Halifax, Nova Scotia – The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (LANSPEI) is delighted to congratulate two local research teams who were each awarded $35,000 from the annual Legacy Research Grant awards.
“We are thrilled to be supporting local research through our Legacy Research Grant,” said Robert MacDonald, President & CEO of LANSPEI. “With funding support from Research Nova Scotia, we are investing in respiratory research to help find cures and better treatments for lung disease.”
The first recipients, Dr. Paul Hernandez and Dr. Scott Kehler, both from Dalhousie University, will be researching how COPD exacerbations and the burden of COPD symptoms impact the frailty trajectory.
“We are grateful to the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for supporting our research,” said Dr. Hernandez. “It is important to understand if we can improve how resources are used for the delivery of healthcare to patients who need it most as part of their treatment or prevention of COPD.”
The second grant was awarded to Dr. Valerie Chappe from Dalhousie University, and will be investigating whether a protein related to cystic fibrosis can be used to effectively treat COVID-19.
“With funding from the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, we will investigate how a specific protein helps protect the lungs from COVID-19 infection in patients with cystic fibrosis. Our research will determine if this protein could be a viable target for the development of treatments against COVID-19. We are very grateful to the Lung Association for supporting our research,” said Dr. Chappe.
“Research Nova Scotia is proud to support the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island’s investment in local respiratory research through their annual Legacy Research Grant,” says Stefan Leslie, CEO of Research Nova Scotia. “Research continues to help improve health care delivery and outcomes for Nova Scotians through the advancement of disease detection, treatment, diagnosis and prevention.”
The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island’s Legacy Research Grant has been funding local, innovative, cutting-edge research for over 30 years. The grants provide seed funding to support respiratory research to help improve lung health in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
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About the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is a volunteer-driven charity organization whose mission is to improve quality of life by controlling and preventing lung disease through research, advocacy, patient services and education.
About Research Nova Scotia
Research Nova Scotia is an independent, not-for-profit corporation with the mandate to support, organize and co-ordinate the funding of research in Nova Scotia. RNS was established to enhance research capacity, as well as align research funding, with provincial priorities and promotes a mission-oriented research ecosystem to help solve Nova Scotia’s biggest challenges.
Media Contacts:
Michelle Donaldson
Director of Communications
The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
(902)443-8141 (Ext 23)
(902) 579-3948
michelledonaldson@lungnspei.ca