September 9, 1999

Provincial government injects $11 million into medical funding

"This allows me to do my dream research," said Andrew Halayko, physiology/ internal medicine.

Premier Gary Filmon made the announcement on August 13 in Halayko's up-and-coming lab, located on the Bannatyne campus. Halayko, a recent recipient of the Canada Foundation for innovation's New Opportunities funding, is investigating the fundamental mechanisms of asthma causes as well as designing new therapies.

"This funding allows me to step into a new lab and do research at a level which is competitive with labs that have been established for years," he said, adding that knowing about the province's decision to commit matching dollars for New Opportunities funding played a large role in his decision to return to the U of M.

Joanne Keselman, vice-president (research), is pleased with the province's announcement because it means medical researchers will have access to crucial equipment with which they can battle diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's disease through molecular medicine and gene therapy.

"It is clear that to remain competitive in today's medical research environment, the presence of a modern, state-of-the-art transgenic animal facility is critical. Currently, the inadequate infrastructure is seriously hampering the ability of these researchers to maintain their national and international competitiveness," she said.

With matching funding from the federal government and other sources, the provincial funding is expected to leverage a total research investment of more than $26 million over five years. Filmon told the crowd of researchers and other CFI recipients that the projects will create more than 800 jobs in the province while helping Manitoba attract and retain some of the world's most innovative and productive scientists, particularly in the area of medical research.

Premier Gary Filmon looks over lab plans with the U of M's Andrew Halayko, physiology/internal medicine.

"This is an important investment in our research infrastructure because it supports the innovative individuals who contribute to our international reputation for excellence and makes the province even more attractive to medical researchers. Support for leading-edge research helps us attract and retain the best minds in the country, which in turn attracts more research activity and the economic benefits that go with it," he said.

Government support from the Manitoba Innovation Fund will help finance a new medical research facility and several research projects:

• A $1.83 million transgenic animal research centre will be established at the Health Sciences Centre with equal funding of $915,000 from both the provincial government and the U of M. The facility will focus on research in diseases that are linked genetically, such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.
• The provincial government will contribute a total of $5 million over five years to a program that funds the work of new researchers in the province. The program will fund worthwhile research that may not be fully supported by traditional funding sources. Manitoba funding will be matched by federal support through the Medical Research Council of Canada. The funding will be administered by a new committee made up of representatives from the Manitoba Health Research Council, the U of M and the Manitoba departments of industry, Trade and Tourism and Health. Projects funded by the program are expected to generate $12.8 million in economic activity and more than 300 jobs in Manitoba.
• More than $4 million wilt be provided for 10 additional research projects to be conducted at the U of M with support from CFI. The projects will delve into areas ranging from the genetic basis of cancer to research into automated systems for large-scale laboratories. The provincial and federal governments are each providing 40 per cent of the total project funding with the remaining 20 per cent coming from other sources, including the U of M.

ROBERTA KOSCIELNY

SCRC and Physiology WWW administrator: www@scrc.umanitoba.ca

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