Peter Siegel and Metabolomics Innovation Resource Secure Major Funding from the New Frontiers in Research Fund

The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) is a highly competitive funding program which supports cutting edge Canadian research. The results of the 2023 Exploration competition have been announced, with the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute’s (GCI’s) Dr. Peter Siegel being awarded $249,000 in funding for a project entitled “Single Cell Metabolomics: Uncovering Metabolic Heterogeneity and Revealing Novel Aspects of Tissue Architecture”.

The project aims to bridge the gap in understanding of metabolism at the level of single cells. While the complex networks of metabolism within tissues are appreciated, the metabolic profiles and contributions of individual cells to these systems remain poorly understood. This is largely due to considerable challenges in analyzing metabolite driven signals: current single-cell technologies are capable of investigating DNA and RNA signals since they can be readily amplified, while metabolites cannot. To overcome technical hurdles, the proposed approach will develop a workflow using cutting edge technologies which have yet to be combined to measure metabolite targets in cancer, neuronal, and immune cells. The researchers hope to gain transformative insights into cellular metabolism, phenotypic diversity, and disease mechanisms, to combat rising rates of early onset cancers and chronic diseases in Canada.

The funded study includes Julie St-Pierre from the University of Ottawa as co-principal investigator, and Daina Avizonis and Daniela Quail from the GCI as co-applicants. Peter Siegel acknowledges the support of Harvey Smith and Daina Avizonis as instrumental in securing this funding.