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October 28, 2005
Philippe Chessex Awarded Proof of Principle Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Philippe Chessex, investigator with the CFRI Nutrition research program, and Medical Director of the Newborn Care Program, and Division Head of Neonatology at BC Children’s Hospital, who was recently awarded a CIHR Proof of Principle Phase II grant. He will be working to develop a novel formulation of surfactant and vitamin A that can be administered intratracheally to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
Chronic lung disease is the most common cause of death and long-term disability of ELBW infants. Currently, premature babies that have respiratory disease are given surfactant intratracheally to reduce surface tension in the lungs, and keep the lungs from collapsing. 60-80% of ELBW infants are unable to produce surfactant in their lungs. These infants have also been found to have low levels of vitamin A, which further increases the risk of chronic lung disease. Some hospitals administer vitamin A because of its antioxidant properties, and its ability to stimulate lung development. However, such administration is usually through multiple intramuscular injections, and this method is extremely invasive. It is also not very efficient at improving lung function because of the lower absorption and availability rates of vitamin A when it is administered systemically. Studies done to date by Dr. Chessex show a significant increase in the availability of vitamin A when it is administered intratracheally in combination with surfactant.
Dr. Chessex’s Proof of Principle grant is partially supported by industry partner BLES Biochemicals Inc. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Proof of Principle Phase II (POP-II) grants fund proof of principle research projects of up to 12-months duration at the co-investment stage, in partnership with a non-academic investor. These funding opportunities are aimed at providing a platform to better enable researchers and academic institutions to develop new discoveries and inventions. Dr. Chessex worked with the University of British Columbia’s University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) to put together the grant application.
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