SickKids celebrates 10 years of its Proof of Principle Grant Competition
Summary:
This year's recipients reflect the breadth of innovation emerging across SickKids, spanning new therapeutic approaches and biomarkers to surgical planning software and precision neuroimaging technologies.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Proof of Principle (PoP) Grant Competition, marking the program's 10th year of supporting discoveries that have the promise to become real-world health-care solutions.
Hosted by the SickKids Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) office, the PoP competition helps bridge the gap between early discoveries and commercialization by helping researchers engage investors and industry partners, and achieve translation.
This year's recipients reflect the breadth of innovation emerging across SickKids, spanning new therapeutic approaches and biomarkers to surgical planning software and precision neuroimaging technologies.
- Dr. Lynne Howell, Senior Scientist, Molecular Medicine
In Silico Designed Hydrolases for the Treatment of Biofilm Infections
Therapeutic | $125,000 - Dr. Jayne Danska, Senior Scientist, Genetics and Genome Biology
Bacterial Antibody Biomarkers for Prediction and Immunotherapeutic Optimization in Type 1 Diabetes
Diagnostic | $75,000 - Dr. Maryse Bouchard, Head of Orthopaedic Surgery
A Virtual Foot Model for Optimizing Surgical Planning and Patient Outcomes
Software | $75,000 - Dr. Adam Waspe, Senior Project Manager, High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound
OPUS: Optically Pumped Magnetometers Combined with Focused Ultrasound Transducers for Precision Neuroimaging and Neuromodulation
Medical Device | $75,000
"Having used AI-based protein design approaches to develop enzymes with improved physical and chemical properties, this PoP funding enables us to test whether these novel enzymes can eliminate biofilm infections in actual preclinical models," says Howell, one of the winners in the Therapeutic category. "This brings us a big step closer to being able to treat chronic lung infections suffered by individuals with cystic fibrosis, non-CF bronchiectasis and COPD."
A decade of supporting SickKids innovators
Since launching in 2016, IP&C has awarded more than $2.75 million to projects across therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and digital health. Some past recipients include:
- 2018 PoP winner: Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien, Senior Scientist, Molecular Medicine, created Multabody technology that can be used to rapidly develop new molecular therapies for hard-to-treat conditions such as cancer, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases. It secured a $35-million investment co-led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Amplitude Ventures and in 2021 was used to develop a super molecule to neutralize the COVID-19 virus.
- 2019 PoP winner: Dr. Cynthia Hawkins, Senior Scientist, Cell & Systems Biology, developed what became Canada's first clinical liquid biopsy test for childhood cancer. It has been shown to be a successful platform to detect cancer from blood, cerebrospinal fluid and other body fluids by analyzing circulating tumour DNA that previously required surgical biopsies.
- 2021 PoP winner: Dr. Xi Huang, Senior Scientist in Developmental, Stem Cell & Cancer Biology, found a way to target a cerebrospinal fluid-driven process that causes medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, to spread. His lab is leading the effort to translate the discovery into safe, effective treatments that target the potassium channel.
Twenty-eight projects have received PoP funding throughout the program, reflecting SickKids' commitment to ensuring that discoveries made within its research community have a clear path toward creating meaningful impact for children and families.