Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Research News

	The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus to become a hub for biotherapeutics research and manufacturing thanks to $59M grant May 6, 2024 - The Ottawa Hospital is receiving $59 million to boost Canada’s capacity to develop and manufacture life-saving biotherapeutics, including vaccines, gene therapies and cell therapies.
	Beyond the spike: novel COVID vaccine candidate targets 7 viral proteins for strong immune response November 2, 2023 - Despite the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in many countries, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and make people sick and new variants remain a significant threat. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa believe the
	Ottawa-area residents invited to participate in multivalent COVID-19 vaccine trial October 5, 2022 - Healthy adults are invited to participate in a clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital to test a multivalent coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by VBI Vaccines Inc., a biotechnology company with Ottawa-based research and development facilities.
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	Made-in-Ottawa vaccine could help in global fight against COVID-19, including new variants December 13, 2021 - As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread around the world, a vaccine developed and manufactured at The Ottawa Hospital could provide a unique approach to help control the pandemic. Unlike the COVID-19 vaccines currently approved by the World Health
	Help us advance Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine research in older adults. October 6, 2021 - The Ottawa Hospital is participating in an RSV vaccine research trial and is looking for volunteers aged 60 years and older.
	COVID-19 booster shot study recruits Ottawa-area volunteers September 29, 2021 - Ottawa-area adults who are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine are invited to participate in a clinical trial of a locally developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate, as a third dose or late booster vaccine. To be eligible, participants must have
	Biomanufacturing partnership boosts Canada’s life-saving treatment and vaccine capacity September 13, 2021 - As Canada seeks to rebuild its biomanufacturing sector and support made-in-Canada solutions to global health challenges, The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Alberta and BioCanRx have collaborated to create Canada’s first full-service, end-to-end b
	Plasma exchange may help treat rare blood clots related to vaccines August 6, 2021 - Canadian researchers have published the first study of plasma exchange as a possible treatment for rare blood clots related to certain COVID-19 vaccines.
	How well do COVID-19 vaccines work in people with cancer, immune conditions and other populations of interest? July 15, 2021 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have been awarded more than $8 million to lead four national studies that will answer important questions about COVID-19 vaccines, including how well they work in people with cancer and
	Biotherapeutics: the future of medicine May 25, 2021 - World-class biotherapeutics facility at The Ottawa Hospital uses cells, genes and viruses to create unique life-saving treatments
	Ottawa-area residents invited to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trial March 9, 2021 - Healthy adults are invited to participate in a clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital to test a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by VBI Vaccines Inc., a biotechnology company with Ottawa-based research and development facilities.
	The Ottawa Hospital manufactures COVID-19 vaccines for clinical trials February 25, 2021 - The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) is manufacturing three COVID-19 vaccines for human clinical trials, filling a critical gap in Canada’s vaccine manufacturing capacity.
	Vaccines and viral immunotherapies: unique Canadian program provides training to manufacture biotherapeutics November 21, 2020 - As COVID-19 highlights the urgent need to increase vaccine manufacturing around the world, a unique training program is bolstering Canada’s capacity to manufacture vaccines, as well as viral immunotherapies for cancer and other emerging biotherapeuti
	App could provide new way to track vaccine safety November 17, 2020 - Vaccines are one of society’s greatest success stories, but like any treatment, there can be rare adverse events and they must be tested carefully. With a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign on the horizon, Canadian researchers have launched a pilo
	$1M grant to support manufacturing of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines at The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa November 6, 2020 - Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have been awarded $1,050,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to support facilities for manufacturing innovative treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
	Mobile reporting of adverse events from a pandemic COVID-19 vaccine June 8, 2020 - Dr. Kumanan Wilson and his colleagues will harness their electronic vaccine-tracking platform CANImmunize to let Canadians report potential adverse events from a COVID-19 vaccine through their mobile device.
	COVID-19 research moving at ‘lightning speed’, thanks to generous community support May 8, 2020 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are working around the clock to advance more than 50 potentially life-saving research projects to support the world-wide effort to find better ways to treat and prevent COVID-19. Now, nine of these projects have bee
	Cancer-killing viruses provide inspiration for COVID-19 vaccine April 28, 2020 - While physical distancing has slowed the spread of COVID-19, the vast majority of people around the world remain susceptible to the virus. That’s why most experts believe we won’t be able to fully find a new normal until a vaccine is developed. At T
	Researchers join the fight against COVID-19 April 2, 2020 - As hospitals and communities band together to fight COVID-19, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are harnessing their unique expertise and resources to help.
	Taking CANImmunize to the next level October 1, 2019 - CANImmunize, an award-winning vaccine-tracking platform developed by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, is transitioning into a startup company. The popular app-based platform will continue to digitally transform the delivery of immunization service
	Flu vaccination keeps people with COPD out of the hospital January 30, 2019 - A study led by Dr. Sunita Mulpuru found that the flu vaccine was associated with a 38 percent reduction in flu-related hospitalizations among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The researchers looked at the records of 4755 Cana
	Immunization tracking brought into the digital age November 30, 2018 - Building on successful public health reporting pilot projects in Ottawa and Kingston, Ontarians will soon be able to use CANImmunize to immediately see and download their own, and their families’ official immunization records held by the province. CA
	Standardizing digital vaccination records in Canada: team behind CANImmunize launches Canadian Vaccine Catalogue July 12, 2018 - As provinces and territories across Canada work to digitize vaccination records, a team of Canadian physicians, researchers and policy-makers has released the first version of the Canadian Vaccine Catalogue (CVC). This comprehensive, standards-based
	Flu shots decrease overall risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré Syndrome January 19, 2015 - Drs. Kumanan Wilson and Steven Hawken published a paper this week that examines whether the flu shot increases or decreases the risk of getting Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare but serious autoimmune condition. Recent studies have associated

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Ardolino, Michele PhD	Senior Scientist (CR)	Blood cancer, Brain cancer, Breast cancer, Cancer, Colorectal cancer, Head and neck cancer, Liver cancer, Lung cancer, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Prostate cancer, Skin cancer, Soft tissue sarcoma	Basic research, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Clinical research, Disease models, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Bell, John PhD, FRSC, FCAHS	Senior Scientist (CR)	Cancer, COVID-19	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Cameron, Bill MD FRCPC FACP FIDSA	Senior Scientist (ICD)	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COVID-19, Cystic fibrosis, HIV, Infectious disease, Sexually transmitted infections, Tuberculosis	Clinical research, Epidemiology, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Pharmacology
Chakraborty, Santanu MBBS, MRCP, DMRD, FRCR, FRCP(C)	Senior Clinician Investigator (NS)	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Brain cancer, Concussion, Dementia, Head and neck cancer, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Spinal cord injury, Stroke, Traumatic brain injury	Bioinformatics, Clinical research, Health economics, Health professional behaviour change, Imaging, Immunization, Patient safety, Quality Improvement, Risk assessment
Cooper, Curtis MD, FRCPC	Scientist (ICD)	COVID-19, Hepatitis C, HIV, Infectious disease, Influenza	Clinical research, Immunization
Cowan, Juthaporn MD, PhD, FRCPC	Associate Scientist (ICD)	Autoimmune disease, COVID-19, Infectious disease	Immunization, Immunotherapy, Patient engagement
Crawley, Angela Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (ICD)	Cancer, COVID-19, Hepatitis C, HIV, Infectious disease, Liver cancer, Liver disease	Basic research, Cancer immunotherapy, Clinical research, Disease models, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, RNA sequencing, Translational research
Diallo, Jean-Simon PhD	Senior Scientist (CR)	Cancer, COVID-19, Infectious disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Hawken, Steven PhD	Senior Scientist (MIR)	Population health, Global health, Newborn and child health, Pregnancy	Artificial intelligence and data science, Big data, Biomarkers, Health services research, Immunization, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health research methods
Ilkow, Carolina PhD	Senior Scientist (CR)	Breast cancer, COVID-19, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Mulpuru, Sunita MD FRCPC MSc	Associate Scientist (ICD)	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Frailty, Influenza, Population health	Epidemiology, Health services research, Immunization, Quality Improvement
Quizi, Jennifer PhD	Investigator (CR)	Cancer, Infectious disease	Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Ramsay, Timothy PhD	Senior Scientist (MIR)	Addiction, Alzheimer's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Anxiety, Ataxia, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism, Bipolar, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Colorectal cancer, Concussion, Cystic fibrosis, Dementia, Depression, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health, HIV, Immigrant and refugee health, Influenza, Kidney disease, Lung cancer, Macular degeneration, Men's health, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Myasthenia gravis, Obesity, Ovarian cancer, Parkinson's, Pulmonary hypertension, Septic shock, Spinal cord injury	Artificial intelligence and data science, Behaviour, Biomaterials, Biostatistics, Cell therapy, Clinical decision rules, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Cohort studies, Critical care, Drug development, Emergency medicine, Epidemiology, Health professional behaviour change, Health promotion, Health research methods, Health services research, Health technology, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Palliative care, Patient decision aids, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Prevention, Psychology, Psychometrics, Public health, Qualitative methods, Quality Improvement, Regenerative medicine, Rehabilitation, Risk assessment, Shared decision making, Surgery, Surveys, Systematic reviews, Transfusions, Translational research, Transplantation, Viral therapy
Sulis, Giorgia MD, PhD	Associate Scientist (MIR)	Global health, Health in disadvantaged peoples, Health in older peoples, Infectious disease, Tuberculosis	Epidemiology, Health professional behaviour change, Health services research, Immunization, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Prevention, Public health, Systematic reviews
Wilson, Kumanan MD, MSc, FRCPC	Senior Scientist (MIR)	COVID-19, Global health, Infectious disease, Newborn and child health, Population health	Artificial intelligence and data science, Big data, Biomarkers, Clinical research, Digital and mobile health, Epidemiology, Health services research, Health technology, Immunization, Public health, Transfusions, Translational research