Sustaining science culture
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SickKids Research Institute is a powerhouse of innovation and discovery. Highly trained and accomplished scientists work with trainees from all over the world – everyone engaged in finding answers that will lead to earlier detection and better treatment of childhood diseases.
A scientist at SickKids is financially enabled by individual donations through SickKids Foundation, government grants, industry support and foundation awards. Take Dr. Michael Salter, MD, Ph.D who is Head and Senior Scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, Canada Research Chair in Neuroplasticity and Pain, Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar, Professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto and founding director of its Centre for the Study of Pain.
Pain is the single most common complaint of individuals seeking health care and most common cause of disability. In terms of suffering and loss of quality of life, pain management is a pressing social issue as well as a huge economic burden costing an estimated $8 billion annually in Canada. With an aging population, the number of Canadians affected by central nervous system disorders (which includes pain) is expected to increase to near epidemic levels in the next 30 years. The discoveries that will emerge from Salter’s research will have a major influence on health and health-care costs within Canada.
Salter explores the origins of pain at the molecular level, and considers the genetic, molecular and cellular questions about why pain becomes chronic and how chronic pain information is stored and processed in the brain. His goal is to create a new generation of drugs that can target and treat chronic pain and, in some instances, even repair damaged nerves.
One of the world’s leading pain researchers, Salter receives ongoing support from SickKids Foundation, which funds the core operating costs of the Research Institute. On top of that, he received five-year funding in 2009 for his research on novel approaches to treating chronic neuropathic pain. The total funding package is $10.4 million which includes $3.5 million from the Ministry of Research & Innovation’s Ontario Research Fund. Private-sector support is through a collaboration with NoNo Inc., while grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Krembil Foundation, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and other sources contribute further.
"There's excitement in my lab where researchers are making progress every day," Salter says. "It's incredibly stimulating to work in this environment. We are able to engage in ground-breaking research because of the support we receive from the SickKids Foundation and other groups. There's hope that we can do something about the pain that some children experience when they are sick."