CIHR contributes $3.2 million in new funding for health research at SFU Science

Simon Fraser University Faculty of Science researchers have been awarded $3.2 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through the Fall 2023 Project Grant competition.

The Project Grant program funds research in all areas of health with the greatest potential to generate new fundamental or applied knowledge to advance health care, health systems, and/or health outcomes.

Four projects led by SFU Science researchers have received funding totalling $3.2 million:

• $1.2M to study the role of SK ion channel variants in atrial fibrillation using hiPSC-derived atrial tissue
  Principal Investigator: Glen Tibbits, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
• $994,000 to study caspase regulation of cellular stress responses in breast cancer
  Principal Investigator: Sharon Gorski, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• $895,000 to study mechanism-based targeted rescue of hERG channel dysfunction in hiPSC-CMs
  Principal Investigator: Thomas Claydon, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, leading a team of researchers including Glen Tibbits, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
• $100,000 in bridge funding to study targeting adaptive autophagy to enhance treatment response in pancreatic cancer
  Principal Investigator: Sharon Gorski, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry leading a team of researchers including Robert Young, Chemistry

An additional project, led by SFU Gerontology professor Theresa Pauly received $455,000 for a comprehensive investigation of daily social events and health in older adults, whose research team includes Dawn Mackey, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology.

Learn more about CIHR Project Grants and view the Fall 2023 results.