Researcher receives more than $1 million for innovative health research

By Krista Baliko Posted: November 18, 2016 1:00 p.m.

Dr. Vianne Timmons, President and Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Mohan Babu, assistant professor in the Faculty of Science; Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Dr. David Malloy, Vice-President (Research). Photo by Rae Graham - U of R Photography.

According to the World Health Organization antibiotic resistance is one of today’s biggest threats to global health, food security and development.

Every year there are millions of deaths due to bacterial infections, especially due to virulent E. coli and other bacterial pathogens. These deaths occur because bacteria are becoming resistant to the antimicrobials used to fight them.

Current statistics suggest that by 2050, 10 million people are predicted to die every year from antimicrobial-resistant infections.

The Honorable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today announced $1,123,815 in federal funding for Dr. Mohan Babu, a University of Regina researcher who is working to understand and combat antibiotic resistance.

“Saskatchewan is home to some of Canada’s leading health researchers. This project is an example of the leading edge research being done in the province. It also highlights the strong support for research and innovation at the University of Regina,” says Minister Goodale.

Dr. Babu, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, says he is grateful for the support from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), a federal funding agency.

“This award has come at the right moment. My team has accomplished a lot in the area of bacterial genetics and systems biology and we now have the financial capability and innovative strategies to take the next steps toward identifying new drug targets,” says Babu. “This means we are closer to coming up with new broad spectrum drugs that will kill bacterial infections, such as E. coli.”

Dr. Vianne Timmons, President and Vice-Chancellor, says this support from CIHR for cutting-edge research at the University of Regina represents more than dollars and cents.

“This funding is an investment in a healthy future for everyone. For example, this significant award is helping our faculty and student researchers make great strides in understanding and fighting antibiotic resistance - something which will translate into critical health care advancements in Canada and around the world,” says President Timmons.

Babu says the work his lab is doing now on E. coli will be applied more broadly in the future.

“Our goal is to produce effective therapeutic strategies to mitigate antibiotic resistance.”

U of R researchers receive almost $1.5 million in federal funding

Federal government invests $30 million in University infrastructure