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Dr. Robin Parks awarded $790,000 from CIHR to study common cold virus
December 16, 2015
An average person will suffer around 400 colds in his or her lifetime and these colds account for 40% of all workplace absenteeism. Colds can also have much more serious consequences in people with compromised immune systems, as well as the very young and very old. Despite the huge magnitude of the problem, little progress has been made in treating the common cold. Dr. Robin Parks hopes to change this, and a $790,000 grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will help him take his research to the next level. Dr. Parks and his team are studying a common cold virus called Adenovirus and their research has shed light on how this virus hijacks the host cell’s machinery to make its own DNA and protein. They hope to develop novel approaches that target particular host cell proteins to prevent viral spread. This CIHR grant is one of 22 recently awarded to researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
About The Ottawa Hospital
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care.
For further information, please contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca
