Establishment of a novel multi-parametric assessment protocol for identification of distinctive pathological pathways in age-related macular degeneration - Aly Karsan, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Hematopoietic stem cell aging - Janel Kopp, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Hyperinsulinemia in pancreatic cancer progression and mortality - Nathan Lack, Urologic Sciences
Molecular drivers of androgen receptor activity in castrate resistant prostate cancer - Pascal Lavoie, Pediatrics
Understanding the impact of early-life RSV infections on infant immunity and long-term health - Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Physical Therapy
Additional PI: Linda Li, Physical Therapy
Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain: Aerobic Exercise to Promote Brain Health in Perimenopause - Honglin Luo, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Unraveling enterovirus-induced autophagy disruption for novel therapeutic strategies in viral myocarditis - Miles Mannas, Urologic Sciences
Stimulated Raman Histology for Real-Time Identification and Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer - Steven Miller, Pediatrics
Trajectories of Brain Maturation and Neurodevelopment in Adolescents Born Very Preterm - Steven Miller, Pediatrics
Brain maturation and neurodevelopment in moderate-late preterm infants - Souvik Mitra, Pediatrics
Single-dose Prophylactic INdomethacin in extremely preterm infants – A Multicenter Pilot Randomized Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial (the SPIN Pilot RCT) - Melanie Murray, Medicine
Hormones and Markers of Aging in Women - Gina Ogilvie, School of Population and Public Health
Additional PI: Lily Proctor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology
HPV FOCAL LEGACY: Longterm Evaluations of Gains in Cervical Cancer Prevention - Christopher Ong, Urologic Sciences
Targeting Epigenetic Phenotypic Switching to Overcome Prostate Cancer Treatment Resistance - Arman Rahmim, School of Biomedical Engineering/Radiology
Additional PI: Carlos Uribe, Radiology
Towards state-of-the-art long axial field-of-view (LAFOV) PET/CT imaging of cancer patients - Manish Sadarangani, Pediatrics
Better Outcomes in Babies with Bacterial meningitis, a randomized controlled trial: BOBBie - Brodie Sakakibara, Southern Medical Program/Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Exploring the 1-year Natural History of chronic diseAse self-maNagement and health resourCE utilization after stroke: The ENHANCE Study - Susan Samuel, Pediatrics
Investigating immune biomarkers in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome - David Scott, Medicine
Common precursor cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: characterization, evolutionary trajectories and clinical applications. - Mypinder Sekhon, Medicine
Brain-based Prediction of the dying duration in humans after withdrawal of life sustaining measures to inform donation after circulatory death. - Helen Tremlett, Medicine
Early Warning Signs of Immune-Mediated Chronic Diseases: A Comparative Study of the Prodromal Phase in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Other Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disorders (ProMS-ID) - Filip Van Petegem, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Molecular Mechanisms of Malignant Hyperthermia and Myopathies - David Wilson, Orthopaedics
Additional PI: Parth Lodhia, Orthopaedics
Biomechanical and imaging assessments of hip microinstability - Nozomu Yachie, School of Biomedical Engineering
The Mouse MicroRNA Atlas Project - Paul Yong, Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Navigating Sexual Pain and the Pelvic Examination in Endometriosis - Peter Zandstra, School of Biomedical Engineering
Engineered In Vitro Niches for Blood Development to Enable Advanced Cellular Therapies from Renewable Sources
*Conditional award at time of announcement
Faculty of Medicine-Led Priority Announcements
- Douglas Allan, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Transcriptional programs of synaptic function
Priority Announcement: Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction - Sarah Henderson, School of Population and Public Health
Understanding the public health impacts of evacuations due to climate-related disasters: A mixed methods approach
Priority Announcement: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research - Ipek Oruc, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate sex and gender differences in diabetic retinopathy
Priority Announcement: Sex and Gender in Health Research – Advancing intersectionality in sex and gender science - Steven Plotkin, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
A platform for developing rationally guided, broadly neutralizing antibodies for future pandemics, using SARS-CoV-2 as a model
Priority Announcement: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research - Fabio Rossi, School of Biological Engineering/Medical Genetics
Investigating the role of muscle stromal cells in pancreatic cancer cachexia and associated myosteatosis
Priority Announcement: Cancer Survivorship