$112M for research projects in Toronto

Toronto, ON – Ontario’s provincial government has announced funding for 64 research projects at Toronto research institutions through the Ontario Research Fund-Research Infrastructure program. The funding totals $112 million and support more than 1,000 researchers.

The projects are:

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Transforming lives: neuroIMAGENE, the convergence of genetics and brain imaging in mental health and addictions. Improving diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Lead Researcher: Pollock, Bruce. Provincial Funding: $2,806,899. Researchers Affected: 25

Mount Sinai Hospital

The CMHD: an Integrated and Regional Platform for Improving the Modeling of Human Disease. Using models to develop treatments for human diseases. Lead Researcher: Adamson, S. Lee. Provincial Funding: $6,523,359. Researchers Affected: 30

A clinical phenotyping and computational facility for the study of complex disease. Exploring the role of environmental and genetic factors in disease. Lead Researcher: Knight, Julia Alexandra. Provincial Funding: $442,951. Researchers Affected: 21

Quantitative Cell Biology and Proteomics. Exploring how cells communicate. Lead Researcher: Pawson, Anthony J. Provincial Funding: $11,542,412. Researchers Affected: 28

Ryerson University

EDGE: Experiential Design and Gaming Environment. Designing the next generation of digital games. Lead Researcher: Androutsos, Dimitrios. Provincial Funding: $424,538. Researchers Affected: 26

Institute for Research in Stress, Health and Intervention. Developing ways to manage stress. Lead Researcher: Atkinson, Leslie. Provincial Funding: $418,512. Researchers Affected: 23

WindTech R&D: Expansion of the Laboratory for Electric Drive Application and Research (LEDAR) to Advance Wind Technology. Advancing wind power. Lead Researcher: Wu, Bin. Provincial Funding: $729,771. Researchers Affected: 25

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Communication and imaging infrastructure for the Canadian Atherosclerosis Imaging Network (CAIN). Advancing the treatment of vascular disease. Lead Researcher: Moody, Alan. Provincial Funding: $4,548,919. Researchers Affected: 30

An Integrated Breast Cancer Research Biomatrix. Advancing breast cancer treatment. Lead Researcher: Yaffe, Martin J.. Provincial Funding: $737,246. Researchers Affected: 28

The Hospital for Sick Children. . Disruptive Technologies in Paediatric and Foetal Intervention. Developing tools for paediatric surgery. Lead Researcher: Kim, Peter. Provincial Funding: $2,200,000. Researchers Affected: 20

Integrated Genomics for Health Research – Phase II. Realizing the promise of genomics. Lead Researcher: Scherer, Stephen W.. Provincial Funding: $4,276,707. Researchers Affected: 30

University Health Network

Robotic Positioning for Image-guided Surgery and Radiation Therapy. Improving radiation treatment. Lead Researcher: Jaffray, David A. Provincial Funding: $5,558,902. Researchers Affected: 26

The Ontario Regional Center for Cell and Vector Production (CCVP). Exploring the healing potential of cell/gene therapy. Lead Researcher: Keating, Armand. Provincial Funding: $7,377,525. Researchers Affected: 29

NanoMed Fab: A nanofabrication centre for personalized medicine. Advancing personalized medicine. Lead Researcher: Zheng, Gang. Provincial Funding: $2,486,515. Researchers Affected: 24

The University of Toronto. . The Canadian Aerosol Research Network (CARN): Climate, Air Quality and Health in 2020. Improving air quality through aerosol research. Lead Researcher: Abbatt, Jonathan. Provincial Funding: $3,589,907. Researchers Affected: 27

Deciphering Cellular Networks in Health and Disease Using Automated Genetics and Cell Biology. Mapping how genes interact. Lead Researcher: Andrews, Brenda. Provincial Funding: $2,342,442. Researchers Affected: 16

Memory Organization in the Human Brain. Developing better treatments for memory disorders. Lead Researcher: Barense, Morgan. Provincial Funding: $100,000. Researchers Affected: 30

Increasing Understanding of Trace Metal and Metal Isotopes in the Environment. New insights to improve assessment of environmental contaminants. Lead Researcher: Bergquist, Bridget A.. Provincial Funding: $440,000. Researchers Affected: 1

Center for Neurobiology of Stress. Accelerating treatments for stress-induced brain damage. Lead Researcher: Brown, Ian R.. Provincial Funding: $2,105,735. Researchers Affected: 19

Optical Spectroscopy: Unique Tools Providing Key Insights and Novel Devices. Advancing our understanding of the properties of magnetic materials. Lead Researcher: Burch, Kenneth. Provincial Funding: $340,000. Researchers Affected: 6

MHC-Independent Innate Immune Recognition by Natural Killer Cells. Developing new therapies for cancer treatment, infectious disease control and organ transplantation. Lead Researcher: Carlyle, James. Provincial Funding: $99,911. Researchers Affected: 1

Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 for Guiding Therapy. Expanding on the capabilities and applications of MRI. Lead Researcher: Cunningham, Charles. Provincial Funding: $208,697. Researchers Affected: 1

BioZone: A Bioengineering Research Facility for Energy, Environmental and Economic Sustainability. Developing solutions for pressing environmental and energy problems. Lead Researcher: Edwards, Elizabeth A.. Provincial Funding: $2,533,654. Researchers Affected: 25

Increasing the Safety and Stability of Offshore Drilling Equipment. Increasing understanding of how marine conditions affect risers. Lead Researcher: Ekmekci, Alis. Provincial Funding: $150,000. Researchers Affected: 12

Centre for Collaborative Interactive Digital Media. Shaping the future of digital media. Lead Researcher: Fiume, Eugene. Provincial Funding: $2,400,000. Researchers Affected: 32

Infrastructure for a Behavioural Pharmacology Laboratory Specializing In Mental Health and Addictions. Developing better treatments for mental health and addiction illnesses. Lead Researcher: Fletcher, Paul. Provincial Funding: $123,638. Researchers Affected: 20

Understanding How Genetic Mutations Combine to Produce Disease. New insights to predict diseases susceptibility. Lead Researcher: Fraser, Andrew. Provincial Funding: $394,796. Researchers Affected: 1

The Ecology and Evolution of Mutualism: Infrastructure For Field And Laboratory Research. Understanding how cooperative behaviour impacts on ecosystems. Lead Researcher: Frederickson, Megan. Provincial Funding: $109,600. Researchers Affected: 8

BioBehavioural Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Laboratory (BACDRL) at CAMH. Gaining insight into the role of addiction in mental illness. Lead Researcher: George, Tony. Provincial Funding: $98,596. Researchers Affected: 10

Developing the New Scientific Branch of Earthomics. Establishing a new discipline. Lead Researcher: Grasselli, Giovanni. Provincial Funding: $165,000. Researchers Affected: 25

A Multi-Site, Integrated National Technology Platform for Mapping Protein Interaction Networks in Health and Disease. Uncovering how proteins interact in health and disease. Lead Researcher: Greenblatt, Jack. Provincial Funding: $5,173,778. Researchers Affected: 54

Proteomic Tools For the Analysis of Chaperone Interaction. Developing new approaches for preventing or curing “misfolding” diseases. Lead Researcher: Houry, Walid. Provincial Funding: $139,260. Researchers Affected: 12

Diet, the Digestive Trace and Disease: the 3D Centre. Creating new guidelines for healthier diets. Lead Researcher: Jenkins, David JA. Provincial Funding: $5,437,276. Researchers Affected: 36

Molecular Imaging Approaches to Cognition. Developing treatments for learning and memory disorders. Lead Researcher: Josselyn, Sheena. Provincial Funding: $239,085. Researchers Affected: 2

High Field NMR Studies of Protein Molecules in Health and Disease. Gaining insight into how living systems grow and develop. Lead Researcher: Kay, Lewis E. Provincial Funding: $
4,595,843. Researchers Affected: 22

Targeting Anti-Cancer Drugs More Precisely within Cells. Producing more effective cancer treatment therapies. Lead Researcher: Kelley, Shana. Provincial Funding: $200,000. Researchers Affected: 7

Aegean Material Culture Laboratory. Looking to the past to help shape the future of industry. Lead Researcher: Knappett, Carl. Provincial Funding: $92,234. Researchers Affected: 10

Centre for Spectroscopic Investigation of Complex Organic Molecules and Polymers. Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to advance chemistry research. Lead Researcher: Lautens, M.. Provincial Funding: $2,588,764. Researchers Affected: 24

Understanding and Decreasing the Environmental Impact of Transportation Activities (Especially in Aviation). Investigating flow control techniques to reduce transport costs. Lead Researcher: Lavoie, Philippe. Provincial Funding: $149,832. Researchers Affected: 3

The Role of Bacterial Programmed Cell Death in Biofilm Infections. Investigating microbial self-destruction as a stategy for treating biofilm infections. Lead Researcher: Levesque, Celine. Provincial Funding: $106,847. Researchers Affected: 25

Addressing Pregnancy-Related Conditions that Affect Fetal, Neonatal and Maternal Health. New diagnostics for pregnancy-related conditions. Lead Researcher: Lye, Stephen. Provincial Funding: $376,693. Researchers Affected: 5

Advanced Laboratory for Fluorinated and Other New Substances in the Environment . Designing safe fluorinated compounds. Lead Researcher: Mabury, Scott A.. Provincial Funding: $712,000. Researchers Affected: 8

5th Generation Electron Beam Line: “Molecular Movie Studio”. Making the molecular movie. Lead Researcher: Miller, R. J. Dwayne. Provincial Funding: $120,000. Researchers Affected: 20

Molecular Imaging Facility: From Single Proteins to Atomically-Resolved Structural Dynamics. Using movies of atoms to advance drug discovery. Lead Researcher: Miller, R. J. Dwayne. Provincial Funding: $1,002,090. Researchers Affected: 6

Advanced Thermal Spray Process Diagnostics and Coating Characterization Facilities. Enhancing energy use. Lead Researcher: Mostaghimi, Javad. Provincial Funding: $1,602,731. Researchers Affected: 18

Laboratory for the Study of Polarity Proteins in Breast Cancer. Developing an alternative treatment for breast cancer. Lead Researcher: Muthuswamy, Senthil. Provincial Funding: $399,973. Researchers Affected: 35

Systems Biology Facility for Metabolomics of Plant Hormone. Increasing plant biomass to expand clean energy production. Lead Researcher: Nambara, Eiji. Provincial Funding: $330,000. Researchers Affected: 4

Combating Drug Resistant Bacteria. Searching for new anti-infective strategies. Lead Researcher: Navarre, William W.. Provincial Funding: $131,929. Researchers Affected: 10

Expanding Yeast Genome-Wide Chemogenomic Screens to Human. Identifying protein “targets” to accelerate drug discovery. Lead Researcher: Nislow, Corey. Provincial Funding: $148,000. Researchers Affected: 6

Developing Methods to Manipulate T Cell Responses to Achieve More Effective Cancer Treatment. Harnessing the immune system’s power to fight cancer. Lead Researcher: Ohashi, Pamela. Provincial Funding: $418,684. Researchers Affected: 21

Molecular Anthropology and Primatology Laboratory for the Study of Evolution. Improving captive breeding programs. Lead Researcher: Parga, J. A.. Provincial Funding: $70,000. Researchers Affected: 8

Centre for Industrial Application for Microcellular Plastics. Developing new plastics with enhanced properties. Lead Researcher: Park, Chul B.. Provincial Funding: $3,334,310. Researchers Affected: 10

Analysis of Disease-Related Signalling Events In Cell Networks. Developing effective targeted drug treatments for several diseases. Lead Researcher: Pawson, Tony. Provincial Funding: $379,330. Researchers Affected: 6

A Two-Photon Microscope for Quantitative Live Cell Imaging and Integration with Microfluidic Platforms. Developing new treatments for diabetes. Lead Researcher: Rocheleau, Jonathan. Provincial Funding: $334,999. Researchers Affected: 10

Ontario Initiative in Personalized Stem Cell Medicine. Advancing personalized medicine. Lead Researcher: Rossant, Janet. Provincial Funding: $9,932,011. Researchers Affected: 31

Systems Analysis Of Thermosensation in E. coli and C. Elegans. Using C. elegans to study sensory perception of thermal stimuli. Lead Researcher: Ryu, William. Provincial Funding: $300,000. Researchers Affected: 3

Centre for Microfluidic Systems in Chemistry and Biology. Revolutionizing cardiovascular treatment. Lead Researcher: Sefton, Michael V. Provincial Funding: $3,749,954. Researchers Affected: 21

High Throughput Screening Resource for the Isolation of Phage-Displayed Antibodies and Peptide Ligands. Developing antibodies to diagnose and treat serious diseases. Lead Researcher: Sidhu, Sachdev. Provincial Funding: $298,240. Researchers Affected: 1

Archaeological Spatial and Architectural Laboratory . Looking to ancient civilizations for answers to critical building issues today. Lead Researcher: Swenson, Edward. Provincial Funding: $74,302. Researchers Affected: 8

Studying Interactions between Immune System Cells and the Bacteria that Cause Intestinal Illness and Disease. Looking for new treatments for bacterial infections. Lead Researcher: Terebiznik, Mauricio R. Provincial Funding: $186,121. Researchers Affected: 5

Carbon-11 Synthesis Module. Working toward new treatments for serious mental disorders. Lead Researcher: Vasdev, Neil. Provincial Funding: $101,366. Researchers Affected: 15

Understanding Plant Genome Diversity and Evolution to Protect Ontario’s Biodiversity and Improve Its Crops. Controlling invasive plants that threaten biodiversity. Lead Researcher: Wright, Stephen. Provincial Funding: $254,000. Researchers Affected: 7

Increasing Understanding of Ruptures Due to Earthquakes and Structural Collapses. Generating new insights into how materials respond to dynamic fractures. Lead Researcher: Xia, Kaiwen. Provincial Funding: $150,000. Researchers Affected: 5

Centre for Microsatellite Science and Technology Development and Low-Cost Space Research. Advancing miniature satellite technology. Lead Researcher: Zee, Robert E. Provincial Funding: $4,008,198. Researchers Affected: 20.