INMD Connections - February 2013

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Message from Philip Sherman, INMD Scientific Director

When beginning as Scientific Director of INMD (in January 2009), I focused on this monthly INMD Newsletter because communication to the research community and related stakeholders is a critical part of my role as Scientific Director.  In the spirit of ongoing quality improvement, I would appreciate hearing from you about how we can improve and enhance the INMD Newsletter. Please complete the on-line survey located on the CIHR website before March 15, 2013 to let us know how we can better meet your needs.  Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.

Philip M. Sherman, MD, FRCPC

Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR)

The SPOR National Steering Committee is inviting the health research community to provide input on research network capacity in Canada. The deadline for submissions to this call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) is February 28, 2013. Additional information about this call is available at the CIHR website.

Patient-oriented research refers to the continuum of research, from initial studies in humans to comparative effectiveness and outcomes research, and the integration of this research into the health care system and clinical practice. The goal of patient-oriented research is to better ensure the translation of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the point-of-care, as well as to help provinces and territories meet the challenge of delivering high quality, cost-effective health care to Canadians. It involves ensuring that the right patient receives the right clinical intervention at the right time, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.

Through the submissions to the Expressions of Interest, the SPOR National Steering Committee would like to get a more complete understanding of partnership interests and potential for existing and emerging networks. There is an expectation that partner investment for SPOR Networks will be based on a 1:1 funding match. In the case of the two SPOR Networks that have been announced to date, partners committed $12.5M over five years, which is being matched by CIHR for a total investment of $25M over five years.

Researchers and voluntary health organizations in the INMD mandate area have asked about the potential of their respective research communities to apply and compete for a SPOR network. SPOR Networks must be national is scope, and should have sufficient capacity to deliver on a range of activities that will lead to transformative and measurable improvements in patient health, health care and efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. It is the intention that there will be multiple launches, so that varying levels of capacity and collaborations can be built over time with submissions to SPOR at a later date.

The SPOR National Steering Committee will use Expressions of Interest, environmental scans, and consultations with CIHR Institute Advisory Boards, provincial/territorial partners, and Canadians to identify priority health areas that would benefit from support provided for research through a SPOR network.

Highlighting a CIHR Banting Fellowship Award Recipient

Morgan Fullerton, PhD
McMaster University

Under the supervision of Dr. Greg Steinberg in the Faculty of Medicine at McMaster University, Morgan Fullerton is a post-doctoral fellow studying the interactions and mechanisms linking obesity and chronic inflammation to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent evidence shows that in obesity, macrophages are reprogrammed and contribute to a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation, which then leads to insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Morgan’s research uses genetically engineered mice lacking AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a master regulator of metabolism that turns on fat burning and increases energy utilization in the cell by making more mitochondria. The objective of this work is to determine specific mechanisms by which AMPK regulates the inflammatory switch in macrophages during obesity and assess if this plays a role in atherogenesis. This research could identify new ways to prevent type 2 diabetes and attendant long-term vascular complications.

Congratulations to Funding Recipients

INMD congratulates researchers who were successful in the following INMD-supported Priority Announcements.

Principal Investigator Institution Project Title
Operating Grant - Priority Announcement - Bariatric Care
Natalia Yakubovich McMaster University Early effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery combined with perioperative caloric restriction on hepatic fat in obese patients with type 2 diabetes
Operating Grant-PA: INMD Start Up Funds (Bridge Funding) - Assistant Professors
Sherri Christian Memorial University of Newfoundland Mechanisms of molecular regulation of preadipocyte differentiation by CD24
Laura Rosella Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion Quantifying future risk and burden of type 2 diabetes in Canada: tools to inform the prevention of obesity and diabetes
Operating Grant-PA: INMD Start Up Funds (Bridge Funding) - Clinician Scientists
Baiju R Shah Sunnybrook Research Institute Microalbuminuria and retinopathy in gestational diabetes: the MARIGOLD study
Operating Grant-PA: INMD Start Up Funds (Bridge Funding) - New Investigators
Jennifer Estall Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal Transcriptional regulation of fatty liver disease
Pedro Geraldes Université de Sherbrooke Mechanisms for podocyte injury and diabetic nephropathy
Gaétan Mayer Montreal Heart Institute PCSK9-induced degradation of cell surface receptors: LDL cholesterol regulation and beyond
Navdeep Tangri University of Manitoba Frailty and outcomes in chronic kidney disease
Operating Grant - PA: INMD - Bridge Funding
Ron Wald St. Michael’s Hospital Intensive vs liberalized phosphate control in hemodialysis recipients
Operating Grant - PA: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (in partnership with CIHR Rx&D Collaborative Research Program, CAG and Abbott Canada)
Alice Mui University of British Columbia Negative regulation of immune cell function

Recently Announced Funding Opportunities

China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative

The objective of the China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative is to promote the development of Canadian-Chinese scientific co-operation between researchers located at universities, hospitals, research institutes or affiliated research organizations in Canada and China through the support of collaborative research grants. These collaborative research grants are $75K per year for three years for Canada-based researchers and up to 333,333 RMB per year for three years for China-based researchers.  Funding opportunity details are available online through ResearchNet. Application Deadline: March 14, 2013

Environments, Genes and Chronic Disease Catalyst Grants 

The Environments, Genes and Chronic Disease Catalyst Grants ($100K for one year) will provide up to $1.6 M to help researchers develop new research activities, such as feasibility studies and multi-disciplinary collaborations, related to environment-gene interactions in chronic disease.  Funding opportunity details are available online through ResearchNet. For more information on this RFA, please contact Keeley Rose.  Application Deadline:  April 2, 2013

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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