Five GCI Researchers Secure $5.2M in CIHR Funding

Researchers at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) have achieved an exceptional success rate in the Fall 2024 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CHIR) Project Grant competition, securing a total of $5.2M in research funding.

This year, the national average success rate for the highly competitive project grant competition was 17%, while the Quebec success rate was 18%. With 5 GCI researchers awarded project grants, the GCI stands out with a notable 31% success rate.

The CIHR supports the most promising and cutting-edge projects aimed at improving health outcomes for Canadians. Learn more about the innovative researchers and projects awarded funding at the GCI:

1. Morag Park, PhD: Targeting drug tolerant persister cells in poor outcome breast cancer. Professor Morag Park’s project aims to improve treatment options and outcomes for a breast cancer subtype which often becomes resistant to chemotherapy. Researchers in the Park lab have shown this chemotherapy resistance arises through a specific subset of aggressive cancer cells. They have developed patient derived breast cancer models which they will employ to develop therapeutic strategies for eliminating these resistant cells early during treatment.

2. Vincent Giguère, PhD: Investigating the molecular mechanisms dictating the oncogenic action of HOXB13 in prostate cancer. Professor Vincent Giguère’s project focuses on prostate cancer, a leading cause of death from cancer in among men in Canada. While most patients initially respond well to hormone therapy, the disease often progresses. This project aims to understand the role of a protein called HOXB13 in the genetic regulation of prostate cancer initiation and progression. Ultimately, the researchers aim to understand how HOXB13 can be targeted to avoid prostate cancer progression.

3. Guojun Chen, PhD: Bioresponsive Immunomodulator Nanocomplex for Selective Immunoengineering to Treat Lymph Node Metastasis. A major aim of Professor Guojun Chen’s research is to develop novel methods to deliver therapies in difficult-to-treat tumor environments. His project will focus on lymph node metastases, a complication arising in many cancers as the cells spread through the body. The environment in lymph node tumors suppresses the immune system’s ability to kill cancer cells, which the project aims to overcome by employing a nanocomplex to deliver targeted immunotherapy.

4. Lawrence Kazak, PhD: Allosteric activation of the alkaline phosphatase TNAP: from basic biology to therapeutic potential. Professor Lawrence Kazak’s study aims to characterize an enzyme that is important for bone mineralization and the conversion of chemical energy into heat in fat cells. Since the regulation of this enzyme is poorly understood, the proposed study will address an important knowledge gap and ultimately aim to leverage new discoveries for therapeutic purposes. 

5. Nahum Sonenberg, PhD:  Dysregulated insulin signaling in the pathophysiology of ASD. Professor Nahum Sonenberg’s project aims to understand the link between disrupted insulin signaling and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By employing models of genetic causes of ASD, researchers will characterize changes induced in mRNA and proteins by insulin signaling. Ultimately, the project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying ASD and potential treatment strategies.

We also wish to congratulate GCI Associate member and FRQ-S researcher Raquel Cuella Martin, PhD, who received support for her project Systematic interrogation of the USP28-53BP1-dependent p53 regulation.

The success of GCI researchers in securing competitive funding from the CIHR Project Grant competition demonstrates the high quality and impressive potential of research conducted at the GCI. Through these pioneering projects, our researchers are improving scientific understanding of disease, translating discoveries into tangible benefits for patients, and advancing our quest for the #knowledgetocure.