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Terry Fox Research Institute Launches 2025 Cancer Research Funding Programs

Terry Fox Research Institute Launches 2025 Cancer Research Funding Programs

May 1, 2024

The Terry Fox Research Institute has announced the launch of the following 2025 cancer research programs.

Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants

Purpose

To support multidisciplinary program projects of excellence that contribute to important topics of relevance to cancer research. The goal of the Terry Fox New Frontiers PPG is to discover and explore new knowledge with the potential to transform cancer diagnosis, treatment and/or understanding of cancer biology.

Funding Available

  • New* Applications can apply for a 3, 4, or 5 year grant term, with a total budget up to $2,400,000.
    • *Defined as coming from a group of investigators proposing a new thematic area of cancer research
  • Renewing** Applications can apply for a 5, 6, or 7 year grant term, with a total budget of up to  $7,500,000.
    • **Defined as coming from (1) a minimum of three continuing investigators whose PPG term is coming to an end, and (2) continuing development of the same thematic area of cancer research as the previous PPG

Key Dates

Full details, guides, and instruction packages can be found on the TFRI website.

Terry Fox New Investigator Awards

Purpose

To support outstanding new researchers as they develop their careers as independent research scientists or clinician scientists. These awards enable recipients to undertake high-quality cancer research with mentorship from two senior investigators.

Funding Available

  • 1  research grant of up to $150,000 per year for 3 years to investigators within the first five years of a first faculty-level appointment in Canada.

Key Dates

Full details, guides, and instruction packages can be found on the TFRI website.

ATM Members Celebrated for Active Participation in Events

April 29, 2024

The Academy of Translational Medicine celebrates the enthusiastic engagement of its Members across diverse events, showcasing their commitment to advancing excellence in their respective fields. Their active participation underscores a shared dedication from the ATM Community to contributing their knowledge, expertise, and time.

Upcoming

Dr. Abdelrahman (left) & Dr. Kramer (right)

ATP Research Day 2024

The Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ATP) hosts this annual event to showcase the Research excellence of fellows and trainees.

ATM Member Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman will be a Speaker at this event, and ATM Member Dr. John Kramer is on the Research Day Organizing Committee.

When: 14 May 2024

Where: Vancouver General Hospital

Dr. Brigham

Protecting Patients Through Wildfire Season: What You Need to Know

This free UBC Continuing Professional Development Webinar is an accredited educational session where highly experienced and knowledgeable medical experts will answer questions and share their knowledge regarding how to address the potential harms of exposure to wildfire smoke.

ATM Member Dr. Emily Brigham will be a Panelist at this event.

When: 28 May 2024 | 6:30pm – 8pm

Where: Online

Dr. Klein Geltink

Pathology Day 2024

Pathology Day is hosted by the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.  The annual event offers a fantastic opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow peers, students, residents, faculty, and staff.

ATM Member Dr. Ramon Klein Geltink is on the PathDay 2024 Planning Committee.

When: 7 June 2024

Where: Vancouver General Hospital

Recent

Dr. Rayment (left) & Dr. Selvanathan (right)

2024 Annual Department of Pediatrics Celebrate Research Day

The annual Department of Pediatrics Celebrate Research Day was a great success, showcasing the tremendous work that the trainees have completed this past year. This year’s winners showed outstanding talent, and with their mentors, presented high quality research.

ATM Members Dr. Jonathan Rayment and Dr. Thiviya Selvanathan were judges for this event.

When: 12 April 2024

Where: The Chan Centre for Family Health Education

The ATM commends Dr. Abdelrahman, Dr. Kramer, Dr. Brigham, Dr. Klein Geltink, Dr. Rayment, and Dr. Selvanathan for their involvement in these events. ATM Members are integral to the ATM Community.

Nominations Open: 2024 Faculty of Medicine Awards

April 24, 2024

The Weston Family Foundation Launches Proof-of-Principle 2024 Program

April 22, 2024

The new Proof-of-Principle Program funds Canadian scientists performing high-risk, high-reward translational research that leverages the microbiome towards improving human health.

The Weston Family Foundation is accepting applications for projects that will evaluate compositional or functional microbiome biomarkers, and/or build on established responder/non-responder phenotypes towards the optimization of therapeutic or preventative strategies.

Funding Available

  • Up to $300,000, over a maximum of 30 months

Key Dates

  • Successful Projects Announced
    • October 2024

For Further Information

Regulatory Science and Health Economics Course Complete With 2-Day Workshop

April 17, 2024

The ATM is proud to reflect on the successful completion of our Regulatory Science and Health Economics course through a dynamic two-day workshop.

Day 1 of the workshop explored deliberative decision-making and delved into the mechanics of incorporating patient preferences into healthcare outcomes. Attendees were introduced to the theoretical underpinnings and practical approaches to patient-centered decision-making, laying a solid foundation for the following day.

Day 2 of the workshop built upon this foundation by articulating the emerging role of patient preferences in regulatory decision-making. It focused on understanding the deliberative processes behind reimbursement recommendations and the methods used to value new health products. The day provided the foundations for developing robust evidence packages aligned with regulatory and reimbursement decisions frameworks. Instructors focused on analytical approaches to evaluating risk-benefit trade-offs, live coding, cost-effectiveness analysis and clinical trial design considerations.

Presenters (left to right) Dr. Dean Regier, Dr. Sam Pollard, Deirdre Weymann, Emanuel Krebs

The success of this workshop builds on our world-leading research and training in regulatory science, led by ATM faculty and associates Dr. Dean Regier, Dr. Sam Pollard, Deirdre Weymann, and Emanuel Krebs. We would also like to thank the 17 learners who actively engaged in the discussions.

About this Course

Regulatory Science and Health Economics is the second of two courses in the ATM’s UBC Micro-certificate in Regulatory Affairs in the Life Sciences. The first course is Introduction to Regulatory Affairs. For more information, visit the ATM Education page.

Competition Open: CIHR Operating Grant–ECRs in Human Development, Child and Youth Health

April 10, 2024

CIHR Operating Grant (2024)

Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health

Funding Objectives

  • Support early career researchers in initiating and conducting independent research in human development, child and youth health with the goal of building research capacity in this important health research area.
  • Generate new knowledge that will contribute to improving human development, child and youth health outcomes, promote health equity, and increase our understanding of the challenges, needs and current gaps in this research area.
  • Facilitate knowledge exchange and translation between early career researchers and other stakeholders in human development, child and youth health.

Funds Available

  • Maximum amount per grant is $50,000 per year for up to 3 years (total of $150,000 per grant)
  • Total amount available is $1,800,000, enough to fund ~12 grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate.
    • Of the $1,800,000:
      • $1,200,000 is available to fund 8 applications relevant to the overall purpose of the funding opportunity.
      • $300,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the Indigenous Human Development, Child and Youth Health pool.
      • $300,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the Human Development, Child and Youth Health for Equity-Deserving Groups pool.
      • Applications relevant to each pool will be funded top down in order of ranking. Remaining applications in the competition will be pooled together and funded in rank order. If a pool is undersubscribed or lacks fundable applications, funds will be rolled into the general competition pool.

Research Areas

  • In addition to supporting projects relevant to human development, child and youth health in IHDCYH’s mandate area, separate funding pools will support the following priority areas:
  • Indigenous Human Development, Child and Youth Health: This funding pool will support distinctions-based research that focuses on human development, child and youth health in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and/or communities.
  • Human Development, Child and Youth Health for Equity-Deserving Groups*: This funding pool will support research that focuses on human development, child and youth health in equity-deserving groups. Equity-deserving groups include, but are not limited to, women, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

*Please note that projects focused on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) human development, child and youth health must apply to the Indigenous Human Development, Child and Youth Health pool. Projects that include Indigenous people in a broader sample of equity-deserving groups must apply to the Human Development, Child and Youth Health for Equity-Deserving Groups pool.

Eligibility

  • All 9 eligibility requirements (listed here) must be met. For example:
    1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must:
      • be an early career researcher affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation) and
      • have at least 50% protected time for research

Evaluation Criteria

  • Research Approach
  • Originality of the Proposal
  • Applicant
  • Impact of Research
  • Quality of the Research Environment

Key Dates

For full information and details about this competition, including how yo apply, please visit the ResearchNet page. Deadlines are linked above in the ATM Calendar.

Dr. Sorensen, Director of the Academy of Translational Medicine, co-authors promising research regarding cancer-causing proteins.

April 8, 2024

Applications Open: 2024 C2 & Reach Competitions

April 4, 2024

The 2024 Convening & Collaborating (C2) and Reach competitions are now open for applications

C2: Promote knowledge exchange and meaningful collaboration

  • Supports researchers, trainees and those who use research to engage with each other and co-develop research that is impactful for patients, health practitioners and policymakers.
  • Researchers who need support to develop a research agenda, identify key research practice priorities or evaluate a peer support initiative should consider applying to the C2 program. 

Reach: Disseminate research evidence with research users 

  • Supports researchers build knowledge translation capacity through events, activities and tools that reach audiences that can improve health and care for British Columbians and their communities. Supports researchers to disseminate research evidence by co-developing events, activities and tools with those who can directly benefit from it. This helps researchers reach audiences who can use the knowledge to ultimately improve health and care for British Columbians and their communities.
  • Researchers who need support to disseminate their research through events, activities or tools should consider applying to the Reach program.

 Program Details

  • For the 2024 C2 & Reach competitions, Health Research BC will continue to accept applications from across the full range of health research topics.
  • Additional funding is also available this year to support proposals focused on 4 priority areas:
      1. Population aging
      2. Climate change & health
      3. Health human resources crisis
      4. Public health emergencies
  • The maximum amount for each award has increased to $20,000

Key Dates

  • Information Session Webinar: 10 April 2024 | 10:30am
  • Application Deadlines
    • Applicant: 13 May 2024
    • Host Institution: 21 May 2024
  • Anticipated notice of funding decision:September 2024
  • Award start date: 1 October 2024

Find the Health Research BC announcement here

Find C2 competition details, eligibility requirements and information on how to apply, here

Find Reach competition details, eligibility requirements and information on how to apply, here

Globe and Mail article highlights ATM and ATM Director Dr. Poul Sorensen

April 2, 2024

The Acacdemy of Translational Medicine (ATM) and ATM Director Dr. Poul Sorensen have been highlighted in an article by The Globe and Mail.

The article, B.C. biotech boom: Vancouver looks to join the global big leagues of modern medicine, highlights, provides a inside look at Vancouver’s role in the global biotech industry. At the forefront of this conversation are the key players and spin-off companies that have created a dynamic landscape over the years, many of whom have UBC affiliations. For example, Dr. Pieter Cullis’ role in COVID-19 vaccines, and companies such as AbCellera and Aspect Biosystems. Both the ATM and Dr. Sorensen were mentioned in the article, with reference to how the ATM fits within the local ecosystem and how Dr. Sorensen has himself contributed to cutting-edge research with real-world impact.

‘Enabling UBC academics to think commercially is the goal of UBC’s Academy of Translational Medicine, created at Dr. Kelleher’s behest in 2019. His choice to lead it was intentional: celebrated UBC researcher Poul Sorensen, who discovered a gene mutation in 1998 linked to cancer.’

When Dr. Sorensen was interviewed for the article, he admitted that “When we made the discovery we weren’t thinking about intellectual property”  and “If I had thought about it earlier I would have staked a claim. I thought, ‘Next time I do this, I’ll be smart.”

‘He only realized it when Bayer AG offered to fly him business class to give talks about his discoveries in the 2010s. At the time, the company was co-developing a drug to target the gene defect and shrink a range of tumours, which it expects will generate €750-million in yearly peak sales.’

However, author Sean Silcoff also addresses the the unique challenges that biotech faces in Vancouver, where there is a plethora of talent and is growing quickly, but it hasn’t quite been leveraged its full potential. One of Dr. Sorensen’s quotes in the article summed this up succinctly “We’re really good at discovery science in Vancouver. All the pieces are in place. Now, how do we up the game?”. Dr. Sorensen points out that  “We’ve realized a lot of academics aren’t clear on when something will be of interest” (to the market), leading to the development of courses that aim to give academics the tools to file their new drug applications with regulators.

The ATM highly recommends reading this article for the full scope of information presented. The article can be found here through UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, or here on The Globe and Mail.

BCCHR Investigator Grant Award Program (IGAP) Announces Open Call for Clinician Scientists

March 22, 2024

The BC Children’s Hospital Research (BCCHR) Investigator Grant Award Program (IGAP) has announced an Open Call competition to support up to 2 new salary awards at the Clinician Scientist level, each at a maximum of $134,000 per year for 5 years. The IGAP Award ‘is intended to support existing Clinician Scientists who are looking to further develop and grow their research programs with the support of salary funding towards dedicated research time’.

Quick Facts

  • Clinician Scientists for this award are considered those who are or will be Research-primary and also provide clinical service.
    • This includes researchers who are also medical or allied health professions (ex: Emergency Department Physicians, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, etc.).
  • The clinician scientist must currently hold an active clinical position and will continue to work clinically for approximately 30% alongside IGAP Award.
  • The clinician scientists awarded must have a minimum of 70% protected research time.
  • The candidate needs to be actively engaged in child health research and conduct a significant portion of their research on the BCCH Oak Street Campus.
  • Per year, the average IGAP Clinician Scientists Award holder:
    • Publishes 10 publications
    • Has 5 active grants
    • Supports 4 trainees

Applications

  • Application Deadline: 10 May 2024 | 4pm
    • Note: Applications may only be submitted by the Department/ School (not the individual Clinician Scientists), with each Department/School limited to 3 applications.
  • A completed application package includes:
    • Application Form
    • Clinician Scientist’s CV
    • Letter of commitment
    • Letts of support from partners (optional)

Visit here for full IGAP Award details, criteria, application requirements, and FAQ