NSERC Engage Research Grants Awarded to Study Antibodies & Vaccines
Biopharmaceutical specialists, Qu Biologics Inc., has been awarded Canadian government funding to study the unspecified lifecycle of administered antibodies. Over the next six months, the business will collaborate with the University of Ottawa’s Dr. Adam Shuhendler to carry out this research project.
Qu Biologics Inc. will receive up to $25,000 in research grants through the NSERC Engage program. The program helps Canadian businesses collaborate with university researchers to conduct a specific study for up to 4-6 months.
Currently, there are many unanswered questions regarding how to monitor the lifecycle of controlled biopharmaceuticals. Canadian research grants will help Qu Biologics and Dr. Shuhendler’s team of researchers to determine a method for tracking administered biologics in living organisms.
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NSERC Engage Grants Support Qu Biologics’ Innovative Research Project
Qu Biologics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company develops targeted Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), which are platforms of immunotherapies intended to stimulate the body’s innate immune system. Since 2007, the company has treated nearly 300 patients with advanced cancer and/or Crohn’s disease.
Earlier this year, Qu Biologics was awarded up to $25,000 in NSERC Engage grants to collaborate with University of Ottawa’s professor, Dr. Adam Shuhendler. Over the course of 6 months, Qu Biologics and Dr. Shuhendler’s research team will study the life stages of biologics by tracking biologic therapies after being administered.
By answering these questions, Qu Biologics Inc. will establish an accurate description of a Site Specific Immunomodulators’ lifetime and how to improve future immunotherapy platforms.
“We anticipate this work will lead to a detailed understanding of the fate of SSIs in living systems, and equally importantly, it will provide us with new tools to study biologics.”
– Dr. Shirin Kalyan, Director of Scientific Innovation, Qu Biologics Inc.
NSERC Engage Grants for Innovative Research and Development
NSERC Engage is a collaborative research and development program that assists businesses partner with university researchers to solve an innovative technological challenge. The program supports short-term research projects lasting between 4-6 months. NSERC funding can be used to help businesses access expertise, laboratories/testing facilities, as well as data and computing systems to overcome innovation barriers.
Eligible businesses can access up to $25,000 in research grants to address a specific challenge or knowledge gap. This funding is used to offset researcher wages and expenses directly associated with the project.
Program participants may be eligible to access additional funding through NSERC Engage Plus. This stream provides an extra $12,500 in grants to help businesses extend an on-going research project by up to 6 months.
Interested businesses must prepare a project proposal that’s written to position the study as an interesting opportunity for the post-secondary research team. If interested, the post-secondary partner will request to perform the project and proceed with a joint application.
Learn More About NSERC Engage Research and Development Grants
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- NSERC Engage and CRD Funding Updates Expected Later in 2019
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