Newsroom
Drs. Anna Blakney and Sabrina Leslie awarded BC Knowledge Development Funds
Dr. Anna Blakney
The British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) recently announced the recipients of their latest round of funding. Drs. Anna Blakney (Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering), and Sabrina Leslie (Michael Smith Laboratories and UBC Department of Physics and Astronomy) were both successfully awarded grants, from a total of 78 successful projects led by UBC researchers. BCKDF awards aim to foster innovation across a broad range of institutions in BC by providing funds to attract researchers and skilled technicians through the development of scientific infrastructure and lab equipment. Funds are provided in partnership with other funding bodies such as the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and other partners.
Projects funded:
RNA Enhancement and Clinical Translation (REACT) Platform led by Dr. Anna Blakney.
- BCKDF contribution: $125,000
“We are grateful to the BCKDF for supporting our research in developing next-generation RNA vaccines and therapies. This funding will allow us to synthesize and characterize state-of-the-art RNA and nanoparticle formulations, which is a powerful tool to have in-house in a laboratory. Furthermore, we can continue to innovate on the production processes to enable the RNA technology of the future.” – Dr. Blakney
Dr. Sabrina Leslie
Single-molecule and Single-cell Microscopy Platform for Therapeutics Research and Development led by Dr. Sabrina Leslie.
- BCKDF contribution: $462,446
“This BCKDF grant, in partnership with CFI funding, has provided us with sample preparation, microscopy, and data analysis equipment in order to pioneer quantitative measurements of the biophysics of molecular interactions with exquisite detail, and to use these results in collaboration with health scientists to understand and contribute to next-generation medicines. We are grateful to BCKDF for supporting these important research efforts which will help improve the quality of our lives, as well as support the training of the next generation of scientists.” – Dr. Sabrina Leslie
Congratulations to both Dr. Blakney and Dr. Leslie for the successful funding of these important research projects.
Learn more about these projects and BCKDF funding: