UBC Microbiologist Earns Grand Challenges Canada Award for TB Research

Santiago Ramón-García, a research associate with UBC Microbiology and Immunology, has received $100,000 in funding from Grand Challenges Canada to investigate new drug combinations for tuberculosis treatment.

The grant is one of 19 gawarded to young Canadian research innovators in the first phase of the non-profit's Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health initiative.

Ramón-García will investigate new synergistic combinations of drugs already approved for other therapeutic applications, work that could allow the introduction of new tuberculosis therapies in shorter time. Hundreds of antibiotics are available on the market, but only a few are effective in treating tuberculosis. Developing new drugs is a long (10 to 15 years) and expensive ($800 million) process.

The funding will enable Ramón-García to expand his work through international collaboration with TB researchers in South Africa. Some projects will be eligible for an additional scale–up grant of up to $1 million.

The UBC team submitted a two-minute, non-technical video as part of the overall application to Grand Challenges Canada. Applications were judged partially on how effectively scientists can engage the public.

Grand Challenges Canada is a new global health organization funded by Canada's foreign aid budget. Its purpose is to fund research to address some of the most difficult global health issues through integrated innovation and save lives. Canada is the first country in the world to adopt a grand challenges approach to foreign aid.

More about Grand Challenges Canada www.grandchallenges.ca

Watch the TB GCC Video www.grandchallenges.ca/canadianrisingstars_round1grantees