MUN Receives Health-Related Funding From RDC
March 18th, 2013
On March 11, 2013 the Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC) announced $1.3 million in funding for 12 health-related research projects. That news came on the heels of a Feb. 28 announcement of $1.6 million for nine research projects led by Memorial researchers.
“The funding programs offered by RDC are essential to Memorial’s research landscape,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor, Memorial University of Newfoundland. “RDC investments enable our researchers to carry out projects that advance strategic areas of research, contribute to our understanding of our world and position Memorial as a university of distinction.”
The March 11 funding announcement focused specifically on health-related research. The projects, based in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Faculty of Science, could prevent cardiovascular diseases, improve the health of people living with diabetes, lower healthcare costs and develop new protocols to protect patient confidentiality in electronic health records (EMR).
One of the funded projects could lead to enhanced treatment options for people suffering from eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Dr. Hélène Paradis, a professor in biomedical sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, received, $189,773 from RDC. This funding is leveraging $189,773 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Regional Partnerships Program.
“Vision loss in the elderly is a devastating problem that is increasing as Newfoundland and Labrador’s population is aging and our provincial diabetes rates are higher than the national average,” said Dr. Paradis. “Our team has discovered a retinal factor we’ve named Tubedown, which keeps retinal blood vessels healthy. Our partnerships with RDC and CIHR are instrumental in our research since age-related diseases take an enormous toll on the people of this province.”
A total of $1,378,640 is being invested in the following 12 research projects at Memorial University. Funding is received through RDC’s academic programs: LeverageR&D and IgniteR&D. Those projects funded through the LeverageR&D program are receiving an additional $1,094,640 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
LeverageR&D
Attracts public funding for academic-led research and development (R&D) in areas relevant to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy.
• Tubedown Signalling Pathway as a Therapeutic Target for Age-related Retinopathy, $189,773 from RDC
Dr. Hélène Paradis, Biomedical Sciences Division, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• The Role of Cell Survival Proteins in Neurogenesis and Neural Regeneration, $195,779 from RDC
Dr. Jacqueline Vanderluit, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• Methyl Metabolism and Methionine Requirements in the Neonatal Pig, $52,500 from RDC
Jason Robinson, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Memorial University
• Formate: A Novel Window into One-carbon Metabolism, $206,556 from RDC
Dr. John T. Brosnan, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Memorial University
• Acute and Chronic PAR2 Activation in Endothelial Dysfunction, $147,088 from RDC
Dr. John McGuire, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• A Multi-level Model of the Effects of Primary Care Reform on Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospital Outcomes, $60,000 from RDC
Dr. Kris Aubrey-Bassler, Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine
• Infant Feeding & Institutional Compliance with the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, $8,750 from RDC
Laura Fullerton, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: An Institutional Ethnography Examining Communication Pathways Between Multi Disciplinary Support Systems and Diagnosed Youth, $52,500 from RDC
Melody Morton Ninomiya, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• Impact of Dietary Methyl Groups on Methionine Metabolism and Early Programming in Neonates, $181,694 from RDC
Dr. Robert Bertolo, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Memorial University
IgniteR&D
Attracts highly-qualified academic researchers and builds new research and development (R&D) capacity in areas relevant to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy.
• The Study of Cardiovascular Pathogenesis Associated with Autoimmune Disease, $100,000 from RDC
Dr. Noriko Daneshtalab, School of Pharmacy and Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• A Common Framework of Privacy-Preserving Data Analysis for Health Research, $100,000 from RDC
Dr. Saeed Samet, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
• Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity in Newfoundland and Labrador, $84,000 from RDC
Dr. Taraneh Abarin, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Memorial University