On Jun. 14, 2021, University of British Columbia researchers Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, Dr. Caigan Du and Dr. Christopher Nguan received the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2020 Exploration competition to develop therapeutic approach for inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases.

Their research project plans to develop a novel treatment for inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases that affect one in three Canadians and cost the Canadian economy more than $100 billion a year.

The fund’s Exploration stream specifically targets interdisciplinary, high-risk, high-reward research that defies current models, bridges disciplines in novel ways, or tackles fundamental problems from new perspectives.