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ATM ECR Ryan Flannigan's Recent Publication

ATM ECR Ryan Flannigan’s Recent Publication

February 22, 2023

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Flannigan on his recent publication, Human in vitro spermatogenesis as a regenerative therapy — where do we stand?,  in Nature Reviews Urology.

Access the full abstract and article here

Dr. Flannigan is an Early Career Researcher within the Academy of Translational Medicine. He was highlighted this month as part of the ECR Spotlight Series, providing valuable insight and advice, such as what optimal translational medicine in his area of research would look like.

Read more about him in his full interview

Watch: MATRIX-N Cluster Translation in Action Conference

February 16, 2023

 

For those who could not attend, the MATRIX-N Cluster’s December 2022 virtual conference Translation in Action: from Neuropsychiatry Research to Health Solutions were recorded and are now available for you to watch here free of charge.

The full details of the event demonstrate the impressive and thorough details of the event, which focused on the translation of relevant neuropsychiatry research to novel solutions to address the ongoing overdose crisis, various mental health challenges, and pain.

We recommend viewing it to guide the sessions you may like to watch of the recordings. In doing so, you may notice many names that you recognize, including the ATM’s Associate Director Dr. Dean Regier, who was a presenter for How do drugs become regulated?: Innovation in the face of roadblocks, which can be viewed below:

 

Research by UBC professor lays groundwork for life-saving breast cancer treatment

February 13, 2023

Applying to Interdisciplinary Grants

February 6, 2023

Translational Medicine Rounds – 6 February 2023

Tips and tricks for Early Career Researchers applying to interdisciplinary grants and seeking collaborations

Speaker: Juzer Kakal

Recording: Video (password: zAVM?0=N) & Slides

Summary: This talk will speak about the funding landscape and resources available to Early Career Researchers (ECRS) to apply for grant funding. The discussion will touch on how to cultivate collaborations and participate in interdisciplinary grant applications; meaningfully addressing questions pertaining to EDI and sex/gender considerations in your proposals; and resources available to you to help you succeed in preparing funding applications.

 

Introduction

Inter-disciplinary research projects are an approach to solving research questions that integrates multiple disciplines through collaboration. More and more funding organizations recognize the importance of multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaborations to solve pressing problems.

The term interdisciplinary will be used here as an inclusive term to encompass multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and interdisciplinary, due to the definitions of each term varying by disciplines of research (adapted from CIHR).

Interdisciplinary Grant Resources

Translational Medicine Grant Opportunities 

UBC Science STAIR Grants

STAIR grants are designed to initiate new collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects at UBC. Teams of two researchers apply – the collaboration must be interdisciplinary and the researchers must not have worked together in the past.

Successful teams will receive funding to support two graduate students for one year ($20,000 for each student) and a $5,000 research stipend for materials and supplies, shared between the two PIs.

New Frontiers in Research Fund

The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) supports world-leading interdisciplinary, international, high-risk / high-reward, transformative and rapid-response Canadian-led research. The NFRF has three streams that each support specific goals, and the flexibility to launch special calls:

Exploration: Supports high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research. Two-year grants offered yearly, at $100,000 per year ($125,000 including indirect costs)

Transformation: Supports large-scale, Canadian-led interdisciplinary research projects that address a major challenge with the potential to realize real and lasting change (high-reward). Six-year grants offered every two years, at minimum $2,000,000 per year (including indirect costs) and maximum $4,000,000 per year (including indirect costs)

International: Supports international collaborations and position Canada and Canadian researchers as strategic partners at the international level. Variable grant details.

Special Calls: Aims to mobilize Canadian-led research efforts in support of a more equitable, sustainable and resilient postpandemic reality. It will support a diverse portfolio of projects that directly address one or more of the research priorities outlined in the UN Research Roadmap for COVID-19 Recovery. Variable grant details.

Tri-agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee

The launch of the Tri-agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee is part of the tri-agency response to recommendations made in the final report of the Fundamental Science Review, whose goal is to ensure the agencies have robust mechanisms to review and support interdisciplinary research.

Relevant Competitions:

NIH interdisciplinary funding opportunities

Grant Development Services and Resources

UBC SPARC

Faculty grant support services for major Tri-Agency competitions (Tri-Agency: CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC)

SPARC offers grant development services, such as competition webinars and editorial and criteria reviews of draft application materials, and grant development resources including application templates and successful grant examples.  SPARC supports and provides information for programs such as those through CIHR, SSHRC, and NSERC. Explore SPARC’s resources and sample grants here.

In addition to competition-specific services and resources, SPARC also provides topic-specific resources (and sometimes services) in key areas, namely EDI and sex-/gender-based considerations (SBBA), and Data Management Plans.

Testimonial

“All to say that through all the submissions, SPARC help has been incredible and encouraging – especially with the resubmissions.  I think I’ve shared with the team before that we end up hating our grants so one of the magics of SPARC is when you send it back after your tender loving care, I always end up falling in love with them all over again.”

-Mary A. De Vera PhD

Associate Professor | Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Associate Dean Postdoctoral Fellows | Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Canada Research Chair in Medication Adherence, Utilization, and Outcomes

Dr. Allen Eaves Appointment to the Order of Canada

February 5, 2023

The President and CEO of STEMCELL Technologies, Dr. Allen Eaves, has been appointed to the Order of Canada. In STEMCELL Technologies’ announcement, some of Dr. Eaves’ many accomplishments include his position as the “…Head of Clinical Hematology at the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver General Hospital, and BC Cancer where he served for 18 years and focused on building one of Canada’s first and largest bone marrow transplant programs.”  To read more about Dr. Eaves (for example, did you know he founded STEMCELL Technologies by mortgaging his own home?), you are encouraged to read the announcement in full.

The Order of Canada is one of the most prestigious honours in the country, as it “recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to our nation.” as described by The Governor General of Canada.

This appointment also demonstrates the strength of BC as a leader in life sciences. The efforts of Dr. Eaves are a sample of the profound impact that those in BC have had on the progress of biotechnology and the life sciences sector. Due to the significant collective contributions of individuals such as Dr. Eaves, BC remains at the forefront of advancing such science.

Check the full list of December 2022 appointees and their contributions here, you may even recognize some.

Ryan Flannigan

February 1, 2023

Ryan Flannigan

Title: Assistant Professor

Department and Affiliations: Urologic Sciences

Program: Reproductive & Sexual Medicine

Location: Vancouver Prostate Centre

Tell us about your role in a project and how it relates to translational medicine.

As a surgeon and scientist, I am fortunate to have unique opportunities of experiencing first hand, the limitations in current clinical diagnostics, workflows, and treatments. These limitations serve as the impetus for translational research to better understand the problem and work to find novel solutions. It is in these scenarios, it is my job recruit scientific talent and assemble a team with the skill sets necessary to create a solution.

What makes you passionate about your specific area(s) of research?

It is stimulating to think about the possibilities of solving problems and transforming healthcare delivery for patients that I see day in and day out who are faced with the reality of our therapeutic limitations. Being able to develop and implement solutions that will improve their quality of life is really exciting.

What would optimal translational medicine in your area of research look like?

Translational medicine can truly take many forms even in my specific niche of reproductive and sexual medicine. In my program it involves things such as drug discovery, medical device development, creation of diagnostic tools, and in vitro technology developments depending upon the problem we are trying to solve. The common principals needed to create translational solutions, is first the identifying specific problem to address, breaking down the translational components necessary to address from clinic to lab and back to clinic, then assembling the team to do the work.

What has been the biggest barrier you’ve faced in your work and how did you or will you overcome it? 

Time. Balancing clinical practice, research, administrative and family responsibilities can be very challenging. Using all the moments of the day productively is something I continue to strive for.

You are part of the Academy of Translational Medicine Early Career Researcher cohort at UBC. What is the most important aspect of that community for you? 

Exposure to other researchers’ work, innovations and approaches can stimulate new ideas and potential collaborations.

Is there a resource that you found impactful and would recommend to others interested in translational medicine? 

I find it helpful speaking to other researchers that have developed parallel programs in related or unrelated fields to understand their journey, approaches that have worked, and approaches that they have learned from.

What is a tangible step that those interested in translational medicine can take if they don’t know where to start? 

Find an area that you are very passionate about, ask a lot of questions to understand where the boundaries are, then start asking ‘what if’ – the details, experimental design, and teammates needed will follow.

How do you like to recharge? 

Family time, exercising and a good movie!

Sunnybrook Medventions Series: 2023 Dates

February 1, 2023

We previously announced that the Sunnybrook Medventions Lecture Series returned in January 2023. The 2023 Lecture Series is free and will continue to be updated on this page as well as on our Events calendar as the sessions are announced and open for registration.

The Medventions lecture series is Sunnybrook’s flagship weekly lectures featuring enlightening talks on key topics related to pursuing medical technology innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship, aimed at clinicians, engineers and life sciences researchers and trainees. The lectures offer well-rounded, comprehensive curriculum presented by industry and academic experts in healthcare innovation and commercialization.

January 2023

February 2023

March 2023

April 2023

Check back regularly as more dates are announced

Canada’s largest-ever investment in clinical trials announced by CIHR

January 24, 2023

Through the Clinical Trials Fund (CTF), The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) will support 22 research projects, 7 training platforms, and one 1 consortium. As part of Canada’s  Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS), this investment now the largest investment Canada has ever received for clinic trial research.

The CIHR’s announcement provides exciting opportunities which could be pivotal in Canada’s clinical trial network, and show the importance of translational medicine work.  For example, the funding was mentioned in the public announcement as “foundational in ensuring that Canadians are well served by a national clinical trials network that fosters all aspects of therapeutics development, from discovery through to delivery.  It will be crucial to preparedness for future pandemics or other health emergencies and to grow a strong life sciences sector.” 

We recommend taking the time to learn more about the details and potential of the various initiatives and their funding allocations through the full announcement here, which features quotes from leaders in the field.

ATM Faculty Leadership researcher receives government funding for a new artificial intelligence-guided ultrasound imaging platform

January 19, 2023

We are pleased to share that research led by ATM Faculty Leadership researcher  Dr. Ilker Hacihaliloglu is one of 18 projects chosen to receive funding from the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF).

Dr. Ilker Hacihaliloglu’s project titled “Infrastructure for AI-integrated point-of-care ultrasound imaging for decentralized health care” demonstrates the potential and importance of translational medicine. By using artificial intelligence (AI), the platform will “provide remote, early-stage disease risk assessment of non-communicable diseases”. 

For an in-depth explanation of this project and the impact it will have as written by The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, click here.

$33.8M gift to transform MS research and save more lives, sooner

January 16, 2023