Canadian urology research grants awarded

Markham, ON – The Canadian Urological Association (CUA) and Astellas Pharma Canada have renewed a partnership for a second year in support of the CUA Astellas Research Grant Program.

Last year, Astellas pledged $750,000 over a period of five years to support Canadian peer-reviewed urology research and promote excellence in urological research.

Nineteen applications were made for the CUA Astellas Research Grant’s 2013 competition, and the successful recipients have been announced. They include:

Dr. Kourosh Afshar, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. Project Title: Voiding disorders and autonomic NS activity in children.

Dr. Sumit Dave, University of Western Ontario, London, ON. Project Title: A clinical trial to determine the extent to which probiotic therapy reduces side effects of antibiotic prophylaxis in pediatric neurogenic bladder patients with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections.

Dr. Alp Sener, University of Western Ontario, London, ON. Project title:  Novel delivery method of supplemental hydrogen sulphide and caspace-3 siRNA during mechanical perfusion are protective in a donation after cardiac death model of porcine renal transplantation.

“This innovative research can lead to important discoveries that may ultimately change the treatment landscape for patients with urological conditions,” says Michael Tremblay, president, Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc. “It is tremendously exciting for us to support the work of these doctors because their research has the potential to improve quality of life for Canadian patients.”