January 29, 2008

LONDON RECEIVES $11 MILLION FOR GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT HEALTH-RELATED RESEARCH

Today’s announcement represents part of the second round of funding under the Ontario Research Fund’s Research Excellence program. In this round, the government is investing $11,089,235 to support two world-class research and innovation projects in London. Funding will be matched by 10 industry and other partners participating in the projects.

Robarts Research Institute

Making a Better Brain: An Ontario Neuroimaging Consortium

Taking neuroimaging research from the lab to the marketplace

Lead researcher: Ravi Menon
Total project cost: $12,484,784
Provincial funding: $4,161,595

Key private sector partners:
Varian, GE Healthcare, Siemens Canada, Philips Medical Systems

Ontario’s new Neuroimaging Consortium at Robarts Research Institute will move quickly to translate advances in neuroimaging science into new products and services that can improve healthcare delivery in Ontario, and be marketed globally.

Internationally renowned researchers, known for their expertise in neuroimaging (the use of various techniques to study the structure and function of the brain) will work under the leadership of Dr. Ravi Menon, to develop new techniques to better diagnose and monitor treatments for neurological diseases – such as brain cancer, epilepsy, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers will work closely with scientists at partner companies to move their new medical discoveries from the lab to the marketplace. The goal of this project is to translate new discoveries into healthcare products and services that can benefit Ontario families, and be marketed globally.

The University of Western Ontario

New Technologies for Ginseng Agriculture and Product Development

Developing a unique Ontario ginseng variety

Lead researcher: Dr. Edmund M. K. Lui
Total project cost: $20,782,919
Provincial funding: $6,927,640

Key private sector partners:
Ontario Ginseng Growers Association, Jamieson Laboratories Ltd, Naturex

Canada is the world’s largest producer of North American ginseng, the bulk of which is grown in Ontario. Ontario is a world leader in the $88-million North American ginseng export industry. 

The province has a strong industry with over 220 growers and approximately 6,000 acres in production — harvesting almost 4 million pounds of ginseng per year. Ginseng ranks as Ontario's fifth largest cash crop.

However, most of this raw material is exported to other countries where it is made into more valuable healthcare products. The goal of this research project is to study ways to keep that value-added business in Ontario.

Through a dynamic collaboration between academia, government and industry, the entire value chain for ginseng production and export will work together to improve the quality, safety and therapeutic properties of Ontario-grown crops. The new network will be centred at The University of Western Ontario and bring together researchers from a number of universities (McMaster, Guelph, Ottawa and Toronto) with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association and the natural health product industry.

Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence Program

This second round of funding under the Research Excellence program will invest  $114,709,614 to support 19 world-class projects at nine Ontario universities, institutes and hospitals. Funding will be matched by 107 major industry and other partners participating in the projects.

For more information about the Ontario Research Fund, please visit www.ontario.ca/innovation.

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