In Spring 2025, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) launched the inaugural Sustaining Excellence Grants Program to support outstanding researchers whose projects ranked in the top 40% of Canadian Institutes of Health Research competitions but were not funded.
Developed in collaboration with the McGill University Health Centre Foundation, the Montreal General Hospital Foundation, and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, this initiative provides critical bridge funding to help researchers maintain momentum, strengthen their proposals, and remain competitive in future national competitions.
Researchers from the RESP program were among the inaugural recipients, leading innovative projects in respiratory health, infectious diseases, and precision medicine:
- Larry Lands is advancing prime editing approaches for cystic fibrosis, targeting genetic variants that do not respond to current therapies.
- Arnold Kristof is investigating cell signaling pathways in lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a rare lung disease, to uncover new therapeutic targets.
- Salman Qureshi is characterizing novel genes involved in host resistance to fungal infections, with potential to improve treatment strategies.
- Maziar Divangahi is exploring trained immunity and lipid mediators (eicosanoids) to enhance immune responses against influenza A virus.