Researchers within the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry have much to celebrate as a result of the 2015 University Hospital Foundation Medical Research Competition: 19 different projects spanning a range of specialties were successful in their funding applications, equating to a combined $638,000.
"The University Hospital Foundation has been a strong partner for the faculty, playing an important role in research support. This latest iteration of funding really highlights that relationship," says David Evans, vice-dean of research. "This funding is of special value because it is often used as seed funding to address those, 'What if?' kinds of questions that ultimately generate improvements in clinical practice."
The competition offers support to translational research proposals that are peer-reviewed and innovative in hopes of bringing the latest scientific breakthroughs from the laboratory to the patients who need them most.
Among the successful applicants is Bradley Kerr, an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, who will be investigating the cause of pain in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He believes the key to this mystery lies in the patient's mitochondria.
"In cases of where the nervous system comes under stress, after injury or in disease for example, the mitochondria begin to function abnormally," Kerr explains. "Dysfunctional mitochondria can produce and release molecules that have been linked with neuropathic pain. Our studies aim to better understand how MS alters mitochondrial function and how this relates to pain in the disease. We also aim to assess whether these processes can be prevented to treat neuropathic pain associated with MS."