BACKGROUNDER
June 11, 2009
PROJECTS FUNDED IN OTTAWA
Ontario is providing more than $23 million to support six world-class projects and 100 researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa.
Ontario Regional Biotherapeutics Program (ORBiT)
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr. John Bell
Number of Researchers Affected: 14
Provincial Funding: $10,074,953
Funding Program: Ontario Institute of Cancer Research
Biotherapeutics is a new term used to describe therapies based on biological materials, including cells, genes and viruses. These biological therapies are potentially much more powerful than traditional pharmaceutical therapies. They can be programmed to target diseased tissue without harming normal tissue, and some can also replicate inside the body. ORBiT aims to develop a variety of biotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer, including “oncolytic” viruses, anti-cancer vaccines and cell-based therapies. Ontario is a world-leader in research and development in biotherapeutics.
“Great progress has been made in cancer research over the last few decades, but in the clinic we are still using crude therapies with major side effects. Biotherapeutics are more targeted and potentially much more powerful,” said Dr. Bell. “I am excited about our upcoming clinical trials and the potential that they may help some people, but I also want to emphasize that we are still at the early stages of this research. We’re trying to develop a suite of new biological therapies for cancer, not a single magic bullet and it will take a lot of work. I would like to thank all the generous donors and the agencies who have supported or work over the years.”
Key private sector partners: Jennerex Biotherapeutics
Novel Strategies for Enhancing Oncolytic Virus-mediated Cancer Therapy
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr. Michael McBurney
Number of Researchers Affected: 9
Provincial Funding: $4,188,814
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
An oncolytic virus infects and breaks down cancer cells but not normal cells. It is a type of targeted therapy. Ottawa Health Research Institute’s Program in Cancer Therapeutics (PCT) plans to use its expertise and its industrial partners’ experience to discover better oncolytic virus genotypes and virus and drug combinations to improve human cancer treatment.
Key private sector partners: Jennerex Biotherapeutics, Matrix Advanced Solutions, Atreus Pharmaceutical
“The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is leading the way in developing a number of innovative new therapies, including oncolytic viruses for cancer and stem cell therapies for heart attack, multiple sclerosis and vision loss,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director, OHRI, Vice-President of Research, The Ottawa Hospital and Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa. “This new funding from the government of Ontario will greatly accelerate our work, so that we can get new therapies into the clinic more quickly and help people recover from devastating diseases.”
The Next Crucial Step in Genome Research — Mapping Gene Circuit Boards
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr. Michael Rudnicki
Number of Researchers Affected: 66
Provincial Funding: $3,828,498
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
Launched in 2004, the Ottawa Health Research Institute’s International Regulome Consortium (IRC) is an ambitious, Canadian-led international research effort. It brings together over 66 investigators from 34 institutions in 12 countries. Its focus is mapping gene regulatory circuit boards (similar to electrical circuits) — the next crucial step in genome research. The findings will help to identify targets for drug development and new therapies for currently untreatable disease.
“Canada is recognized around the world for its leadership in stem cell research, and in the International Regulome Consortium in particular,” said Dr. Rudnicki. “The government of Ontario has been very supportive of this effort. This funding will help pave the way for Ontario to take a lead role in the development of the next generation of stem cell therapies for devastating diseases.”
Key private sector partners: Invitrogen Corporation
National Biorepository for the Partnership for Tomorrow Cohort and the Ontario Health Study
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr. Brent Zanke
Number of Researchers Affected: 3
Provincial Funding: $426,000
Funding Program: OICR Equipment Grants program
The Ontario Health Study a large population-based, longitudinal cohort study (150,000 Ontarians age 35-69) to advance the knowledge of the major risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, as well as the causes of the risk factors themselves.
As part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project that will eventually include 300,000 Canadians, the Ontario Health Study is being supported by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and Cancer Care Ontario — all funded by various levels of government — to advance action on cancer control for all Canadians. Under the direction of Dr. John McLaughlin at Cancer Care Ontario, the Ontario Health Study is being conducted in collaboration with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and other agencies across Canada.
Key partners: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Cancer Care Ontario and Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
APECS: Advancing Photovoltaics for Economical Concentrator Systems
Lead Institution: University of Ottawa
Lead Researcher: Dr. Trevor Hall
Number of Researchers Affected: 6
Provincial Funding: $3,257,966
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
The world-wide marketplace for high efficiency photovoltaic concentrator technology is growing at 30 per cent per annum. This technology delivers more power at lower cost because it uses a lot less semi-conducting material to convert light into power. This technology is key to creating cost-effective and efficient solar powered electricity generation that will enable widespread adoption of alternative and green energy. The University of Ottawa’s cross-disciplinary team has a goal of establishing high efficiency concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems as an economically-viable technology for grid-connected solar power generation. The research team has set an aggressive target of enabling $2/W concentrator system cost, and $0.07/kW-hr grid parity. The proposed program will contribute directly to improving the environment and reducing non-renewable resource dependence. The research will develop highly qualified and skilled personnel at the college and university levels.
Key private sector partners: Cyrium Technologies, OPEL International, Semiconductor Insights
MESSAGEs: Media-Server and Support for Advanced Gaming Environments
Lead Institution: University of Ottawa
Lead Researcher: Dr. Nicolas D. Georganas
Number of Researchers Affected: 8
Provincial Funding: $1,238,027
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
Gaming technology has many significant applications in many sectors: the entertainment industry; industrial and government training; education and services development and testing. Combining high mobility and high performance has great potential in mobile wireless handsets, automobile technological systems and other applications, but there are major technical and creative challenges. Through MEdia-Server and Support for Advanced Gaming Environments (MESSAGEs), the University of Ottawa’s proposed research will identify solutions to these challenges, with a team of leading Canadian researchers from diverse fields and private sector partners.
Key private sector partners: IBM, Larus Technologies
See also:
- News Release: Ontario Invests In Leading-Edge Medical Research
- Backgrounder: BUILDING AN INNOVATION ECONOMY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
