CIHR Projects
Browse 2220 CIHR-funded research projects
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PI: Masellis, Mario
The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been implicated in inducing direct and indirect neurological, cognitive, and behavioral effects. Since COVID-19 is manifested as a viral pneumo…
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread quickly around the world and has had unprecedented effects on societies, including disease management and health care systems. COVID-19 was described initially as a r…
PI: Kobewka, Daniel M; Diedrich, Karine; Fung, Celeste; Gaudreau-Simard, Mathilde; Hsu, Amy T; Kaasalainen, Sharon J; Kierulf, Jacqueline C; Robert, Benoît; Tanuseputro, Peter
Long-Term Care (LTC) residents are in the final stage of their life's journey, a stage characterised by many healthcare transitions. One quarter of residents transition to hospital every 6-months and…
Building trust: A realist evaluation of an initiative to co-create partnerships in long-term care
PI: Gibson, Kirstian
The pandemic highlighted the previously hidden flaws of long-term care in Canada. Recognizing a need for improvement in Saskatchewan's long-term care system, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has sou…
The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected long-term care in Canada, exposing gaps in the provision of care for a vulnerable aging population. Moreover, the pandemic revealed a lack of information collec…
PI: Bashir, Kainat
Issues involving the introduction, learning and embracing of new knowledge, innovation or practice change in healthcare are critical as the innovation impacts the quality of service and care of patie…
Due to medical advancements, patients with cancer are living longer; however, this results in metastatic bone disease (MBD) being more common, which can lead to cancer-related fractures. These fractu…
PI: Youn, Ji-Young
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) affects voluntary muscle movements, which deteriorate as motor nerve cells die. This gets worse with time, and 80% of patients …
As our Canadian population ages, hip fractures in these older adults are becoming very common. The best treatment for the majority of these injuries is urgent treatment with surgery. However, the hip…
PI: Wilchesky, Machelle; Couture, MĂ©lanie
Elder abuse in the nursing home setting is a cause of growing concern but little is known about how often is occurs. Studies of elder abuse detection have largely ignored nursing home seniors because…
In Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), patients quickly lose their ability to control their muscles and their ability to swallow and breathe. Most patients only s…
PI: Wang, Rosalie H; Chan, Brian C
Because the population is aging and age is a major risk factor for dementia, there is a growing need to develop policies to support people with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers and ensure that res…
PI: Puts, Maria (Martine) T; Alibhai, Shabbir M; Chesney, Tyler; Munteanu, Cosmin
Older adults often have chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Almost half of all inpatient surgeries are for older adults. However, older adults are at greater risk fr…
PI: Near, Jamie; Schuurmans, Carol J
Recent innovations in neuroscience have led to the development of human-derived 'mini-brains', also known as cerebral organoids. These self-organizing, three-dimensional clusters of human brain tissu…
Multiomic approaches to identify regenerative pathways for the treatment of inner ear disorders
PI: Dabdoub, Alain
Today, there are no cures for hearing loss and balance disorders. Our research will generate molecular information that we will use in preclinical studies. Inner ear sensory cells detect sound and mo…
Leveraging Advances in Human Electrophysiology in Identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes
PI: Alain, Claude
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to a phase in which a person exhibits cognitive decline worse than expected for their age but otherwise maintains functional independence in daily activities. I…
Abnormally elevated insulin is associated with many detrimental health effects. For instance, obesity is often accompanied by a rise in insulin levels, and has negative impacts on fertility and femal…
Mesenchymal progenitors (MPs) are a type of stem/progenitor cell and are present to varying extents in all tissues of our bodies. Under normal conditions, these cells are in a quiet state and are con…
PI: Middleton, Laura E; Anderson, Nicole D; Ferland, Guylaine
RATIONALE: Over 500,000 Canadians live with dementia. Larger and higher quality trials are needed to establish how healthy lifestyle (including exercise and healthy diet) can reduce dementia risk. Ou…
PI: Cossette, Benoît; Boissy, Patrick; Lebel, Karina
Some commonly used medications, such as medications for depression, allergies and sleep, have been found to decrease older adults' ability to move and walk. When this happens, older people may fall a…
PI: Salma, Jordana M; Jones, Catherine A; Salami, Bukola O; Yamamoto, Shelby
The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the vulnerability of older adults due to health risks, increased isolation, and difficulties accessing essential services. Racialized older women from Muslim communiti…
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women. Due to advances in prevention, early detection and treatment, breast cancer mortality has decreased by 52% since 1984. A resu…
In Canada, basic pension plans (Old Age Security program) are intended to alleviate poverty among seniors, while mandatory and voluntary retirement plans (Canadian/Quebec Pension Plan, employer pensi…
PI: Puts, Maria (Martine) T; Alibhai, Shabbir M; Jones, Jennifer M; Santa Mina, Daniel
Cancer mostly affects older adults. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that all older adults with cancer receive a detailed assessment of their health and well-being. This is called…
ITCH: Itch is a debilitating symptom experienced by 40% of the elderly. Itch can have severe impact on quality of life, cause extreme stress and depression, and is the most common skin complaint in t…
Canadians are living longer than ever before. Unfortunately for too many people, those added years are not always experienced in good health. Deficits in the ability to comprehend speech in the prese…
PI: Liu-Ambrose, Teresa Y; Li, Linda C; Rosano, Caterina
Exercise is widely touted as medicine for our health and for aging well. Of particular relevance to healthy aging, exercise is shown to benefit our cognitive health and our capacity to remain physica…
Understanding the factors that allow some individuals to age more successfully than others has important implications for health policy and Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention and interventions. Modi…
PI: Qureshi, Danial
Background: The global prevalence of dementia is rapidly increasing. There is evidence that cardiometabolic and vascular risk factors (CmVRFs) - such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension and high chole…
World Clinical Practice Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management. An International Consensus
Older adults have an alarmingly high risk for falling and suffering injures, making falls a critical public health issue. The ground-breaking American Geriatrics and British Geriatrics Societies guid…
The Forgotten North: Adapting an effective health-promoting program for northern British Columbia
PI: Mckay, Heather A; Pelletier, Chelsea
Physically active older adults are healthier, more socially connected and interact more fully with their communities. However, 85% of older adults in Canada are not active enough to enjoy health bene…
Picture naming is one's ability to name objects presented in picture form. Tests for picture naming are often used in the clinical diagnosis of a variety of cognitive impairments (e.g., Alzheimer's d…
Aging is a complex process characterized by the progressive, irreversible loss of functional capacity across tissues. Over the last two decades, global life expectancy has increased rapidly - from 66…
PI: Chow, Ricky
See attached for statement of interest and career path overview.
PI: Yu, Di
Growing evidence suggests that diseases of the small vessels that supply blood to the brain can contribute to cognitive decline in later life and possibly predispose the development of other neurodeg…
PI: Almgren, Hannes
Patients with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, often suffer from cognitive decline which can lead to severe dementia. Accurate prediction of cognitive decline…
The aging brain goes through several changes, at the cellular and molecular levels, associated with protein removal through autophagy, lead to the aggregation of misfolded/damaged proteins and eventu…
PI: King, Seema
Approximately 9 seniors get diagnosed with dementia every hour in Canada and more than 419,000 Canadians over 65 years are living with dementia. This means that many friends and family take on the ro…
There are more than 500,000 Canadians living with dementia, and by 2031, that number is expected to increase to 830,000. Identifying key early signs of dementia will help to determine which individua…
PI: Mackie, Paul I
BACKGROUND: Three in five patients are expected to live with a disability following a stroke; impairing balance and mobility. Improved mobility is often sought after in those with stroke. The COVID-1…
This research aims to: (1) determine how frailty and sex impact the brain, heart, vessels, and lungs regulation, and (2) determine how exercise can reverse frailty in older adults. In study #1, parti…
Effects of Semantic Richness on Lexical Processing in Individuals with Subjective Cognitive Decline
PI: Thériault, Kim
A major cause of diminished quality of life in older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia is declining language function, leading to communication difficulties. The present study will use be…
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Lots of evidence suggests that AD stems from the abnormal aggregation of some proteins in the brain. This leads to a widespread neuronal…
PI: Blanchette Bisson, Caroll-Ann
L'objectif de l'étude est d'évaluer les effets d'un programme d'entraînement individualisé à domicile visant à améliorer les fonctions cognitives et le bien-être des patients souffrant d'insuffisance…
Stroke is a leading cause of disability and premature death worldwide. The need for improved understanding of stroke outcomes is therefore a great need in public health. Multimorbidity, defined as 2 …
Human diseases like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), affecting an estimated 3,000 Canadians, are detrimental and currently do not have a cure. To understand how we can find therapies, we first ne…
PI: Cumal, Alexia A
Background: Older people with dementia frequently go to the hospital and stay there for long periods of time. In Ontario, transitional care programs (TCPs) - facilities that provide short-term care t…
PI: Mah, Jasmine C
We know that an individual's health conditions (aka "frailty") can independently determine health outcomes and utilization of health resources in patients with dementia. However, you can also predict…
PI: Vellani, Shirin
People who live in long-term care (LTC) homes are in the last stage of their lives. They usually have many diseases including dementia that make them very weak. In this last stage, they need good car…