$1.7 Million Backs Research Into Stronger Seniors, Epilepsy, Cancer, and Healthier Workplaces

Newswise - Researchers investigating muscle-building supplements for seniors, work environments in long-term care homes, possible links between epilepsy and learning ability, and better cancer chemotherapy are among those that have been awarded $1.7 million over the next two years by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF).

"These innovative young researchers are taking advantage of some of Saskatchewan's unique research strengths to explore questions that are directly relevant to the people of our province," SHRF CEO June Bold. "These grants will help them establish their careers here and help build capacity in our health research community here in Saskatchewan."

The funds include $1 million awarded through the Foundation's New Investigator Establishment and New Investigator Equipment grant programs. Another $700,000 is being awarded through the SHRF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program. These programs have a strong developmental focus, aiming to build health research capacity and help new Saskatchewan researchers enter the highly competitive national research scene.

The programs support individuals who are pursuing advanced research training with experienced mentors, as well as new faculty who are setting up their research programs in Saskatchewan. Competitions are held annually, and grants are awarded through a rigorous expert review process.

Some examples of research funded in this round of grants are below. A full listing is available at www.shrf.ca.

New Investigator Establishment grant funds are disbursed over two years and may include an accompanying New Investigator Equipment grant. Nine researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and one researcher from the University of Regina were funded.

Dr. Darren Candow will receive nearly $80,000 as well as $30,000 for equipment to investigate how effective creatine and exercise can be over the longer term to counteract the muscle and bone loss associated with aging. What he discovers could help Saskatchewan seniors live independently longer. Creatine, a naturally occurring substance found in fish and red meat, is also widely available as a diet supplement for athletes. Dr. Candow is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina.

Dr. Elizabeth Quinlan will receive nearly $80,000 to study the incidence of workplace bullying among Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) in Saskatchewan's long-term care homes. CCAs drawn from four rural and urban long-term care homes will use participatory theatre to shed light on the problem of bullying and to get at possible solutions, with the goal of improving retention and aiding recruitment of these health care workers. Dr. Quinlan is an assistant professor in the department of sociology in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan.

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships offer full time advanced research training opportunities for high-quality candidates. Fellowships provide $100,000 over two years for salary support and a research allowance for award holders conducting postdoctoral research in a health-related field. Seven fellowships were awarded, all from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Sean Dalrymple will use the Canadian Light Source synchrotron in Saskatoon to determine the shape of GUS, a protein that holds promise in helping to make cancer chemotherapy treatments much more effective. Dr. Dalrymple is based in the department of biochemistry in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Inga Tiemann will work to understand how epilepsy affects learning ability as the brain matures, using epileptic chickens as a model. What she learns may shed light on treating epilepsy as it develops in children. Dr. Tiemann is based in the department of psychology in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation is the provincial agency that funds and facilitates health research in Saskatchewan.

SHRF works in partnership with other organizations locally, provincially, and nationally to foster world-leading research. It is the lead agency for the province's Health Research Strategy. SHRF offers competitive funding programs for researchers and works to promote and disseminate the resulting knowledge for the benefit of Saskatchewan people.

The University of Saskatchewan, located in the heart of Saskatoon, is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With 58 degrees, diplomas and certificates in over 100 areas of study, the University is uniquely positioned in the areas of human, animal, and plant studies. World-class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.

Source: University of Saskatchewan