INMD Connections - April 2012

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Message from Philip Sherman, INMD Scientific Director

Promoting Partnerships to Fund Research

INMD values and benefits from partnering with organizations across multiple sectors. Our partners have contributed to targeted funding opportunities in a variety of ways: financially, with in-kind support, and otherwise. CIHR recognizes that effective health research requires the collective effort of many people and organizations committed to making Canadians healthier. We work with our partners to identify gaps, fund the best research, translate new knowledge into better health for people in Canada or internationally, and to improve health care and economic growth.

Working with partners we are able to demonstrate alignment of a variety of stakeholders in addressing research gaps, use resources more effectively and reduce duplication of effort, provide a mechanism for the research community to access partner resources, thereby increasing the breadth of research dissemination, and increase opportunities for research outcomes to impact Canadian and international health.

INMD thanks all of the organizations who are partnering with us on the Programmatic Grants in Food and Health funding opportunity, which we were pleased to launch in March, 2012. This research funding initiative is launched by INMD in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, the CIHR/Rx&D Collaborative Research Program, the Centrum Foundation of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and the Micronutrient Initiativeas well as Health Canada (Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and First Nations and Inuit Health Branch), Public Health Agency of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the AllerGen NCE Inc.

Applicants for the CIHR Programmatic Grants in Food and Health can also apply to secure infrastructure funding to support their research from the Canada Foundation for Innovation's Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) using an expedited application process.
INMD also thanks the Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders (CH.I.L.D.) Foundation for partnering on another recently announced funding opportunity: Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network.

With best wishes,

Philip M. Sherman, MD, FRCPC

Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network: A Joint Partnership of CIHR and the CH.I.L.D. Foundation

INMD and the Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders (CH.I.L.D) Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of a funding opportunity in support of the creation of a National Pediatric IBD Network and Data Platform. The Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network: A Joint Partnership of CIHR and the CH.I.L.D. Foundation will contribute to the overall objective of increasing the probability of finding a cure and to improve the quality of care and health outcomes for this patient population.

Researcher Profile

Jan Ehses, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia: Recipient of CIHR-INMD New Investigator Bridge Funding

Jan A. Ehses, PhD was appointed in 2010 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia, and a Scientist in the Diabetes Program at the Child & Family Research Institute in Vancouver. His research program aims to define the complex interactions between inflammation and the regulation of blood sugar levels, as it relates to both types 1 and 2 diabetes. Dr. Ehses has secured two bridge grants from CIHR and industry funding to investigate therapeutic targets for treatment of type 2 diabetes. He recently co-authored an article which appeared in the October 2011 issue of Nature Medicine. Jan received a PhD in Human Physiology from the University of British Columbia in 2003 having trained under the supervision of Dr. Christopher McIntosh with extramural support provided by a CIHR Doctoral Research Award and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Doctoral Award to study how the hormone GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) regulates endocrine pancreas beta cell insulin secretion and survival. Post-doctoral research training was completed at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, in the laboratory of Dr. Marc Donath, with postdoctoral fellowship support from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to investigate pancreatic islet cell inflammation in type 2 diabetes. Jan's research utilized both rodent models and humans to identify the presence of macrophages in islets of patients with type 2 diabetes, to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) to treat diabetes, and to elucidate the role of Toll-like receptor 2 as a regulator of chronic tissue inflammation in diabetes. IL-1 inhibition currently is being tested in the clinic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

ILSI North America Future Leader Awards: Call for Nominations

The North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI N.A.) is a public, non-profit scientific foundation. ILSI N.A. strives to foster the career and development of outstanding new scientists, and so is soliciting nominations of individuals to be considered to receive its 2012 Future Leader Awards.

The 2 year grant ($15,000US per year) is targeted to research in the areas of experimental nutrition, nutrition and food safety, or nutrition and food science.

Nominees must have a doctoral degree; be within 5 years of 1st tenure track position, or stable employment at a reputable research institute; and be a resident of North America. Three letters of nomination must be submitted to ILSI N.A., one by the department head and two from other senior faculty or former professors, addressing the nominee's leadership qualities, area of interest, and special capabilities. Nominees must send a one page letter to ILSI N.A. with complete contact information and name of the referees as well as a current curriculum vitae.

Deadline for all material is Friday, June 12, 2012.

For information contact Ms. Courtney Kelly (202-659-0074 ext. 143).

CIHR Café Scientifique

Healthy eating: How to make healthy decisions for you and your family

From the internet to television advertisements to food packaging, we are exposed to many, often conflicting, health claims about foods. With rates of overweight and obesity on the rise in Canada, it is now more important than ever to understand what it means to have a healthy, balanced diet and an active life style.

On March 22, 2012 CIHR was pleased to host a Café Scientifique on health and nutrition, which was in Gatineau, Quebec. The Café featured three of Canada's leading nutrition and physical activity experts: Drs. Denis Prud'homme (Univ. Ottawa), Véronique Provencher (Laval Univ.), and Monique Potvin-Kent (Public Health Agency of Canada). The well attended Café was moderated by Ms. Marie-Claude Morin, a local radio host, and provided participants with thoughtful and engaging presentations on making healthy food choices. A lively, interactive discussion covered a wide range of topics of particular interest to members of the audience. INMD thanks all of the presenters for making the Healthy Eating Café a great success!

CIHR News & Funding

Consultations for the Open and Peer Review Reforms

In response to requests from the community, CIHR has decided to extend the feedback period. Your input will continue to be accepted through the online feedback form, email and our continued discussions with a number of institutions and partners until April 30, 2012.

Canadian Children Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network

Operating Grant: Programmatic Grants in Food and Health

Feedback on the INMD Newsletter

INMD welcomes researchers, partners and other stakeholders to share news stories that relate to areas of our mandate. If you have interesting research results or developments, are organizing a conference or workshop, or wish to report on a past event, we would like to feature them in our newsletter or other communication materials.

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