Canada Foundation for Innovation Grants Queen's University over $2,000,000

Thirteen Queen’s research projects, ranging from the origins of biodiversity to probiotics and gastrointestinal diseases have received more than $2 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Leaders Opportunities Fund. This support will enable the university to invest in state-of-the-art lab equipment to conduct world-class research.

Lauren Flynn (Chemical Engineering) has been granted $100,000 for research on tissue engineering with adipose-derived stem cells.

“Tissue engineering holds great promise for the treatment of numerous diseases, disorders, and traumas,” says Dr. Flynn. “The long-term objective in this field is to create tissue substitutes that will fully integrate into the body, promoting regeneration and restoring lost functionality.”

Her research focuses on the investigation of stem cells isolated from human fat. The CFI funds will be integral to establishing Dr. Flynn's research program involving novel bioreactor strategies, differentiation, and the fabrication of 3-D constructs for soft tissue reconstruction.

Christopher Bowie (Psychology) has been awarded $74,500 for research on neruocognition and functional disability in schizophrenia. His research program focuses on understanding and treating impairments in neurocognition, such as attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.

“Schizophrenia is one of the world’s most devastating illnesses,” says Dr. Bowie. “Neurocognitive deficits, more so than the diagnostic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, cause and maintain functional disability in schizophrenia.”

The grant will provide Dr. Bowie with advanced tools for examining these neurocognitive deficits and for designing behavioural treatment strategies that aim to reduce the functional burden of schizophrenia.

Other Queen’s recipients are:

Gunnar Blohm, Physiology ($200,000): Dynamics of sensorimotor computations for perception and action: modeling and experiments

Christopher Booth, Oncology ($78,624): Translating new anti-cancer treatments into population benefit: a provincial chemotherapy and outcomes database

Gabor Fichtinger, Computing ($400,000): Percutaneous oncology intervention laboratory

Yves Filion, Civil Engineering ($150,000): Enhanced disease surveillance for the rapid detection and mitigation of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks caused by drinking water system contamination

Gregory Jerkiewicz, Chemistry ($199,390): Infrastructure for the search of quantum entanglement in electrochemical processes involving hydrogen

Paul Martin, Biology ($120,000): Origins of Biodiversity

William Nelson, Biology ($131,200): Laboratory and field equipment to study eco-evolutionary feedbacks in coupled ecological systems

John Peacey, Mining Engineering ($100,000): New process development for complex copper and nickel ores and concentrates

Joshua Pearce, Mechanical and Materials Engineering ($200,000): Ultra-high efficiency InGaN solar photovoltaic cells

Elaine Petrof, Medicine ($180,000): Probiotics and gastrointestinal diseases

Kimberly Woodhouse, Chemical Engineering ($125,000): Elastomeric polymers for tissue engineering: building biomimetic scaffolds

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The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to strengthen the capacity for innovation in Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and other non-profit institutions. A complete list of New Opportunities projects by university can be found at: www.innovation.ca

Source: Queen's University News Centre