Researchers at the U of M have received $300,000 in research funding from the federal government to study the H1N1 flu virus for the next two years.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) one of Canada’s government agencies that allocates medical research funding, has given Dr. Satyendra Sharma and his research team $300,000.
Dr. Sharma is head of respirology in the university’s department of internal medicine. The purpose of the study is to determine why most individuals infected with H1N1 receive mild symptoms, while others develop severe respiratory illness (SRI), causing hospitalization.
“This study is going to be a collaborative effort, requiring the support of 15 individuals representing nine institutions nationwide,” said Sharma. “We hope that the five modules we will be working on for the next two years will shed light on this virus.”
The five modules each play a critical role in the overall objectives of the study. In Modules 1, 2 and 3, Sharma and his team will study H1N1 at the immune system level. In Module 4, the researchers will investigate whether genetic factors cause some individuals infected with the virus to develop severe respiratory illness more easily than others. In the fifth and final module, Sharma and his colleagues will examine the long-term outcomes of patients surviving severe respiratory illness.
Much of the specific research will be done in a variety of facilities across the country. “A lot of the lab work will be conducted at the Cadham Provincial Laboratory, and, to a lesser extent, in the National Microbiology Lab here in Winnipeg,” explained Sharma.
“We will have to conduct parts of our study in hospitals, visiting patients that have developed severe respiratory illness from the virus. In studying patients with only minor symptoms, we will require volunteers with H1N1 to step forward and help us.”
The award of $300,000 for Dr. Sharma’s study was just one of many funding announcements made by Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq on her trip to Winnipeg. The federal government is giving out $2.4 million dollars in total, to five separate projects across the country researching various aspects of H1N1.
“Canada is a global leader in H1N1 flu virus research, including research with our international partners on a safe and effective H1N1 vaccine,” said Aglukkaq in a press release.
“The scientific research we are funding today will help ensure that our knowledge, approach and planning remain among the best in the world.”
The funding announcement has been a source of excitement amongst many on campus. “It’s great that research into H1N1 will be conducted by some of the brightest minds here at the U of M,” said Mitch Ross, a first-year nursing student at the University of Manitoba. “I think it’s excellent that the U of M will be recognized globally for its research into the virus. This shows that there are opportunities for meaningful research to take place right here in Manitoba.”
Dr. Sharma’s team includes researchers from the Universities of British Columbia, Western Ontario, Toronto, McMaster and Dalhousie.
Additionally, members of the Cadham Provincial Laboratory, the Hospital for Sick Children, the Institute for Bio-diagnostics, the National Research Council, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion are involved.