Grant: Foundation Grant

<html> <body> <p>The <strong>long-term objective</strong> of my CIHR research program is to develop novel preventive and therapeutic approaches for obesity-linked insulin resistance and cardiometabolic (CM) diseases, that reduce disease burden in patients and on the Canadian health care system.<br> </p> <p>My <strong>expertise</strong> is in the field of insulin signaling and inflammatory mechanisms of metabolic diseases. Our CIHR-funded research over the last 20 years has defined mechanisms by which multiple signaling pathways promote insulin resistance in obesity. To date these projects have yielded highly thought-provoking discoveries for which I have gained international recognition.</p> <p>I have <strong>lead several team grants</strong> in the last 10 years, and currently lead a CIHR programmatic grant in Food &amp; Health with several Canadian and international partners. These team projects involve key collaborations with several clinician scientists and genomic/genetic experts, thus <strong>allowing me to accelerate the translation of my work into clinical applications</strong> and to have a potential impact at the population health level.</p> <p>The <strong>overarching goal</strong> of this foundation grant application is to establish an innovative and interdisciplinary research program building upon our existing research activities, integrating new concepts and state-of-the-art technologies, to discover <strong>potential targets for alleviating type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications</strong>. We also plan to study the <strong>interplay between host nutrient intake, intestinal inflammation, and the gut microbiome</strong> <strong>in order to reveal novel biomarkers of CM diseases and drive the development of novel therapies</strong>.</p> <p>Our <strong>multidisciplinary research proposal</strong> uses animal and cellular models of disease alongside genetic and molecular strategies to manipulate gene expression and function. We have developed an extensive phenotyping core to evaluate cardiometabolic, inflammatory and microbiome outcomes in our specialized animal models, and we continue to expand our knowlegde and expertise to give us the flexibility needed to deliver on the research program objectives. Importantly, we have developed collaborations with <strong>key</strong> <strong>national and international experts</strong> that will help us develop new technologies, as well as offering guidance and conceptual inputs into our program.<br> <br> The progress and success of my research program will be measured by several outputs:</p> <p> <strong>1)</strong> <strong>Training of highly qualified personnel</strong> by providing transdisciplinary training and new mentorship opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral trainees to become the future scientists in my field. My students/PDFs are trained in a very stimulating and supportive environment since both CRIUCPQ and INAF Institutes organize nation-wide training programs in obesity and nutrition and we also have ongoing student exchange programs with Brazil and France;<br> <strong>2)</strong> <strong>New knowledge transfer</strong> through publications in top-tier journals and presentations at national and international conferences, and by transfering our findings to key end users, such as industrial partners in the pharmaceutical and agro-food sectors;<br> <strong>3)</strong> Finding <strong>new disease biomarkers and potential "druggable" targets</strong> for combating T2D and CM complications. The success of this output will be greatly enhanced by our collaboration with several clinicians and pharma Cies;<br> <strong>4)</strong> <strong>New</strong> <strong>intellectual property and technology transfers</strong> including patents and licensing agreements which attract industry partners to engage in development of new therapies to treat CM diseases.</p> </body> </html>