TRANSPLANT RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF BC: OVERVIEW
Every year more than 300 British Columbians receive the ultimate gift – a second
chance at life. However, due to the complexity of organ transplantation patients
are living on borrowed time.
The Transplant Research Foundation of BC (TRF) wants to change the story. We
are dedicated to supporting innovative transplantation research to benefit the
lives of organ recipients. Each year the TRF provides funding to BC scientists
through the Venture Grants program. We are looking for researchers who are
exploring new areas of science and medicine that will ultimately improve the
lives of pre and post transplant patients.
Our Mission: To support BC based transplantation research that will provide
solutions to benefit British Columbians whose lives are threatened by organ
failure.
Our Vision: Leading edge research, newly developed treatment strategies,
technologies and therapies will ultimately eliminate the need for organ
transplantation.
Originally founded as the BC Transplant Research Foundation, the TRF was
established in 1992 with funding and administrative support provided by the BC
Transplant Society (BCT). We are the only charitable foundation in Canada
dedicated solely to funding peer-reviewed transplantation research.
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VENTURE GRANTS PROGRAM OVERVIEW
In 2008 the Venture Grant Program was established as the vehicle to fulfill TRF’s
mission to fund research in transplantation. The Venture Grant Program was
created in response to a recognized need/gap in the research community for
seed funding of innovative ideas in transplantation. The intent of the Venture
Grant competition is to fund new areas of research (e.g., new hypotheses,
techniques, or ideas) that are in a pilot/feasibility stage, and which will lead to
external peer reviewed funding to support the next stages of research.
Through our projects, we hope to increase knowledge and understanding of solid
organ transplantation and support high quality research that informs Canadian
public health policy. Our primary focus is research that has potential application
to pre and post-transplant recipients.
This annual program provides $25,000 per project for seed funding to support
research that will improve the lives of transplant patients and those who are
facing organ failure.
Funds may be used to pay for direct costs of research, such as student stipends,
lab consumables and minor equipment. Overhead or indirect costs are not
eligible for TRF funds. Successful applicants are required to submit annual
reports for the duration of the funding. Financial support by the TRF should be
acknowledged in resulting publications.
The maximum annual amount that will be awarded as a Venture Grant is
$25,000, renewable on application for extension for up to a total of two years.
Grants are awarded once per year.
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All proposals are subject to a rigourous Peer Review process (described below),
and assessed on: the scientific quality of the research proposal; the probability
that it will lead to peer-reviewed scientific publications; the appropriateness of
the proposed budget; and the academic standing and research capability of the
applicant. Applications are forwarded to three reviewers external to the Board of
the Foundation. Final decisions on awards are made by majority vote of the
Board of the Foundation, and based on the final recommendations of the Peer
Review committee.
VENTURE GRANTS: ADDISON PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANT RESEARCH
PROJECT
In 2013 Elaine Yong (a TRF board member) and her husband Aaron McArthur
established the Addison Pediatric Transplant Research Project Venture Grant in
honour of their daughter. She required a heart transplant shortly after birth and
her parents quickly came to realize the critical importance of pediatric transplant
research.
The 10-year survival for heart transplants is around 50-60%. That’s not
enough. They want more for Addison, and they want what every parent wants
– to see their child grow up. The express purpose of the Addison Project is to
ensure their daughter, and young transplant recipients, have an opportunity to
live a long, healthy life.
The success and side effects of transplantation in children can vary greatly from
the adult experience. Children are not little adults, yet much of their pre and post
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transplant care is based upon clinical trials and studies conducted on adult
participants. Due to growth and development, and the severity of their end-stage
diseases, the success and side effects of transplantation in children can vary
greatly from the adult experience. That is why it is important to encourage and
support transplant research that focuses on our youngest patients, and with your
support, the Addison Pediatric Transplant Research Project will do just this.
100% of all donations will go to research. The Addison Project was established
with a fundraising goal of $50,000 to support two Venture Grants that focus on
pediatric transplantation issues. When this goal has been achieved the Board will
evaluate the success of the Project and determine if it should be established as a
permanent feature of the Venture Grants Program.
VENTURE GRANTS: APPLICATION PROCESS
There is a two-step process for Venture Grant applications:
1. Submit initial registration form in September 2015*. The TRF scientific
committee reviews the initial registration form and only selected applicants
will be invited to submit a full Venture Grant application.
2. Full applications must be submitted in December 2015*. Complete
applications must be received by the TRF by this time or they will not be
accepted. Applications missing any required document or signatures will not
be accepted.
* Final submission dates for the 2015 competition will be determined shortly.
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VENTURE GRANTS: PEER REVIEW/SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TRF funded research undergoes a rigorous peer review process conducted by
TRF’s Scientific Advisory Committee. The peer review process ensures the
projects are at the forefront of transplant research and development, and
provides TRF supporters with the confidence their contributions are funding
research that is meritorious and genuinely advancing the frontiers of transplant
science.
The Scientific Advisory Committee is comprised of individuals representing a
variety of areas of expertise who are recognized experts in their fields.
Scientific Advisory Committee – TRF Venture Grant Program
Name
Area of expertise
Affiliation
Alice Mui (Chair)
Drug development, immunology Assistant Professor, Dept. of Surgery
Associate Member, Dept. of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia
Jonathan Choy
Heart transplant, immunology
Assistant Professor Department of Molecular
Biology and Biochemistry,
Simon Fraser University
Stephen Chung
Liver transplant surgeon
Professor, UBC – Division of General Surgery
Scientific Director, BC Transplant Society
Head Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery
Vancouver General Hospital
Ken Harder
Innate immunity
Associate Professor (Tier II Canada Research
Chair); Host-pathogen/tumour laboratory
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity Research
Group; University of BC
Brad Hoffman
Islet transplantation
Scientist Level 1, CFRI
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Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery,
University of British Columbia
Olwyn Johnston
Nephrologist
Transplant Nephrologist & Clinical Assistant
Professor of Medicine, University of British
Columbia
Paul Keown
Nephrologist
Professor of Medicine and Director of
Immunology at the University of British Columbia
Megan Levings
Immunologist
Scientist Level 2, CFRI; Professor, Department of
Surgery, University of British Columbia
Kelly McNagny
Stem cell biologist
Professor, Department of Medical Genetics,
University of British Columbia
VENTURE GRANTS: EVALUATION CRITERIA
The Scientific Advisory Committee, supported by the TRF Board of Directors, has
established evaluation criteria. Evaluation Criteria include:
1. Use Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) scale and guidelines with
regards to overall scientific merit.
2. Additional TRF Venture Grant criteria:
a. Has the applicant made a sound argument for the feasibility of the
proposed studies to generating data in support of the new idea?
b. Are the proposed studies truly novel and innovative? Or are the
proposed studies simply a relatively small advance or a minor
modification of studies already underway in the lab (or elsewhere)?
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c. If the studies are successful, will this lead to major advances in
transplantation science?
VENTURE GRANT PROGRAM: MEASURING SUCCESS
TRF measures the success of the Venture Grant Program in three ways:
1. The Number of Research Applications/Proposals Submitted each year;
2. The knowledge created through the Research Projects that were funded;
and
3. Other outcomes of Funded Projects.
1. Number of Applications/Proposals
This measure indicates the need and enthusiasm for the Venture Grant
Program in our target group (the research community in BC). Typically, TRF
receives 8 – 10 applications/research proposals each year.
2. Knowledge Created
The Peer Review element of the Venture Grant Program is designed to ensure
that the projects selected for funding will by their nature and design
contribute to scientific knowledge in the field.
This knowledge will not necessarily result in the research advancing to the
next stages, and indeed this is often the case. Nevertheless, the
investigation of the research question will have lead to some knowledge that
may open other avenue of investigation even as some avenues are closed.
3. Other Outcomes
Some Venture Grant Projects do result in the primary research questions
moving forward. In these cases, projects are then able to attract traditional
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sources of funding. Some of the Venture Grant Projects have lead to patents
and commercially viable enterprises.
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