Twenty McGill researchers 鈥� nine of them from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 鈥� have received infrastructure awards from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support their innovative projects, for a total federal investment of $5.5 million.鈥赌�
These grants will be matched by the Quebec government, doubling their value.鈥赌�
The funding was鈥�疭eptember 13, part of a total of $86 million in CFI awards for 316 research infrastructure projects at 47 institutions across the country. The awards, from CFI鈥檚 John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), help universities provide top scientific researchers with the highly specialized infrastructure they need to excel.鈥�
McGill鈥檚 recipients work in a wide range of fields, from reducing chemical pollution in the environment to improving immunotherapies to treat cancer.鈥�
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery professor鈥�Dana Small鈥痺ill leverage JELF funding to launch paradigm-shifting research combatting the obesity and diabetes pandemics. Obesity was once considered strictly a metabolic disorder, however recent research is revealing surprising interactions between the brain and metabolism, with obesity and Type 2 diabetes now recognized as significant risk factors for cognitive impairment and the development of dementias, including Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Small鈥檚 initiative will establish a world-class program positioned at the intersection of neuroscience and metabolism, emphasizing cutting-edge research, new technologies, public outreach, commercialization and the development of a sustainable training program. Small began her tenure at McGill in 2023 as鈥�.鈥�
Among the award winners is鈥�Lucas Caire da Silva, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, who draws inspiration from how cells work in his exploration of how to increase the efficiency and selectivity of chemical reactions. A goal is to devise methods that avoid reliance on toxic chemicals and complex steps that waste materials and energy. This approach supports Canada鈥檚 sustainability goals and positions the country as a leader in innovative, bio-inspired chemistry.鈥�
Vivian Qian Liu,鈥疉ssistant Professor in the Department of Parasitology,鈥痺ill鈥痷se her鈥疛ELF funding to鈥痑cquire鈥痵uper-resolution microscopy to study infectious diseases that originate from animals and infect humans, particularly through foodborne illnesses. These viral and bacterial zoonoses are among the greatest challenges faced by public-health experts today. Liu鈥檚 research will explore how zoonotic viruses spill over from wildlife to humans and livestock, and how bacterial cells persist in agroecosystems. By providing high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of live specimens, this research will aid in the development of active surveillance systems and effective intervention strategies.鈥赌�
聽鈥淚 thank the Canada Foundation for Innovation for providing this essential support for cutting-edge McGill research, and for its commitment to strengthening Canada鈥檚 position as a global innovation leader, and I also am grateful to the Quebec government for its matching grants, which similarly strengthen Quebec,鈥� Dominique B茅rub茅, McGill鈥檚 Vice-President, Research and Innovation, said.鈥�
List of CFI JELF-funded projects at McGill鈥�
FMHS projects:
Microvascular and Endothelial Health in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Mariane Bertagnolli, School of Physical & Occupational Therapy
$294,252鈥�
The marmoset as a preclinical model for studying sensory and social mechanisms linked to Autism Spectral Disorders鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Justine Cl茅ry,聽Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery鈥赌�
$95,528鈥赌�
Understanding cellular dynamics of skin health and disease鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Katie Cockburn, Department of Biochemistry鈥赌�
$160,000鈥赌�
鈥�Ex vivo assessment of the aging brain and its disorders
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�, Department of Psychiatry
$97,776鈥�
Architectures that mediate bacteria-host interactions: towards an anti-adhesion strategy to treat microbial infections鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Shuaiqi Guo, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology鈥赌�
$150,000鈥赌�
Long term effects of mild-traumatic brain injury
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Lili-Naz Hazrati, Department of Pathology
$187,486鈥赌�
Understanding T cell development and function to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Heather Melichar, Department of Microbiology & Immunology鈥赌�
$276,393鈥赌�
Brain and Metabolism Initiative鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Dana Small, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery鈥�
$799,999鈥赌�
Microwave sensing for accessible, personalized health screening and monitoring鈥�鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Emily Porter, Department of Biological & Biomedical Engineering
$100,000鈥赌�
Other McGill projects:
Timeseries Anomaly Detection
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Narges Armanfard, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering鈥赌�
$140,459鈥赌�
Innovative nutrition and lifestyle interventions for health improvement and management of diabetes, aging and cancer鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Anne-Sophie Brazeau, School of Human Nutrition
$447,848鈥赌�
Bio-inspired Supramolecular Microreactors for Synthetic Chemistry
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Lucas Caire da Silva,鈥疍epartment of Chemistry
$280,934鈥�
Precise, comprehensive and practical musculoskeletal measurements to prevent age-, sex- and disease-specific bone loss鈥赌�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Jenna Gibbs, Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education
$162,342鈥赌�
Science鈥�Biology鈥�Integrated microbial culture facility for near-realtime evolutionary analysis鈥赌�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Rees Kassen, Department of Biology鈥�
$435,381鈥赌�
Laboratory for soil and water resource protection
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Jinxia Liu, Department of Civil Engineering鈥赌�
$499,724鈥赌�
Investigation of the survival and transmission of emerging zoonotic human pathogens using super-resolution microscopy
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Qian Liu,鈥疘nstitute of Parasitology鈥赌�
$553,482鈥赌�
Uncertainty quantification and reduction via expert knowledge integration in AI-based clinical decision support tools鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Sreenath Arekunnath Madathil, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences鈥赌�
$80,315鈥�
Distributed neural representations for efficient learning and inference
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Paul Masset, Department of Psychology
273,722鈥赌�
TRANSFORM: Engaging with young People for social Change鈥�鈥�
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Claudia Mitchell, Department of Integrated Studies in Education鈥�
$95,879鈥赌�
Extreme temperature carbothermal manufacturing of sustainable graphitic carbon materials
笔谤辞蹿别蝉蝉辞谤鈥�Philippe Ouzilleau, Department of Mining and Materials Engineering鈥赌�
$374,138鈥赌�
