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SickKids research awarded more than $19 million through CIHR Fall 2025 Project Grant funding
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SickKids research awarded more than $19 million through CIHR Fall 2025 Project Grant funding

Posted on February 6, 2026

Summary:

The grants will fund projects that span the spectrum of child health research, from clinical trials and robotics to genomic and molecular discoveries.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have been awarded a total of $19,899,711 in funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant Fall 2025 competition including a priority announcement grant through the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health.

The 18 grants awarded to SickKids’ Principal Investigators recognize the depth and breadth of SickKids research expertise, and are helping advance Precision Child Health through scientific excellence. The competition approved 421 research grants totalling approximately $413 million and 83 priority announcement grants totalling over $9 million across Canada. Below is a snapshot of the successful SickKids‑led projects.

Advancing neuroscience and mental health research 

Predicting risk and outcomes in paediatric stroke - $1,101,600

Neural mechanisms of memory storage and modification

Understanding amygdala engram ensembles in fear memory  – $1,377,000

Studying how psychedelics influence fear engrams  – $1,518,525

  • Dr. Sheena Josselyn, Senior Scientist, Neurosciences & Mental Health
  • These complementary projects explore the fundamental biology of memory formation and storage in the brain. 

Deep brain stimulation for severe self‑injurious behaviours – $898,875

  • Dr. George Ibrahim, Senior Scientist, Neurosciences & Mental Health
  • A randomized trial investigating whether neuromodulation can offer support for children with severe, treatment‑resistant self‑injury. 

Reducing cognitive load in children with hearing loss – $895,050

  • Dr. Karen Gordon, Senior Scientist, Neurosciences & Mental Health
  • A study exploring spatial learning and plasticity to improve hearing outcomes and cognitive health. 

Driving cancer research and precision therapeutics 

Mechanisms of metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma – $1,044,225

Targeting gene fusions in paediatric brain tumours – $1,491,750

  • Dr. Vijay Ramaswamy, Scientist, Developmental, Stem Cell & Cancer Biology, Dr. Frederic Charron (McGill University) & Dr. Livia Garzia (McGill University)
  • A precision medicine initiative focused on gene fusion-driven tumours, with the goal of more tailored and effective treatments. 

The role of dopamine in gliomagenesis – $1,109,250 

  • Dr. Peter Dirks, Senior Scientist, Developmental, Stem Cell & Cancer Biology
  • A project to determine whether the inhibition of dopamine production or signaling could inform new treatments for glioblastoma. 

Innovations in genomics, cell biology and molecular medicine 

Decoding genomic contact sites – $1,116,900 

Investigating autophagosome biogenesis –  $1,067,175

  • Dr. Amra Saric, Scientist, Neurosciences and Mental Health
  • A project revealing how sorting nexins regulate lipid transport, a pathway relevant to neurodegeneration and rare diseases. 

Microglial function and Parkinson’s pathology –  $1,055,700

SLC26A9 as a therapeutic target in cystic fibrosis –  $1,116,900

  • Dr. Lisa Strug, Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology, Dr. Marcus Mall (Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin)
  • A cellular modelling project investigating alternative pathways that could benefit individuals living with CF, beyond CFTR modulators. 

The etiopathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) –  $100,000 

  • Dr. Brian Ciruna, Senior Scientist and Program Head, Developmental, Stem Cell & Cancer Biology
  • A project applying unique zebrafish models to determine molecular mechanisms by which oxidative stress disrupts spine development. 

Improving outcomes through infectious disease and global health research 

Malaria transmission‑blocking vaccine design –  $1,017,450

Maternal and infant gut microbiome under extreme heat exposure –  $1,048,050

De novo antitoxins for intestinal diseases –  $1,028,925

  • Dr. Roman Melnyk, Senior Scientist and Program Head, Molecular Medicine
  • A targeted project to engineer antitoxins to prevent and treat severe toxin‑mediated infections. 

Advancing paediatric surgery, neonatal health and biomedical engineering 

NICE Trial: Necrotizing Enterocolitis Ischemic Conditioning Efficacy –  $1,279,061

  • Dr. Agostino Pierro, Senior Associate Scientist, Translational Medicine, Dr. Estelle Gauda, Senior Scientist, Translational Medicine, Dr. Martin Offringa, Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Kevin Thorpe, Scientific Lead, Clinical Trials Design and Analysis, Dr. Richard Keijzer (University of Manitoba), Dr. Prakesh Shah (Sinai Health) & Dr. Brian Kalish (Boston Children’s Hospital)
  • A multi‑investigator randomized controlled trial evaluating a novel conditioning therapy to reduce necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. 

Hybrid concentric tube robot for epilepsy surgery – $868,275

  • Dr. Dale Podolsky, Associate Scientist, Translational Medicine
  • A robotics project to develop the TRi‑Arm system to enhance precision and safety in epilepsy surgery. 
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