Through our annual Grants and Awards Program, the Health Sciences Centre Foundation seeks to advance and recognize the work of the extraordinary medical professionals and researchers at the Health Sciences Centre.

The following are the Health Sciences Centre Foundation’s Grant and Award recipients for 2011 / 2012.

General Operating Grants

Dr. Kangmin Duan $35,000.00
Polymicrobial diseases are infectious diseases caused by more than one pathogen and they are hard to eradicate. The proposed research targets the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, a polymicrobial disease affecting millions of people. The results will enhance our understanding of the disease and provide a basis for clinical interventions.

Dr. Aziz Mhanni $35,000.00
The evaluation of disorders of energy metabolism requires measurement of lactate: pyruvate ratio in fibroblast cultures.  The utility of such testing however is poor due to the invasiveness of the required skin biopsy, the delay in obtaining results and the high cost.  Lactate: pyruvate ratio measurement in muscle using MRS offers an attractive non-invasive and relatively less expensive alternative.  We will evaluate the diagnostic utility of MRS in patients suspected of having mitochondrial disorders.

Dr. Xin-Min Li $35,000.00
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease affects white matter in the brain. Atypical antipsychotics appear to protect white matter from damage and may be beneficial for multiple sclerosis. We will use microMRI, behavioural, and pathological methods to examine the effects of atypical antipsychotics on multiple sclerosis in an animal model.

Dr. Tracie Afifi $30,950.40
Researchers and others have linked specific types of gambling, such as video lottery terminals with problem gambling. However, recent empirical evidence suggests that gambling involvement (e.g., total number of games played) might be a more valuable predictor of gambling-related problems than gambling type. This research will test this emerging theory.  

Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee $34,997.00
This project will investigate the selective anti-inflammatory mechanisms of human defence peptide LL-37 and its derivatives on inflammatory cytokine IL-32-induced responses in blood-derived cells. IL-32 is directly linked to the severity of chronic inflammatory diseases. The results will support further development of these peptides as new therapeutics for chronic inflammation.

Dr. Sarvesh Logsetty $35,000.00
This project will link administrative data from the MCHP with clinical data from the Burn and Trauma registries to investigate the interactions between Mental Illness and Major Traumatic injury. The objective is to identify risk and resilience factors that can help guide clinical practice.

Dr. Tudor Tufescu $16,231.88
Current Orthopaedic technology allows unrestricted activity for some patients, yet screening radiographs have remained part of the post-operative protocol.  This study will illustrate a considerable cost saving for the Health Sciences Centre and for our patients, by requesting radiographs for specific indications rather than using them as a screening tool.
 
Dr. Tamra Werbowetski-Oglivie $32,987.00
The identification of a brain tumour stem cell (BTSC) has changed how we think about treatments for malignant brain tumours. However, it is not known whether BTSCs are directly responsible for tumour cell invasion into the brain and tumour recurrence. The proposed study will evaluate the relationship between the invasive and stem cell properties of malignant brain tumours.

Dr. Mojgan Rastegar $35,000.00
 Rett Syndrome (RTT) is the best studied form of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). RTT is the primary cause of mental retardation in females and has an early childhood onset. RTT results from mutation in the MECP2 gene and has no treatment. We have made advanced MECP2 gene therapy vectors and have established an in vitro system in our lab to study MeCP2 role in neural stem cell fate decisions. The outcome will have significant impact for future therapeutic strategies of RTT.

Dr. Michael Salman $19,367.00
(from the Winnipeg Foundation James A. and Muriel S. Richardson Trust Fund)
Children with chronic coordination difficulties present with diagnostic challenges and life-long disability, leading to adverse effects on the child, family, and society. These disorders affect essential daily activities including eating, swallowing, speaking, writing, and walking. Hence their impact on daily quality of life is huge. No information is available on the health burden of these disorders in Canada. We will investigate 183 patients with these disorders through brain imaging and medical charts review. Knowledge gained from this project will aid physicians and affected families. The project will also provide health planners with information about the local burden of these disorders.
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Health Sciences Centre Foundation Designated Awards
 
Mrs. Heather Campbell-Enns
$1,500 from the DeWiele Topshee Award
 Decision-Making in the Cancer Trajectory: An Exploratory Study of Mothers with Cancer
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Allied Health Grants

Ms. Savita Bector and Mrs. Kathy Viganios $10,000.00
Prospective study to determine the prevalence of thiamine deficiency among critically ill patients at risk for refeeding syndrome. 200 patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit at HSC will be recruited over one year. Nutritional assessments of all patients will be completed. Serum thiamine levels will be measured on admission (to determine baseline thiamin status) and repeated within 5 to 7 days after nutrition support is initiated (to determine thiamine status changes due to refeeding syndrome).
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HSC Department of Research Awards
 
Ms. Janine Oleski $17,850.00
($8,925 from HSC Department of Research; $8,925 from MHRC)
The proposed research will utilize data from a new nationally representative survey that provides information on 5001 adults over a ten year period in the general population. I plan to investigate the role that self-criticism plays among individuals with alcohol abuse and dependence. Self-criticism has been shown to negatively influence a number of mental health disorders, but its effect on individuals with alcohol use disorders have never been examined. I plan to analyze how self-criticism affects the course of alcohol abuse and dependence over a 10 year period on factors such as persistence of alcohol use, help-seeking, and development of other mental health disorders.

Mr. Chen-Yi Liu $17,850.00
($8,925 from HSC Department of Research; $8,925 from MHRC)
In this project we will develop a compact, high resolution gamma camera suitable for human breast imagining as well as other focused imaging applications requiring high resolution. We will use a detector technology called silicon photomultipliers, which will allow a design that is both compact and high performance when compared with systems presently sold commercially. A significant advantage to silicon photomultipliers is that they are immune to magnetic fields, which will allow for future versions of our compact gamma camera to be made compatible for operation within a MRI system, allowing multimodality imaging of the breast.