Our Funded Research Projects

Updated September 2023

Title Principal Investigator / Supervisor Program Project Start Date Sort descending Project End Date Total $ Awarded
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
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
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
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
Replacement of IVIg by small molecule inhibitors of phagocytosis Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LORIAMINI, Melika
Graduate Fellowship Program $112,333.00
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
Synthesis and live cell imaging of ice recrystallization inhibitors in red blood cells Principal Investigator: BEN, Robert

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MCMUNN, Leah
Graduate Fellowship Program $112,333.00
Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of a plasma donation program for gbMSM in Montréal from the point of view of cis and trans gbMSM, volunteers from Héma-Québec, current donors, and plasma product recipients Principal Investigator: OTIS, Joanne

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: GERMAIN, Marc, HAW, Jennie, MONTEITH, Kenneth, MYHAL, Geneviève, PRESSEAU, Justin, PIRNAT, Bojan, LAPIERRE, Don
MSM Plasma Program $390,970.00
Assessing acceptability, understanding and effectiveness of alternative screening questions for current donors Principal Investigator: FISHER, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: HAW, Jennie, GOLDMAN, Mindy, FOSTER, Terrie, O'BRIEN, Sheila, HOFKIRCHNER, Alexander
MSM Plasma Program $129,400.00
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
Awareness and understanding of apheresis plasma donation and effectiveness of alternative donor screening questions for diverse gbMSM and trans populations Principal Investigator: GAHAGAN, Jacqueline

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: HAW, Jennie, LACHOWSKY, Nathan, DRYDEN, OmiSoore, MANNING, Eli, FOSTER, Terrie, O'BRIEN, Sheila, HACHETTE, Todd, MULLOWNEY, Mike
MSM Plasma Program $200,500.00
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
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
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
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
Translating novel clotting factor X function to treat thrombosis Principal Investigator: PRYZDIAL, Ed

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MACVICAR, Brian, SHEFFIELD, William
Intramural Research Grant Program $369,052.00
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
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
A Framework for Accelerated Synthesis of Trial Evidence – FAST Evidence - to assess efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells and convalescent plasma for COVID-19 Principal Investigator: ALLAN, David

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TINMOUTH, Alan, FERGUSSON, Dean, LALU, Manoj
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $25,000.00
Revisiting the universal donor: Does exposure to O blood products affect patient outcomes? Principal Investigator: ARNOLD, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ACKER, Jason, BUCKSTEIN, Rena, CALLUM, Jeannie, COOK, Richard, HEDDLE, Nancy, SOLH, Ziad, WEBERT, Kathryn, BARTY, Rebecca, LEBER, Brian, LALIT, Saini
Intramural Research Grant Program $378,364.97
Development of porcine equivalent RCC and plasma units for translatable ex vivo organ perfusion research Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: FREED, Darren
Intramural Research Grant Program $121,834.00
PREMISE: Point-of-care hemoglobin accuracy and transfusion outcomes in non-cardiac surgery Principal Investigator: MARTEL, Guillaume

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TINMOUTH, Alan, FERGUSSON, Dean, MCISAAC, Daniel, SHAW, Julie, RAMSAY, Tim, PRESSEAU, Justin, WHERRETT, Christopher, CARRIER, François-Martin, SEELY, Andrew, BRYSON, Gregory
Intramural Research Grant Program $392,974.00
Informing the distribution of COVID-19 convalescent plasma through implementation of CONCOR-1 in British Columbia Principal Investigator: SHIH, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VASARHELYI, Krisztina, MANUSHA, Stephania Anna, STEINER, Ted, MCMASTER, Robert, DALY, Patricia, LI, Na, DOWN, Douglas, HEDDLE, Nancy, PETRASZKO, Tanya, LIOW, Eric, PAVLOVICH, Sasha, RUTHERFORD, Alexander
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $30,000.00
Anti-RBC monoclonal antibodies as a replacement for IVIg and anti-D in ITP Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BRANCH, Donald, DUNN, Shannon
Intramural Research Grant Program $400,000.00
Transfusion CONsent by a Standardized Evidence-based Novel Tool (Transfusion- CONSENT): Creating and validating novel tools to assess competence in obtaining transfusion consent Principal Investigator: LAUREANO, Marissa

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KHANDELWAL, Aditi, HASPEL, Richard, FUNG, Mark, LANE, Shannon, ZELLER, Michelle
BloodTechNet Award Program $8,524.00
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
Transcriptome analyses of Staphylococcus aureus grown in platelet concentrates with focus on virulence Principal Investigator: RAMIREZ-ARCOS, Sandra

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: DA SILVA PAREDES, Carina
Graduate Fellowship Program $122,000.00
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: LAU, Wendy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TORDON, Bryan
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $210,000.00
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
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: SHIH, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TAPLEY, Laura
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $105,000.00
Perioperative transfusion threshold : A population-based observational study Principal Investigator: FERGUSSON, Dean

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VERRET, Michael
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Donor factors and product quality Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: YAZDANBAKHSH, Mahsa
Graduate Fellowship Program $122,000.00
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
IVIG utilization and its impact on platelet count in pregnant women with moderate thrombocytopenia Principal Investigator: KHALIFE, Roy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TINMOUTH, Alan, EL-CHAAR, Darine, MACK, Jonathan, KAROVITCH, Alan, FERGUSSON, Dean, WEBERT, Kathryn
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $22,217.25
Mechanisms of erythrocyte antibody-mediated immune suppression Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NI, Heyu, SEMPLE, John
Intramural Research Grant Program $400,000.00
Identifying biomarkers for Staphylococcus aureus contamination of platelet component Principal Investigator: RAMIREZ-ARCOS, Sandra

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHI, Sylvia Ighem
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $150,000.00
RBC hemolysis and cellular effector mechanisms (RHANCEM) Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CSERTI-GAZDEWICH, Christine, PENDERGRAST,Jacob, CALLUM, Jeannie, YI, Qilong
Intramural Research Grant Program $399,927.25
Optimizing Pre-Chemotherapy Anemia in Gynecologic Oncology (OPRA-2): A quality improvement initiative Principal Investigator: VICUS, Danielle

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SPÉNARD, Elisabeth, LIN, Yulia, KHANDELWAL, Aditi, TANO, Ruby, JADUNANDAN, Saudia, KNIGHT, Dawn
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program $30,000.00
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Trainee Principal Investigator: LAU, Wendy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VANDERMEULEN, Heather
Elianna Saidenberg Transfusion Medicine Traineeship Award $210,000.00
The pan-Canadian immunoglobulin database: Enabling utilization reporting and personalized treatment using data mining techniques for immunoglobulin Principal Investigator: LI, Na

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: DOWN, Douglas, CHIANG, Fei, LEE, Joon, HEDDLE, Nancy, ARNOLD, Donald, CALLUM, Jeannie, SIDHU, Davinder, BARTY, Rebecca
Kenneth J. Fyke Award Program $100,000.00
Improving blood product quality Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MA, Hongshen, JOHNSON, James, D'ALESSANDRO, Angelo
Intramural Research Grant Program $304,462.00
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
Assessing the relationship between red blood cell deformability and transfusion lifetime Principal Investigator: MA, Hongshen

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: LAMOUREUX, Erik
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Defining the stem cell regulatory functions of GAS6 and FTO Principal Investigator: MAGANTI, Harinad

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PASALA, Ajay
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Leveraging equity-focused implementation science to evaluate and support the re-integration of men who have sex with men into the blood donation system Principal Investigator: GOLDMAN, Mindy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VESNAVER, Elisabeth
CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship $108,500.00
COVID-19 vaccination refusal and access to transplantation: an ethical conundrum. A legal analysis and a qualitative study with key stakeholders Principal Investigator: FORTIN, Marie-Chantal

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHANDLER, Jennifer, GILL, Justin, GOLDBERG, Aviva, GRUBEN, Vanessa
James Kreppner Award Program $49,952.00
Modified platelet storage containers to improve quality during storage Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PEREYRA DOS SANTOS, Nicolas
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00
Preservation of red blood cells by the novel isochoric oil-sealing supercooling system Principal Investigator: ACKER, Jason

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ZHAO, Yuanheng
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program $167,000.00
Options for increasing plasma supply in Canada: A health economic preference and modelling study Principal Investigator: HOLLOWAY, Kelly

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KENNEDY, Kevin
CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship $108,500.00
Generation of a coagulation factor-based thrombotic agent Principal Investigator: PRYZDIAL, Ed

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: WITT, Alexandra
Graduate Fellowship Program $52,000.00