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Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, uOttawa and CHEO awarded $28.5M from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for research in regenerative medicine, neuroscience and other areas


May 29, 2015

Scientists from The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), will share $28,511,215 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support cutting-edge research in areas ranging from stem cells, pediatric diseases and neurodegenerative disorders to photonics and chemistry.

The research funding, which was announced earlier today by the federal government and CFI at CHEO, is part of the Innovation Fund, which supports world-leading research infrastructure projects that are needed for Canada to be a global leader in innovation. A total of $333 million was given to institutions across Canada. The University of Ottawa, together with its affiliated research hospitals, received the second highest amount of funding in the country.

The following grants involve researchers at The Ottawa Hospital:

Stem Cell Epigenetics and Therapeutics


Led by Dr. Michael Rudnicki at The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa
The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have made great strides in building a unique and internationally renowned multidisciplinary Regenerative Medicine Program, which includes the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research and the Sinclair Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Building on this success, Dr. Rudnicki, a pioneer in muscle stem cell biology, and his team, will conduct fundamental research into the molecular mechanisms that govern stem cell function and use this knowledge to develop powerful new regenerative medicine therapies for a variety of conditions for which current treatment options are limited or simply inadequate. With additional infrastructure, this project will address key challenges impeding the successful clinical application of stem cell research and will ensure that Ottawa continues to be at the forefront of regenerative medicine research for cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disease, and other degenerative diseases. Co-investigators: Marjorie Brand, Jeffrey Dilworth, Lynn Megeney, Theodore Perkins, David Picketts, William Stanford, Duncan Stewart, Bernard Thébaud, Jing Wang

Deciphering brain network disruptions in neurological disorders: A pivotal step in therapeutic intervention


Led by Dr. David Park at the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute

Abnormal activity in brain circuits can cause a variety of neurological conditions and disrupt the neuronal outputs that control behaviour. Dr. David Park, a trailblazer in the study of Parkinson’s disease and director of the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, believes that more effective therapeutic strategies for conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and depression are urgently needed. Along with a team of leading scientists at the University of Ottawa, as well as clinician scientists from The Ottawa Hospital and Royal Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Park will investigate how network dynamics are affected in these neurological conditions and determine how potential therapeutic strategies could affect network output and behaviour. Co-investigators: Paul Albert, Jean-Claude Béïque, Dale Corbett, André Longtin, Leonard Maler, George Northoff, Michael Schlossmacher, Ruth Slack, Jean-Philippe Thivierge

The other grants are described in the University of Ottawa's media release.

Media inquiries:



Kina Leclair
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Cell: 613-762-2908
kleclair@uOttawa.ca

Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute


The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with its faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Support our research. Give to the Tender Loving Research campaign.

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