U of S Health Researchers Receive $1.4 M in HSURC Grants
Posted October 25, 2001
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 25, 2001 2001-10-22-OTHER
U of S Health Researchers Receive $1.4 M in HSURC Grants
Today 23 University of Saskatchewan health researchers and their teams will
be honored at a reception on campus for their recent awards totalling $1.4
million from the Health Services Utilization and Research Commission
(HSURC).
Grants for the 2001 competition have been awarded to six U of S biomedical
and seven socio-health research projects. Fellowship awards have been given
to 10 post-doctoral fellows to renew or commence their studies.
HSURC, which is providing $1.5 million to researchers across Saskatchewan
this year, provides
critical funding for new faculty to start their research, said Bruce
Waygood, University Co-ordinator of Health Research.
"This money is an invaluable recruitment incentive for the U of S in today's
competitive hiring market," he said.
"In addition, the support of post-doctoral fellows provides established
faculty with an important source of additional funding to help them remain
competitive, and to help to keep federal health research funds flowing to
Saskatchewan."
Waygood congratulated the recipients on their wide-ranging and innovative
health research projects, and said he looks forward to the HSURC start-up
grants leading to future success in the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research competitions.
HSURC, Saskatchewan's health research granting agency, supports and
stimulates independent health research by offering grants to encourage
growth in social science health research and to help new health researchers
establish careers.
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For further information contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications Officer
966-2506
Backgrounder -- U of S HSURC Recipients
Biomedical Establishment Research Grants
* Troy Harkness (Anatomy and Cell Biology) will study the role of chromatin
assembly, an early process in the establishment of chromasome structure, to
understand and help fight certain genetic diseases.
* Ed Krol (College of Pharmacy and Nutrition) will look at the health
benefits from flaxseed lignans, compounds found in flaxseed attributed with
beneficial properties.
* Adel Mohamed with Bernhard Juurlink (Anatomy and Cell Biology) will
examine diet in multiple sclerosis (MS)-induced rate models. The long-term
aim will be to improve MS treatment in humans.
* Scott Napper (Biochemistry) is studying the regulation of proteins
involved in bacterial information processing pathways.
* Jaswant Singh (Veterinary Biomedical Sciences) will search for markers of
egg quality in animal models, work that could lead to more appropriate
hormone treatments to obtain eggs in infertile women.
* Robert Skomro (Medicine) using bi-level positive airway pressure therapy
will study the effects of treating adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at
night. The work promises to help lung function and sleep quality in CF
patients.
Socio-Health Establishment Grants
* Donna Goodwin (Kinesiology) will look at what physical well-being means
for people with disabilities and the role it plays in developing a healthy
identity.
* Kent Kowalski (Kinesiology) will examine how adolescents cope with anxiety
about body appearance and the factors that motivate some individuals to
engage in healthy or unhealthy behaviors.
* Carl D'Arcy (Psychiatry) will estimate the prevalence of anxiety and
depression, examine the social determinants of and rural-urban differences
in emotional well-being, and analyze reasons for increases and decreases in
stress among Saskatchewan adults.
* Vernon Hoeppner (Medicine) will explore whether tuberculosis rates are
higher in aboriginal people with diabetes compared to aboriginal people
without diabetes.
* Muriel Montbriand (Psychiatry) will study relationships between seniors'
illnesses and their life experiences, research that could help health
professionals provide seniors with comprehensible medical information.
* Nazeem Muhajarine (SPHERU and Community Health and Epidemiology) will look
at how neighborhood characteristics and family income instability,
independently and jointly, affect birth outcomes and in turn children's
health.
Socio-Health Research Development Grants
* Allison Williams (SPHERU and Geography) along with a national team will
examine how environments or places operate as determinants of health across
five Canadian cities.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships-Renewal
* Huse Kamencic with Bernhard Juurlink (both with Anatomy and Cell Biology)
will investigate the effect of antioxidants (substances that reduce tissue
damage caused y oxygen free radicals) on prevention of secondary damage and
promotion of nerve regeneration following traumatic spinal cord injury.
* Radhey Kaushik with Philip Griebel (both of VIDO) are working to identify
novel methods for enhancing the efficacy of oral vaccines specifically at
intestinal surfaces.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships-New
* Ou Bai with Xin-Min Li (both of Psychiatry) will study the expression of
p75NTR, a receptor that plays a major role in neuron death in the central
nervous system, and another receptor, TrkA, to improve understanding of the
physiological processes leading to schizophrenia.
* Pawel Bartlewski (Veterinary Biomedical Sciences) with Jorge Chedrese
(Obstetrics and Gynecology) will explore regulation of ovarian function by
amalgamating ultrasonography, hormone measurement and molecular biology to
develop a sheep model of reproductive processes in humans. The work promises
to help refine contraceptive methods and hormonal treatments, thus improving
reproductive health and welfare of women.
* Todd Hryciw with David Schreyer (both of Cameco MS Neuroscience Research
Center) will study how the synthesis of growth-associated proteins involved
in axon regenerative growth is regulated. This could help researchers devise
strategies for regenerating neuron growth after central nervous system
injuries in humans.
* Dahai Hu with Rui Wang (Physiology) will study hypertension through the
expression and function of voltage-gated potassium channels in blood
vessels. This could lead to novel genetic approaches to preventing or
treating high blood pressure.
* Yitao Long (Biochemistry & Chemistry) with Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz
(Chemistry) and Jeremy Lee (Biochemistry) are trying to develop a highly
sensitive biosensor based on a new DNA molecule called M-DNA which transmits
information as fluorescence or electrochemical properties.
* SPHERU (Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit)
researchers Michael McCubbin (University of Regina) with Ron Labonte (U of
S) will study interactions among social, community and psychological factors
over the life of different populations in an attempt to identify promising
policy interventions for improving health.
* Angelo Mena (VIDO) with Lorne Babiuk (VIDO) will investigate the
mechanisms by which DNA derived from bacteria and a variety of invertebrates
can induce immunological effects when administered to vertebrates.
* Meiqing Shi with Henry Tabel (Veterinary Microbiology) will investigate
the interaction of lymphocytes and macrophages, cells in the body's
immunological defense system, in response to single-celled blood parasites
called trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness in humans and wasting in
domestic animals. The research is expected to yield basic information for
designing effective vaccines.
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