AHFMR News
University of Alberta student receives major health research award
(Edmonton, AB) Friday, January 12, 2007... A University of Alberta M.D.- Ph.D student researching islet cell transplant surgery and the immune system has won a major health research scholarship.
Shaheed Merani will be awarded the 13th annual Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship today at a lunch reception at the University of Alberta Alumni House. The award is given by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) to an outstanding student from either the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, or University of Calgary, who demonstrates excellent promise in human health research. The award will contribute an additional $21,500 to Mr. Merani's study support.
Mr. Merani is currently pursuing his M.D.-Ph.D. in the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He is also an AHFMR Studentship recipient. He has received numerous awards and scholarships during his academic career from CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), the Canadian Space Agency, McGill University, and the University of Alberta. Mr. Merani's research focuses on the effects of islet cell transplant surgery on the immune system. More knowledge in this area could decrease dependence on anti-rejection drugs for diabetes patients who have undergone the surgery.
The award will be presented by Dr. McLeod's widow Barbara, honouring the late Dr. Lionel McLeod, AHFMR's first president. Dr. McLeod was also the head of Endocrinology at the University of Alberta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospital in Vancouver, and the Dean of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Please call Laura Ly, AHFMR Communications Coordinator, at (780) 423-5727 for more information.
Backgrounder
Shaheed Merani is examining ways to make islet transplantation more effective. The process of transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into the bodies of brittle diabetics, known as the Edmonton Protocol, was developed at the University of Alberta by Dr. James Shapiro and a team of researchers. The treatment has helped diabetics manage their diabetes more effectively, sometimes without a need for insulin injections. The process is still in development and clinical testing.
Mr. Merani specifically investigates the immediate post-transplant period and is trying to develop strategies that can improve the function of the islet transplant in that phase.
The Lionel E. McLeod Health Research Scholarship is given annually to an outstanding student at either the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, or University of British Columbia for research related to human health.
Dr. McLeod was the head of Endocrinology at the University of Alberta, Dean of Medicine at the University of Calgary, President of AHFMR from 1981-1990, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospital in Vancouver.
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research currently provides funding for more than 600 researchers and researchers-in-training at the province's three main universities. AHFMR's commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and is carried out by new and established investigators and researchers-in-training. Since 1980 AHFMR has provided more than $850 million in funding to Alberta's medical research community. For more information, visit www.ahfmr.ab.ca.