Our Funded Research Projects

Updated September 2023

Title Principal Investigator / Supervisor Program Project Start Date Project End Date Sort ascending Total $ Awarded
New cryosolution for stem cell-based therapeutics Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BEN, Robert, HARPER, Marie-Ellen, CHAKRABORTY, Nilay
Intramural Research Grant Program $180,000.00
New solution for cord blood unit preservation Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KAUSHAL, Richa
Graduate Fellowship Program $116,500.00
Small molecule drug development of phagocytosis inhibitors Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KOTRA, Lakshmi, P.
Intramural Research Grant Program $428,468.40
Controlling coagulopathy and bleeding in a mouse model of hemorrhagic shock Principal Investigator: SHEFFIELD, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NAZY, Ishac
Intramural Research Grant Program $274,854.00
Enabling next generation hematopoietic-based therapeutics and manufacturing Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MCCOMB, Scott, JEZIERSKI, Anna, MAGALHAES, Ana, IQBAL, Umer
Intramural Research Grant Program $300,000.00
Anti-GPIb- and anti-GPIIbIIIa- mediated immune thrombocytopenia: Mechanisms and actions of intravenous IgG (IVIG) and alternative therapies Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LAZARUS, Alan, BRANCH, Donald
Intramural Research Grant Program $412,010.28
Plasma transfusion or plasma protein product infusion in a murine model of trauma Principal Investigator: SHEFFIELD, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PRYZDIAL, Edward
Intramural Research Grant Program $257,414.76
Assessing the impact of donor manufacturing characteristics on survival of transfused red blood cells Principal Investigator: TINMOUTH, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ACKER, Jason, FERGUSSON, Dean, CHASSÉ, Michaël
Intramural Research Grant Program $90,935.00
Mechanisms of anti-αIIb mediated miscarriage in fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHEN, Zi Yan
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Perioperative transfusion threshold : A population-based observational study Principal Investigator: FERGUSSON, Dean

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VERRET, Michael
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Deformability based cell sorting enabling quality control of stored red blood cells Principal Investigator: MA, Hongshen

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ISLAMZADA, Emel
Graduate Fellowship Program $112,333.00
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: LAU, Wendy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VANDERMEULEN, Heather
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $210,000.00
Applying educational tools of knowledge translation to reduce the inappropriate use of plasma in Ontario: a collaboration between Canadian Blood Services and Ontario hospitals Principal Investigator: SOLH, Ziad

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SKEATE, Robert, BERTA, Donna, CALLUM, Jeannie, LIMA, Ana, ZELLER, Michelle, ELAHIE, Allahna, HEDDLE, Nancy, THOMPSON, Troy, TINMOUTH, Alan, SHEHATA, Nadine, ILAGAN, Cesario
BloodTechNet Award Program $7,200.00
Evaluating unintentional warming of glycerolized red cell concentrates Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CLARKE, Gwen, TURNER, Tracy, OLAFSON, Carly, MYKHAILOVA, Olga
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $25,000.00
Pediatric Transfusion Camp Principal Investigator: LIEBERMAN, Lani

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LIN, Yulia, CALLUM, Jeannie, WALSH, Catherine, CHARGÉ, Sophie, WILLIAMS, Suzanne, FARONI, David, MEMA, Briseida, LACROIX, Jacque, LAU, Wendy, ROBITAILLE, Nancy, FINAN, Emer, HUME, Heather, HASPEL, Richard, ATKINSON, Adelle, SCOLNIK, Dennis
BloodTechNet Award Program $10,500.00
Development of a drug to replace IVIg, and ADCC as cause for unexplained hemolysis post-transfusion Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ALMIZRAQ, Ruqayyah
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $165,000.00
The Calgary Plasma Study: feasibility of implementing source plasma donation with alternative screening eligibility criteria for men who have sex with men Principal Investigator: PRESSEAU, Justin

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: GOLDMAN, Mindy, O'BRIEN, Sheila, MACPHERSON, Paul, OTIS, Joanne, FOSTER, Terrie, VESNAVER, Elisabeth, GERMAIN, Marc, ROSSER, Andrew, LAPIERRE, Don, HILL, Nolan
MSM Plasma Program $399,875.00
Support of HLA laboratory directors in-training for rotations in specialized laboratories Principal Investigator: WAGNER, Eric

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KEOWN, Paul, LIWSKI, Robert, CAMPBELL, Patricia, BERKA, Noureddine, WANG, Jinguo, MOSTAFA, Ahmed, CHEE-LOONG, Saw, RICHARD, Lucie, CHARGÉ, Sophie, DHARSEE, Fatima
BloodTechNet Award Program $8,490.00
Demonstration of genetic blood group transition in patients undergoing ABO-mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplantation by peripheral blood quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting the ABO locus Principal Investigator: SHIH, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LAZO-LANGER, Alejandro, D'SOUZA, David, CALLUM, Jeannie, LEUNG, Eric, CHIN-YEE, Ian
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $15,990.00
Blood and stem cell donation for men who have sex with men in Canada: A toolkit for healthcare professionals Principal Investigator: FINGRUT, Warren

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: GOLDMAN, Mindy, SHIH, Andrew, ELMOAZZEN, Heidi, ALLAN, David, PETRASZKO, Tanya, YAN, Matthew, COUPAL, Dylan, SEGALL, Romy, CHOWDHURY, Fuad, CAI, Helen, KUMAR, Shamini Vijaya, TRAADE, Daniel, ROSENFELD, Aaron, KAVEH, Farrokhi
BloodTechNet Award Program $20,000.00
University of Toronto QUEST Research Program Principal Investigator: CALLUM, Jeannie

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Transfusion Medicine Research Program Support Award $1,290,733.50
An interactive virtual tour of blood product manufacturing at Canadian Blood Services Principal Investigator: BODNAR, Melanie

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHARGÉ, Sophie, YAN, Mathew, ABE, Tricia, TORDON, Bryan, CLARKE, Gwen
BloodTechNet Award Program $20,000.00
A machine learning based framework to analyze blood product transactional data for reducing discards Principal Investigator: CHENG, Calvino

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ABIDI, Syed Sibte Raza, BLAKE, John, LIWSKI, Robert, QUINN, Jason, ABUSHAREKH, Ashraf, ABIDI, Samina, XIANG, Richard
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $29,950.00
Addressing racial disparity in blood, stem cell, and organ and tissue donor pools Principal Investigator: FINGRUT, Warren

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: OKONOFUA, Sylvia, YAN, Matthew, KHANDELWAL, Aditi, PENDERGRAST, Jacob, LEEIES, Murdoch, TINGA, Biba, HAW, Jennie, JAGELAVICIUTE, Gabriela, ROSENFELD, Aaron, KHANOLKAR, Rutvij, SEGALL, Romy, BELLINI, Jonathan, MORAKINYO, Tobi, AGYEPONG, Revée
BloodTechNet Award Program $34,150.00
McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research Principal Investigator: ARNOLD, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Transfusion Medicine Research Program Support Award $1,303,333.50
New platform for targeted gene editing of hematopoietic stem cells for cellular
therapy
Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MAGANTI, Harinad
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $120,000.00
A study to understand C1 esterase inhibitor distribution and patterns of use in Canada Principal Investigator: ARNOLD, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: HEDDLE, Nancy, KEITH, Paul, WASERMAN, SUSAN, WEBERT, Kathryn, NING, Shuoyan, SHIH, Andrew, MORRISON, Doug, YAN, Matthew
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $29,858.62
ACB and MSM - it's not an oxymoron: A research project that explores the importance of ACB people in MSM blood donation research Principal Investigator: DRYDEN, OmiSoore

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LEE, Woo Jin Edward, NELSON, LaRon, MARSHALL, Zack, MBUAGBAW, Lawrence
MSM Research Grant Program $410,000.00
Understanding general population impact and opportunities from changes to blood donation deferral screening and criteria for men who have sex with men Principal Investigator: LACHOWSKY, Nathan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BRENNAN, David, CARD, Kiffer, DRYDEN, OmiSoore, GASPAR, Mark, GILBERT, Mark, GRACE, Daniel, KNIGHT, Rodney, LEBOUCHÉ, Bertrand, MORGAN, Jeffrey, SALWAY, Travis
MSM Research Grant Program $310,000.00
Assessing unintentional creation of bias against MSM as a function of exposure to blood donor screening questionnaire and assessing sexual behaviour risk factors of those successfully passing blood donor screening Principal Investigator: FISHER, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
MSM Research Grant Program $56,000.00
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: LAU, Wendy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TORDON, Bryan
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $210,000.00
Reducing IVIG usage by developing novel prophylaxis therapies against FNAIT Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PASMAN, Yfke
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $165,000.00
Measurement of heavy metals in donor blood in Canada Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SERRANO, Katherine, LEVIN, Elena, MURPHY, Michael, BARAKAUSKAS, Vilte, HADJESFAMDOARI, Narges, ARRIETA, Angele, RICHARDSON-SANCHEZ, Tomas
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $29,971.00
Are cervical cancer brachytherapy outcomes associated with pre-brachytherapy hemoglobin values and transfusion practice? An observational study comparing two academic centres. Principal Investigator: SOLH, Ziad

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LAZO-LANGER, Alejandro, D'SOUZA, David, CALLUM, Jeannie, LEUNG, Eric, CHIN-YEE, Ian
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $27,669.50
TAD-POL (Transfusion-Associated-Dyspnea: Prospective observation and laboratory assessment) Principal Investigator: CSERTI-GAZDEWICH, Christine

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BRANCH, Donald, LAZARUS, Alan, CALLUM, Jeannie, LIN, Yulia, PENDERGRAST, Jacob, LIEBERMAN, Lani, SHEHATA, Nadine, PAVENSKI, Katerina, SKEATE, Robert
Intramural Research Grant Program $278,027.45
Development of a small molecule cocktail for the expansion of cord blood stem cells Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BLAKE, John, AUDET, Julie
Intramural Research Grant Program $237,600.00
Evaluating the role of donor characteristics and blood component manufacturing on the quality of red cell concentrates Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BRANCH, Donald, CLARKE, Gwen, NAHIRNIAK, Susan
Intramural Research Grant Program $398,382.84
Identification of mechanisms leading to antibody independent RBC hemolysis Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: FRIAS BOLIGAN, Kayluz
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $150,000.00
Evaluation and improvement of cold stored platelets Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ZHAO, Hanqi (Wayne)
Graduate Fellowship Program $112,333.33
Blood product demand forecast modeling using clinical predictors Principal Investigator: DOWN, Douglas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BLAKE, John , TRIFUNOV, Rick, COURTNEY, Thomas, HEDDLE, Nancy, CHIANG, Fei, LI, Na
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $30,000.00
The mechanism of action of monoclonal antibody blends in the potential replacement of anti-D in HDFN Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CRUZ-LEAL, Yoelys
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $165,000.00
Novel mechanisms of platelet aggregation: Roles of non-classical beta-3 integrin ligands and fibronectin in thrombosis and hemostasis Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program $398,871.00
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: SHIH, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TAPLEY, Laura
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $105,000.00
Expanding treatment options for inflammatory bowel disease: A novel mechanism of antibody-based immunotherapy Principal Investigator: SLY, Laura

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: HORWITZ, Marc, BRESSLER, Brian, RASSEKH, Rod, TURVEY, Stuart
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program $408,540.60
Novel cell-surface engineering methods to increase immune-tolerance of allogenic cell transplantation Principal Investigator: KIZHAKKEDATHU, Jayachandran

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MOON, Haisle
Graduate Fellowship Program $90,333.33
Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: novel mechanisms and therapeutic approaches Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program $471,393.00
Canadians’ attitudes and opinions regarding cardiac donation after cardiocirculatory death: A mixed-methods study Principal Investigator: BALL, Ian

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: WEISS, Matt, D'ARAGON, Fred, PARSONS LEIGH, Jenna, HONARMAND, Kimia, BASMAJI, John, SIBBALD, Robert
Kenneth J. Fyke Award Program $95,929.00
Virtual transfusions competency assessment Principal Investigator: VAN VLIET, Paula

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: DEYDEY, Kim, WESOLOWSKI, Mike
BloodTechNet Award Program $32,795.00
Donor characteristics and the quality of red cell concentrates Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MYKHAILOVA, Olga
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $165,000.00
Management of iron deficiency anemia in the pediatric emergency department: Pilot study of red blood cell transfusion versus IV iron therapy Principal Investigator: LIEBMAN, Mira

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PAMBRUN, Chantale, JAIN, Rini, SIMPSON, Ewurabena, HAMID, Jemila
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $29,831.00