Research Innovation Council

THE CHALLENGE: Fibrosis—a slow, silent killer—is responsible for 45 percent of all deaths in the Western world. It occurs when the body attempts to repair organ damage from chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, but the healing process backfires. Instead of restoring function, it creates scar tissue that builds up in vital organs like the lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart, eventually causing them to fail. To date, there is no cure.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Andras Kapus has been unravelling the biology behind fibrosis for years—and his research uncovered a critical clue. He identified two proteins (TAZ and YAP) as key drivers turning healthy cells into fibrotic ones. He has explored how a new drug can halt this transformation and revealed exactly how it works at the molecular level. This breakthrough opens the door to targeted, effective treatments that could save lives.

THE CHALLENGE: Chronic neuropathic (nerve) pain affects one in 10 Canadians. The condition takes a serious toll on mood, sleep, and overall quality of life, and carries significant economic costs due to healthcare needs, disability, and lost productivity. As traditional treatments often fall short, we need to develop more advanced therapies to better treat this debilitating condition.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Akash Goel launched the world’s first clinical trial testing whether MDMA—the active ingredient in “ecstasy,” a stimulant and hallucinogen—can relieve chronic neuropathic pain in the same way it treats mental health conditions. Dr. Goel’s pilot study assessing MDMA’s potential led to a larger multi-centre trial. The goal is to develop more effective therapies for people living with chronic pain.

THE CHALLENGE: Asthma affects one in three people in Canada over a lifetime, and costs health systems more than $2 billion each year. But with the growing use of electronic medical records, computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) offer a once-in-a-generation chance to improve the quality of patient care.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Samir Gupta developed eAMS, an app that uses patient data to create asthma action plans for people. To address limited primary care access, Dr. Gupta adapted it into eAMS-Pharma, allowing pharmacists to send patient data and prescription requests directly to physicians. He then launched a pilot study to assess the app’s impact and support a national rollout to improve asthma care.

THE CHALLENGE:  In Canada, 11 people die by suicide each day—double the number of those who die in car accidents. But these deaths can be prevented if we better understand people with suicidal thoughts, develop preventative strategies, and personalize treatments for patients.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Katie Dunlop has studied a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment—called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)—which targets brain regions involved in depression and stress, reducing suicidal thoughts. Using advanced brain imaging and stress testing, Dr. Dunlop examined how rTMS affects brain activity in people with depression and identified how it changes the brain’s response to stress—paving the way for more precise, personalized treatments.

THE CHALLENGE:  The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to elective surgeries, including cancer-related and other essential procedures. In Ontario, up to 400,000 patients were left waiting for surgery, worsening pre-existing backlogs. Many of these individuals experienced deteriorating health, heightened anxiety and depression, and a reduced quality of life.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. David Gomez launched a multidisciplinary research group to study how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted procedures and find ways to reduce its impact on surgical care. Dr. Gomez’s research brought together healthcare leaders, policymakers, hospital administrators, and patients. Together, they developed evidence-based recommendations to address backlogs, ensuring more patients have access to timely surgeries.

THE CHALLENGE: The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world, killing millions of people and affecting countless more. As COVID-19 evolves into new variants, it continues to infect people of all ages, carrying with it the risk of death and lasting health effects.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Sharmistha Mishra worked to flatten the COVID-19 curve during the height of the pandemic. Dr. Mishra asked how COVID-19 spreads in different communities, what measures could effectively reduce its transmission, and in which areas these measures should be applied. She utilized population-based data and developed mathematical models of transmission and then identified strategies to prevent the virus from spreading to different groups. This directly influenced how the provincial government rolled out the vaccine.

THE CHALLENGE: In Canada, 10 people die by suicide every day, with each loss impacting as many as 135 other people. However, accurately predicting suicide is challenging, and research into suicide—which is often stigmatized—has long been underfunded.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Sakina Rizvi has been focused on preventing suicide by figuring out what a “suicidal brain” looks like. Dr. Rizvi investigated whether there are differences in the brain of a person with suicidal thoughts—and whether knowing those differences can help scientists design the most effective treatments. She launched Canada’s first research program studying the biology of the suicidal brain and developed a protocol to restore cognitive function in people at risk of suicide.

THE CHALLENGE: In North America, one person dies of an opioid overdose every 15 minutes. Half of those deaths are from prescription medications, as synthesized opioids can stop a person from breathing altogether.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Gaspard Montandon has worked to prevent opioid overdoses by developing a new drug therapies to preserve the pain-killing effects of opioids while reducing their overall risks. Dr. Montandon launched his bold biological program, starting with drug testing before securing multi-year funding to propel his research even further.