USask researchers awarded $4.9 million for Indigenous health research, HIV and cancer

Six College of Medicine (CoM) researchers with projects focusing on cancer, HIV and Indigenous health have received $4.85 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The grants include $2.26 million for research into re-awakening and applying Indigenous knowledge of wellness, a four-year project led by CoM researchers Dr. Malcolm King (Department of Community Health and Epidemiology) and Dr. Alexandra King, Cameco Chair in Indigenous Health at USask.   

  • Dr. Humphrey Fonge (Department of Medical Imaging) and his team received $872,000 to develop a set of new therapies for advanced colorectal cancer, including an antibody which clings to colorectal cancer cells and kills them.
  • Dr. Shahid Ahmed (Department of Medical Oncology) and his team received $100,000 for research into treatment for advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver.  
  • Dr. Linda Chelico (Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology) and her research team received $864,450 for a five year project that is looking at a battalion of natural proteins in the body that attack the HIV virus and destroy it by mutating its genetic information.
  • Dr. Maruti Uppalapati (Department of Pathology) teamed up with radio-pathologist Ekaterina Dadachova (College of Pharmacy and Nutrition) to develop human radioactive antibodies that would target cancer cells in people and pet dogs, killing tumors without harming healthy tissue. They received $765,000 from CIHR for their project.

For more information about these researchers and their projects, read more on the university’s news site.