Dr. Ken Rockwood and Dr. Susan Howlett (pictured) alongside colleagues Dr. Leah Cahill and Dr. Scott Grandy received a Transformational Medical Research Grant made possible by the River Philip Foundation.
Faculty of Medicine researchers will be able to test the ability of blueberries, exercise and protein to reduce frailty and improve cardiovascular health, and develop a remote pregnancy monitoring system to reduce preterm birth, thanks to a $2.5-million gift from the River Philip Foundation.
The gift established two grant programs: two Transformational Medical Research Grants, which are designed to fuel groundbreaking research on the cusp of making a significant impact for the people of this region and beyond; and six Sustaining Excellence Grants, which are intended to support earlier stage researchers and new research projects as they scale up to qualify for major national research grants.
“Traditionally, River Philip has supported hospitals and universities,” says Deborah Shaffner (MBA’86), a trustee with the Foundation. “This is a way to direct money more significantly to things that are important to the Foundation that could really transform medicine. It was an idea for us to see if we could really make a difference.”
The Bragg family established the River Philip Foundation in 2005 to support and improve the quality of life in rural communities, primarily in Atlantic Canada, and to make transformative change.
Frailty, heart health linked
Dr. Ken Rockwood (PGM’91), Dr. Susan Howlett, Dr. Leah Cahill and Dr. Scott Grandy (BSc’94, MSc’00, PhD’05) received a Transformational Research Grant of $1 million to launch their STRONG study. The year-long, randomized controlled trial will test the effects of protein, blueberries and strength training on reducing frailty and improving heart health in adults aged 65-85.
Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of protein to repair muscle and improve heart health, of blueberries to lower blood pressure and oxidative stress, and of strength training to improve muscle mass and insulin sensitivity. None of the previous studies, however, have lasted a year and combined all three of these factors to reduce overall frailty and improve cardiovascular function.
“This could be a real game-changer,” says Howlett. “It’s the idea that if you target the aging mechanisms and try to give them a fighting chance, then you are less likely to get these diseases, because your body is going to be a less hospitable place for diseases to thrive.”
The researchers will continue to track participants’ heart health and frailty for a full year after the program concludes, to analyze data for longer-term impacts.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for us to do something really great for the older adults in the province of Nova Scotia and we would never have been able to do this without the funding.”
“Our group is really deeply grateful for the faith and enthusiasm River Philip has shown in the project, and we will work really hard to deliver the promising results we expect to see,” she adds.
Preventing preterm birth
The second $1 million grant will go to Dalhousie’s Dr. Tobias Kollmann in collaboration with Stanford University’s Dr. Nima Aghaeepour, who are conducting a proof-of-concept study to test remote home pregnancy monitoring.
Through wearable devices, their system will alert healthcare practitioners to potential complications such as the risk of stillbirth or preterm labour for women in rural and remote communities in Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick – who often do not have easy access to prenatal care.
The team will assess the results of the remote monitoring system against traditional pregnancy monitoring that involves blood sampling and other more invasive methods.
The River Philip grant is critical because it will provide the researchers with information about whether this system is feasible, Dr. Kollmann says. If the team proves the non-invasive remote monitoring system is as reliable as more conventional monitoring, this project may lead to a larger trial.
“We’re very grateful to the River Philip Foundation for recognizing the importance of this work and providing us with the funds to begin these investigations,” says Kollmann.