- CIHR Institute
of Genetics RFA:
The Institute of Genetics
(IG) has pre-announced their big RFA entitled “From Genes to
Proteins, Cells, Tissues and Patients”, focused on translating
gene discovery to medicine. The IG alone is committing $9.2 million
over a period of five years to this initiative! The FFB hopes to provide
matching funds and partner with IG to enhance this strategic initiative.
The overall objective of the RFA is to foster research that follows
gene discovery or protein discovery.
This is an Emerging Team
Grant that will bring together teams in various locations, to focus
on the study of genes, and their encoded proteins, that are associated
with single gene disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). It will
also encourage applications on genes/proteins that have been strongly
associated with genetically complex diseases, such as age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). The value of the grants will be up to
$500,000 annually for 5 years.
The deadline for the Letter
of Intent is October 1, 2008.
For more information concerning this Strategic Initiative, please
contact:
Stephanie Robertson, Assistant Director, Ottawa Institute of Genetics
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-954-0533
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: stephanie.robertson@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
visit: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/36253.html
- Steinbach
2009 ARVO Awardee
Martin J. Steinbach has
just been named as the 2009 Kupfer Awardee by the Association for
Research in Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO). The award honours those
who "have demonstrated distinguished public service on behalf
of eye and vision research" (from the ARVO website). It is named
for Carl Kupfer who served as the Director of the National Eye Institute
of the US NIH, for 30 years. It will be presented to him at the ARVO
meeting next May in Ft. Lauderdale.
- "Form
and Function in Ocular Disease"
a multidisciplinary clinical
and basic science meeting hosted by the
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
September 26-27, 2008
http://ophthalmology.medicine.dal.ca/
- The Alberta
Heritage Foundation for Medical Research recently
honoured three vision researchers with awards. Congratulations to Drs.
Ordan Lehmann, Sarah McFarlane and Yves Sauve.
- A new
endowed chair has been announced at the Hospital for Sick
Children in Toronto. Congratulations
to Agnes Wong, MD, PhD, who holds
the John and Melinda Thompson Chair in Vision Neurosciences.
- If you wish to learn more
about the activities of the National
Coalition for Vision Health, check
out the Canadian Journal of
Ophthalmology editorial written by its President, Dr. Calvin Breslin,
and
available at:
http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cjo/cjo42-06.html
- Eye
Research Positions at
Universitè de Montrèal, HMR Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
Endowed
Chair in Macular Degeneration Translational Research
Tenure
Track Positions in Cell and Molecular Biology of Retinal and Optic Nerve
Disease
- The
University of Toronto has a $17.25 million endowment
for sponsoring vision health research (very loosely defined) graduate
students. Since its inception in 2000, over 75 students have been given
$2.6M in support of their thesis research. Topics have ranged from the
molecular genetic basis of blinding eye diseases through higher-order
studies of cognitive visual functioning. More information available
at: http://vsrp.uhnres.utoronto.ca/
- Twenty-Nine
Canada Research Chairs
in vision-related themes are listed at the Bulletin Board link. There
are also six endowed chairs in Canada. This list can be updated by sending
information to: mjs@yorku.ca
- Two
major meetings that
Canadian vision scientists attend in large numbers are upcoming: ARVO
(Assoc. for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology)and VSS (Vision Sciences
Society). More information about each of the meetings is on their websites:
http://www.arvo.org/
http://www.visionsciences.org/
- The Canadian
Journal of Ophthalmology
has been publishing
scientific updates that may be of interest to readers of this webpage.
The "Cyclops" column has been appearing since the December
2005 issue. Download the column, and other items of interest from http://www.eyesite.ca
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