Canada to fund nanomedicine research

Seven Canadian research projects on regenerative medicine and nanomedicine have received CAD16m (USD16.2m) in public funding.

The studies are being co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and will focus on multiple sclerosis, cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, strokes and vascular diseases.

This funding will enable researchers potentially to:

• Identify microlesions in multiple sclerosis, using a new tool for quantifying the cause of the disease and how well a treatment is working, Daniel Côté, Université Laval
• Create personalised nanomedicines that silence cancer-causing genes, Petier Cullis, University of British Columbia
• Develop microchip-based devices to analyse prostate cancer markers in blood, Shana Kelley, University of Toronto
• Generate transplantable, insulin-producing cells from stem cells for diabetes, Timothy Kieffer, University of British Columbia
• Develop innovative sensorimotor rehabilitation approaches for patients with spinal cord injuries or stroke, Serge Rossignol, Université de Montréal
• Study how novel therapeutic interventions can regenerate blood vessels, Michael Sefton, University of Toronto
• Develop nanotechnology-enabled image-guided methods of diagnosing and treating lung cancer and vascular diseases, Gang Zheng, University Health Network.