UBC Applied Science-led projects awarded over $1M in CIHR Project Grant support

Two projects led by UBC Faculty of Applied Science researchers will receive more than $1 million through the Project Grants: Fall 2020 competition administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Eligible to researchers in any stage of their careers, CIHR Project Grants seek to "support a diverse portfolio of health-related research and knowledge translation projects; promote relevant collaborations across disciplines, professions, and sectors; and contribute to the creation and use of health-related knowledge."

One project, whose principal investigators include UBC biomedical engineering professors Ali Bashashati and Tim Salcudean, will use artificial intelligence-based techniques to identify new biomarkers for prostate cancer. The project's findings could improve the ability of health care providers to determine the likelihood that a patient will develop a higher-risk form of the cancer over time, as well as to decide the best treatment for patients.      

The second project, led by UBC nursing professor Lillian Hung, will be supported through the Project Grant: Fall 2020 Priority Announcement — an additional source of funding for "highly ranked applications submitted to the Project Grant competition." The project will develop and evaluate a mobile app aimed at decreasing feelings of social isolation among older people with dementia who are living in long-term care facilities and hospital settings. 

During the fall 2020 competition round, CIHR awarded 41 UBC-led projects a total of $25.6 million, with thirty-three receiving Project Grants totaling $24.8 million and eight receiving Priority Announcement grants totaling $775,000. For more information about these projects, please see the announcement on the UBC Research + Innovation website.

The UBC Applied Science-led projects are:

UBC Applied Science-led Project Grant

Prostate cancer risk stratification for active surveillance using computer-aided analysis of histopathology and transcriptomics
UBC PI(s): Bashashati, Ali (Biomedical Engineering); Black, Peter (Urologic Sciences); Goldenberg, Larry (Urologic Sciences); Salcudean, Septimiu (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
CIHR Funding: $906,525 (5 yrs)
 

UBC Applied Science-led Project Grant: Priority Announcement

'What Matters' - A digital solution to support person-centered care for people with dementia in care settings
Priority Announcement: Patient-Oriented Research: Early-Career Investigator
UBC PI: Hung, Lillian (Nursing)
CIHR Funding: $100,000