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Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338 News ReleaseMarch 15, 2001 CFI Awards grants to three U of G projectsThe federal government’s Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has awarded nearly $1 million in research infrastructure grants to three University of Guelph research projects aimed at increasing knowledge about disease processes in domestic animals, gene duplication and transgenic farm animals. The grants support projects headed by Dorothee Bienzle and Jeff Caswell of the Department of Pathobiology, Barbara Mable of the Department of Botany, and Julang Li of the department of Animal and Poultry Science. Bienzle and Caswell will share equipment, with Bienzle researching two retroviral infections in cats and Caswell studying bacterial pneumonia in cattle and swine. Mable’s research will investigate how changes at the molecular level affect processes at the whole organism level, and Li will develop the knowledge and technology that would be required to routinely generate transgenic pigs. “Studies of this kind require a lot of equipment,” said Mable, who will study the consequences of gene duplication for the evolution of mating systems. “The funding will make my research infinitely easier than if I had been forced to scavenge for equipment in other laboratories. The quality of research that will now be possible will be much higher.” Caswell, who along with Bienzle will purchase a laser microdissector, and other laboratory equipment to build a central research facility in the veterinary school with the grant, added: “We are excited about the upcoming availability of these new tools that can be used to advance our understanding of disease processes in domestic animals. It will help us form a basis for novel methods of disease control in animals and understand mechanisms of disease that are common to all species.” The Guelph projects are part of a $12.1-million investment announced this week for research initiatives at 23 Canadian universities. All of the U of G projects fall under the New Opportunities Fund, which covers 40 per cent of the infrastructure costs of a project. The remaining funds come from the research institutions and private- public- and voluntary-sector partners. The CFI was established in 1997 by the federal government to address the urgent needs of Canada’s research community. It has a capital investment budget of $3.15 billion, and its goal is to strengthen Canada’s university research and training environment through partnerships with the research institutions, the provinces and other levels of government, as well as the private and voluntary sectors. Details of the projects that received CFI funding are:
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