AHFMR announces $39 million to fund outstanding research across Alberta
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research has awarded $39 million in funding to 41 outstanding health researchers across Alberta. These seven-year awards are among the richest health research awards in Canada.
"My congratulations go out to all of the exceptional researchers who are offered awards this year," says AHFMR Interim President and CEO Jacques Magnan, PhD. "AHFMR awards are difficult to obtain due to our extremely demanding peer review systems, which ensure our researchers are internationally competitive. Garnering AHFMR support is truly something to be proud of."
Shalina Ousman, PhD, a neuroimmunologist at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, is one of 22 researchers at the University of Calgary who were successful in AHFMR's 2009 independent investigator competition.
"AHFMR researchers have made a tangible difference in the lives of Albertans over the past three decades. This announcement shows how Alberta's long-term, sustained support for health research continues to lead to significant advances in knowledge, discovery, treatments and new technologies," says Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. "And that translates into enormous economic and social benefit to Albertans."
The awards for the University of Calgary are offered to researchers investigating the brain and diabetes, preterm birth, how the heart functions, and new treatments for stroke as well as depression.
Shalina Ousman, PhD, was recruited by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) to UCalgary after doing her graduate and post-doctoral training at McGill University, The Scripps Research Institute (San Diego), and Stanford University School of Medicine. Ousman's research investigates why the brain is unable to defend itself against the immune cell attack that causes multiple sclerosis (MS).
A disease of the central nervous system, MS causes the body's own defense mechanisms to attack the delicate nerves essential to brain communication. "My research is focused on alphaB-crystallin, one particular protein which tries to neutralize the rampaging immune cells in the brain," says Ousman, PhD. "Our hypothesis is that alphaB-crystallin struggles to hold back the overactive immune cells, but in the end, loses the battle to protect the brain. Our research aims to explain why alphaB-crystallin is losing that battle, and how we can boost its function so it can win the fight against MS."
Ousman's lab has collaborated with scientific teams at Harvard and Stanford, and is now working with Dr. Luanne Metz, director of the MS Clinic at the Foothills Medical Centre and Wee Yong, PhD, co-leader of the Arresting MS Program at the HBI. Both are professors of clinical neurosciences at UCalgary.
"One of my major motivations to come here was to collaborate with Dr. Metz and her clinical team as well as the basic science researchers in MS. Working together will help us introduce new findings to help people with MS much more quickly," says Ousman, PhD, a member of HBI. "Our next step in the lab is to take the immune cells of Calgarians with MS and learn from them. If I expose those overactive cells to alphaB-crystallin, I anticipate it will act to cool them down, and decrease their hyperactivity."
AHFMR Scholar Shalina Ousman, PhD, is an assistant professor of clinical neurosciences at UCalgary. Her work is also supported by the MS Society of Canada.
Since 1980, AHFMR has committed more than $1.2 billion to researchers at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge. AHFMR, which leads health research in Alberta's innovation system, was highly commended for its achievements by an International Board of Review in June 2004. In 2005 the Alberta Government committed an additional $500 million to the Foundation's endowment.
For more information, please contact Karen Thomas, Media Specialist, AHFMR, 780.423.5727 x225, 1.403.651.1112 (cell),
Reporters are invited to attend a news announcement of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research's 2009 research funding awards.
AHFMR has awarded $39 million in funding to 41 outstanding health researchers across Alberta. These awards are among the richest and lengthiest health research awards in Canada.
Reporters are invited to attend a news event in the laboratory of Shalina Ousman, PhD, a neuroimmunologist investigating new approaches to multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine.
WHAT
Announcement of AHFMR research funding results for 2009
WHO
Introduction by AHFMR Interim President & CEO Jacques Magnan, PhD
Interviews with AHFMR Scholar Shalina Ousman, PhD
WHEN
Thursday, March 26, 2009, 9 am
WHERE
Heritage Medical Research Building, Room 180
3330 Hospital Dr. NW
Park in Lot 6 for reimbursement.
AHFMR announces $39 million to fund outstanding research across Alberta
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research has awarded $39 million in funding to 41 outstanding health researchers across Alberta. These awards, seven years in length, are among the richest health research awards in Canada.
"My congratulations go out to all of the exceptional researchers who are offered awards this year," says AHFMR Interim President and CEO Jacques Magnan, PhD. "AHFMR awards are difficult to obtain because our peer review systems are extremely demanding to ensure our researchers are internationally competitive. Garnering AHFMR support is truly something to be proud of."
Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, a cardiologist at the University of Alberta Hospital, and a new AHFMR population health investigator, is one of 18 researchers at the University of Alberta who were successful in AHFMR's 2009 independent investigator competition.
"AHFMR researchers have made a tangible difference in the lives of Albertans over the past three decades. This announcement shows how Alberta's long-term, sustained support for health research continues to lead to significant advances in knowledge, discovery, treatments and new technologies," says Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. "And that translates into enormous economic and social benefit to Albertans."
The awards for the University of Alberta are offered to researchers in several faculties: arts, medicine & dentistry, nursing, rehabilitation medicine, physical education and recreation, science, and the school of public health.
"Sustained support from AHFMR has been crucial to our growing strength in many health research fields such as cardiology, diabetes, cancer, basic cellular mechanisms, and the immune system," says Michael Mahon, PhD, Chair, Health Sciences Council, and Dean, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Ezekowitz, a cardiologist who specializes in treating people with heart failure, has been offered funding by AHFMR to study the emergency management of acute heart failure. His research addresses how acute heart failure is managed in the health system, from the ambulance through the Emergency Room (ER), and into the hospital.
Heart failure results from cardiac disease and takes place when the heart cannot keep up with the demands of the body, and is not able to pump enough blood to the muscles, brain, kidneys, and other vital organs.
"For people experiencing acute heart failure, the risk of death is high. But heart failure can be difficult to manage in the early hours after a patient presents to the medical system - doctors have to do so based on limited information," says AHFMR Population Health Investigator Dr. Justin Ezekowitz. "Our research focuses on how the health system responds to people with heart failure. When someone has a heart attack, we know precisely what to do. My goal is to refine our approach and develop a similar rapid response to heart failure."
Dr. Ezekowitz's team will examine how people are treated in the first few hours after they experience heart failure. His study will look at 1,000 people in the Edmonton area who come to the ER with heart failure. The scope of the research will include when and how the patient arrives at hospital (whether by ambulance, driven by a family member or having walked in), the exam done by the health team, what medications are given by paramedics and in the ER, and when the patient is formally diagnosed with heart failure. The clinical team will also analyse standard blood tests along with new, state‐of‐the‐art blood tests to see if they provide helpful information in these early hours.
AHFMR Population Health Investigator Dr. Justin Ezekowitz is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, and director of the Heart Function Clinic at the U of A Hospital - the oldest heart function clinic in Canada. Dr. Ezekowitz is a member of the team overseeing the chronic disease management programs in heart failure across Alberta. His work is supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT & Nunavut, University Hospital Foundation, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Since 1980, AHFMR has committed more than $1.2 billion to researchers at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge. AHFMR, which leads health research in Alberta's innovation system, was highly commended for its achievements by an International Board of Review in June 2004. In 2005 the Alberta Government committed an additional $500 million to the Foundation's endowment.
For more information, please contact Karen Thomas, Media Specialist, AHFMR, 780.423.5727 x225, 1.403.651.1112 (cell),
Reporters are invited to attend a news announcement of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research's 2009 research funding awards.
AHFMR has awarded $39 million in funding to 41 outstanding health researchers across Alberta. These awards are among the richest and lengthiest health research awards in Canada.
Reporters are invited to attend a news event with Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, a cardiologist at the University of Alberta Hospital, and a new AHFMR population health investigator. Dr. Ezekowitz specializes in treating people with heart failure. His clinical research is focused on acute heart failure, and how it is managed in the health system, from the ambulance through the ER, and into the hospital.
WHAT
Announcement of research funding results for 2009
Feature focus on the clinical research of Dr. Justin Ezekowitz
WHO
1. Welcome by Michael Mahon, PhD, Chair of the Health Sciences Council, and Dean of
Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta
2. Jacques Magnan, PhD, AHFMR Interim President & CEO announces awards
3. Remarks by Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology
4. Interviews with AHFMR Population Health Investigator Dr. Justin Ezekowitz
5. Interviews with Ron Hnydyk, a 70-year old man from Vegreville, Alberta who has Dr.
Ezekowitz as his cardiologist.
WHEN
Thursday, March 26, 2009, 2 pm
WHERE
4th floor atrium, University of Alberta Hospital, 8440 ‐ 112th Street
Reporters please gather at 1:40 pm at the 112 St, east main entrance of the Walter Mackenzie
Centre for escort to the 4th floor atrium.
For more information, please contact Karen Thomas, Media Specialist, AHFMR, 780.423.5727 x225, 1.403.651.1112 (cell),