March 11, 2025
The ATM is excited to share that Dr. Dean Regier has been appointed Director of the Academy of Translational Medicine.
Dr. Regier is an associate professor in the School of Population and Public Health, and served as Associate Director of the ATM since 2022. He is also a senior scientist at the BC Cancer Research Institute. An internationally-recognized health economist specializing in translational medicine and regulatory science, his research aims to develop learning healthcare systems and policies that accelerate access to safe, effective, and cost-effective healthcare, with a focus on patient-oriented clinical trials and AI-supported real-world evidence generation.
Through the ATM, Dr. Regier developed Canada’s first educational offering in regulatory affairs and regulatory science. He also chairs the Faculty of Medicine’s Regulatory Advisory Council, providing UBC scientists with real-time guidance on efficiently navigating the regulatory landscape. He has also previously served on the B.C. Drug Benefit Council, where he provided evidence-informed recommendations on the inclusion of therapeutics in the province’s PharmaCare formulary.
As Director of the ATM, Dr. Regier will lead the continued development of the academy into a world-leading network and hub for innovation in translational medicine and regulatory science. He will expand the academy’s educational initiatives and help to strengthen the UBC and BC life sciences ecosystem in translational and health policy research. By fostering collaboration and innovation, he will enhance connections among outstanding research institutes, centres and programs, advancing translational medicine on a global scale.
The Academy of Translational Medicine will build a collaborative ecosystem where cutting-edge discovery and interdisciplinary partnerships converge, accelerating innovation through the translational pipeline by removing barriers – Dr. Dean Regier
Dr. Regier is the second Director of the ATM, following his previous positions as the Associate Director and Co-Director pro tem, and will continue as Chair of the Regulatory Advisory Council. The ATM sincerely thanks Dr. Poul Sorensen for his time as the ATM’s first Director. Dr. Sorensen is a highly esteemed researcher contributing to translational medicine, with his research providing significant breakthroughs leading to identification of therapeutic targets in pediatric oncology and breast cancer. Dr. Sorensen’s vision, dedication, and contributions to shaping the ATM will leave a lasting impact.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Regier, whose new perspective will further the ATM towards accelerating the translation of lifesaving medicines for BC and Canada – saving more lives, sooner.
March 7, 2025
Those seeking interdisciplinary clinical research projects are encouraged to learn about the Multiple Principal Investigator Award. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation expects investigators from distinct subspecialties or research disciplines to collaborate, with opportunities for those in translational medicine. Projects must have 2-3 independent investigators (no less or more), and those that bring new investigators and technologies into the CF research community will be given highest priority.
Research projects may be designed to test new hypotheses and/or new methods or to advance established results with the potential to address diagnosis, treatment, management of disease or symptoms, or the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis using clinical (observational/interventional), translational, or epidemiologic study approaches.
Interested parties should refer to the key research priorities of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Each research priority is categorized under the key areas of focus, for Cure, Care, and Community, which contain many relevant areas for translational medicine.
Funding Available
- Up to $200,000 per applicant per year, for up to three years
- An additional 12% indirect costs per year.
- An additional $25,000 for the lead institution for direct costs per year.
Fall 2025 Competition Key Dates
- Letter of Intent Deadline: 3 April 2025 | 2 pm
- Applicants must speak with program staff prior to their LOI submission. Failure to do so will result in the administrative withdrawal of the proposal.
- Full Application Deadline: 14 August 2025 | 2pm
March 6, 2025
Disruptive Innovation in Cancer Research Competition
This funding opportunity is provided by the Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society. It is designed to spark innovation which may be of benefit to the field of cancer research. The competition is not looking for typical projects which may be likely to get funding through typical funding pathways, but rather to find innovative, out-of-the-box intuitive or discovery-inspired projects which would be otherwise unlikely to be successful in securing funding via traditional competitions.
We will consider high risk projects with minimal or no preliminary data that, if successful, are likely to have a significant impact on cancer. –Hecht Foundation / Canadian Cancer Society
Available Funding
- Up to 16 projects
- $250,000 per project, over two years.
The competition consists of the following stages:
- Expression of Intent/EOI
- 300-500 word summary of the project
- Summary should include rationale, duration, budget, and requested amount of funding.
- Full application
- By invitation/shortlist only.
- More detailed and comprehensive information about the project is required at this stage.
This opportunity supports basic and preclinical research projects with budgets of up to $450,000 over three years. Proposals may originate from young or established researchers within their field or may be inspired by innovations or discoveries from adjacent and non-related areas.
The following are considerations that the Hecht Foundation states are used as part of an evaluation of projects, when making final funding decisions. Originality will be a key driver of success and will exclude projects that are incremental progression of existing studies.
- Novelty and uniqueness of the project; general fit with the Foundation’s priorities.
- Need for the project.
- Substantiation of research hypotheses and methods proposed.
- Feasibility and robustness of experimental design.
- Cost and duration of project.
- Expertise of research team.
- Clinical relevance (if applicable) and/or potential impact to the body of scientific knowledge.
- Likelihood of securing funds from other, conventional and governmental, sources.
2025 Key Dates
Summer 2025 Cycle
- Expression of Intent/EOI: 15 April 2025
- Full application upon invitation: 31 May 2025
- Decision available: Late July 2025
- Funding available: August-September 2025
Fall 2025 Cycle
- Expression of Intent/EOI: 15 August 2025
- Full application upon invitation: 1 October 1 2025
- Decision available: Late November 2025
- Funding available: January 2026
Full details can be found here
February 25, 2025
V Foundation Translational Grant
The V Foundation is offering a 4-year grant of $800,000 grant ($200,000 per year) for translational research in the broad area of adult cancers, targeted towards those in their mid-to-senior-career.
Grant Description
These grants support “bench to bedside” research whose endpoint is often planning or initiation of a clinical trial. Translational projects should move a novel strategy from the laboratory to a human clinical trial or use specimens from a clinical trial to develop biomarkers or mechanisms.
UBC is invited to nominate 1 candidate, and is therefore holding an internal competition to determine its candidate. However, UBC is allowed to nominate a 2nd candidate in 2025 for an All-Star grant (they must have previously won and completed a V Foundation grant/award).
Key Dates
- UBC internal selection deadline: 28 Feb 2025 | 5pm
- Sponsor nomination deadline: 21 March 2025 (to be confirmed)
- Full application deadline: April 19, 2025 (to be confirmed)
Applications
Interested candidates should submit the following items by the 28 February internal deadline, to the contact listed on the UBC information page.
- UBC CV
- 3-page Draft Recommendation Letter (with department head confirmation of nomination)
- 1-page Research Proposal Summary
Quick Facts
- The grant allows for 10% indirect costs (not to exceed $80,000 within the award)
- Nominees must be the lead Principal Investigator (PI) on the Translational research team and must meet all of the following criteria by the nomination due date:
- Nominated by their Cancer Center Director or similar high ranking research official.
- Employed at a non-profit research institution
- Faculty must have dedicated lab space and committed research time
- Must be able to apply for PI status on major research grants
Does this interest you? If so, please visit the information page on UBC’s website, and on the V Foundation Website, for further information.
February 23, 2025
Lab2Market Validate Foundations
The Lab2Market program has announced a free 3-day virtual opportunity,Validate Foundations, aimed at physicians who contribute to health innovation. Clinician scientists who are researching emerging technologies may find this program relevant, as participants will be exposed to topics such as the process and best practices for research commercialization, initiation for commercialization endeavours, and strategic positioning to capitalize on various resource and support opportunities.
The Lab2Market website contains full details, background, and eligibility.
Validate Foundation Details
Cost
Free
3-Day Program
- Dates
- Monday 24 March
- Wednesday 26 March
- Friday 28 March 2025
- Times
- 11 am – 2 pm PT (each day)
Application Deadline
February 19, 2025
Call for Abstracts
Topics
The Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a national not-for-profit charitable organization that aims to foster the application of educational and research excellence to drug discovery and therapeutic choice. Abstract submissions should fall within the scope of basic and/or clinical pharmacology.
Presentation Type
All abstracts will be submitted for Poster presentations. The Scientific Committee will determine if an abstract is accepted as: a(n) oral presentation, poster presentation, or journal publication. Accepted abstracts are published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology and are posted online for registered meeting attendees.
Full details regarding abstracts are located here
Abstract Submissions
CSPT Travel Awards
Key Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline (for travel award/oral presentation results eligibility): 17 March 2025
- Notification of travel award/oral presentation results: 10 April 2025
If you won’t be submitting an abstract but still want to learn more about the Annual Meeting, please visit here and here.
February 11, 2025
The Weston Family Foundation has announced the Rapid Response 2025 Program.
The Rapid Response Program provides seed funding to catalyze novel, high-risk, high-reward translational research that accelerates the development of therapeutics or tools for neurodegenerative diseases of aging (NDAs). The aim of the Weston Family Foundation is to catalyze and scale science-based approaches to significantly improve the health and well-being of Canadians.
Project Criteria
- Be translational research that can accelerate therapeutic or tool development for neurodegenerative diseases of aging, as defined by the Institute.
- Therapeutics should address unmet needs in the prevention, treatment and/or symptomatic management of NDAs.
- Tools should address challenges in translational research to accelerate the development and/or clinical implementation of therapeutics for NDAs (e.g., biomarkers, drug delivery systems). Projects covering only the discovery/identification of a tool are considered out of scope.
- Have preliminary data to support the hypothesis and feasibility of the project.
Funding
- Up to $300,000 over 18-24 months
Key Dates
- Letter of Intent Deadline: 18 March 2025 | 11am
- Award Announcement: November 2025
February 8, 2025
15-16 May 2025
In-person (The Nest, UBC Vancouver) and virtual
Free Event
Event Description
This event will connect partners from across BC’s health system to explore how research insights can be translated through dialogue into actionable strategies to improve health across the province. This event will bring together diverse perspectives and sectors to:
- Showcase Interdisciplinary Health Research and Innovations
- Learning from current research, innovations and impact will guide discussions about how to mobilize knowledge and implement approaches to develop transformative solutions across disciplines and sectors.
- Facilitate Connection and Dialogue
- Participants will engage in dynamic panels, interactive workshops, and working groups to tackle complex health challenges, co-create actionable strategies, and catalyze cross-campus and sector partnerships.
- Build Collaborations and Drive Change
- The event aims to foster collaborations between researchers, healthcare providers, policymakers, practitioners, and community members to establish shared goals and leave with actionable opportunities to integrate results from research into practice.
Intended Audience
- Healthcare providers
- health administrators
- Health researchers
- Policymakers
- Patient and community partners
- Other interest holders committed to bridging the knowledge-to-action gap in BC.
- UBC Health aims to ensure the engagement of diverse interest holders across the province with in-person sessions at both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses, as well as opportunities to connect virtually.
Full Information can be found Here and Here
Call for Session Proposals
Applications are open for session proposals. Proposals should focus on collaborative solutions to pressing health challenges that support actionable outcomes. In particular, the following topics are requested.
- Research ready for implementation or collaborative engagement
- Health system challenges or innovations that require a research perspective
- Session formats include: implementation workshops, panel discussions, collaborative sessions, or innovative interactive formats.