Dr. Art Poon awarded $300,000 for research in applied phylogenetics for HIV prevention
Vancouver, B.C. [August 12, 2013] – Dr. Art Poon, associate research scientist for the Research Laboratory Program at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), has been awarded the New Investigator Award in CHVI Vaccine Discovery and Social Research.
The award is given by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, in partnership with the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI), for innovative research into prevention and therapy to address the global health challenges of HIV/AIDS. The award is $300,000 over five years. Dr. Poon’s research, which will involve reconstructing the spread and adaptation of HIV, will have implications on the development of anti-HIV vaccines and the global initiative to expand Treatment as Prevention.
“Dr. Poon’s research will contribute to global efforts to develop a safe, effective, affordable, and globally accessible HIV vaccine,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC-CfE.”I congratulate Art on this great honour. He is an ideal and deserving recipient of this award, and his work will ensure we are on the leading edge of developing models for HIV treatment and prevention.”
Dr. Poon and BC-CfE lab staff will investigate the history of HIV transmission in British Columbia, including the genetic divergence of virus populations as they spread and adapt to different hosts, and the accumulation of mutations in a virus population as it evolves within a single individual. His research will develop computational tools to reconstruct the spread and adaptation of HIV with the ultimate goal of directly applying this knowledge to prevent the transmission of HIV among Canadians.
“I’m incredibly thankful to CIHR and CHVI for this award,” said Dr. Poon.”This award will allow me and our bioinformatics team to continue to build tools that will positively impact the health of Canadians, and contribute to the development of an anti-HIV vaccine.”
Dr. Poon was also the recipient of the CIHR Fellowship Award and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR)/St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation-Providence Health Care Research Institute (SPHF-PHCRI) Career Investigator Scholar Award. He is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.
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About the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility and is internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases. BC-CfE is based at St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. The BC-CfE works in close collaboration with key provincial stakeholders, including health authorities, health care providers, academics from other institutions, and the community to decrease the health burden of HIV and AIDS and to improve the health of British Columbians living with HIV through developing, monitoring and disseminating comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related illnesses.
About the University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of North America’s largest public research and teaching institutions, and one of only two Canadian institutions consistently ranked among the world’s 40 best universities. Surrounded by the beauty of the Canadian West, it is a place that inspires bold, new ways of thinking that have helped make it a national leader in areas as diverse as community service learning, sustainability and research commercialization. UBC offers more than 55,000 students a range of innovative programs and attracts $550 million per year in research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through 7,000 grants.
For additional information or to request interviews, please contact:
Kevin Hollett
BC-CfE
Phone: 604-682-2344 ext. 66536
Mobile: 778-848-3420
Email: khollett@bccfe.ca