Funding Type: Grants

University Health Network — Hepatitis C Challenge Model

Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $1,460,000 over three years to the University Health Network to support the development and testing of a CHIM (controlled human infection model), which could be used to evaluate vaccines for hepatitis C (HCV), led by Jordan Feld. CHIM studies involve exposing volunteers to a controlled dose of a pathogen. They require fewer participants and are easier to carry out than real-world efficacy trials, which require following a large number of people until enough of them naturally contract the virus to enable a comparison between the treatment and control groups. And because there are several direct-acting antiviral medications for HCV, it is possible to reliably cure infected volunteers afterwards, making CHIM studies relatively safe. (For more on the ethics of these studies, see this issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.)

This falls within our focus area of scientific research, specifically within our interest in advancing human health and wellbeing.

University Health Network — Preterm Birth Research (2020)

Image courtesy of the University Health Network.

Grant Investigators: Heather Youngs and Chris Somerville

This page was reviewed but not written by the grant investigators. University Health Network staff also reviewed this page prior to publication.

Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $1,228,000 to the University Health Network, a Canadian research center affiliated with the University of Toronto, to continue a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of L-arginine supplementation to reduce preterm birth and examine the impact of COVID-19 co-infection on risk of poor birth outcomes. The research will be led by Kevin Kain and Chloe McDonald.

Preterm birth is a leading cause of global under-five mortality, resulting in over 1 million deaths each year. Pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia face high rates of poor birth outcomes as a result of multiple risk factors, including protein-deficient diets and a high burden of diseases, including malaria, anemia, HIV, and potentially COVID-19.

This clinical trial will compare the current standard of care for expectant mothers in Kenya, which includes dietary supplementation of iron and folic acid, to the same standard of care with the addition of the amino acid L-arginine, an essential nutrient in pregnancy that contributes to healthy placental development. The expanded study will examine if COVID-19 increases the risk of poor birth outcomes (e.g. preterm birth), in women with co-infections common in low- and middle-income countries (e.g. malaria, HIV-1), and if interventions (e.g. L-arginine) will improve placental function and reduce preterm birth.

This follows our February 2019 support. It falls within our interest in scientific research, specifically within our interest in human health and wellbeing.

University Health Network — Preterm Birth Research (2019)

Pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia face high rates of preterm birth as a result of multiple risk factors. (Photo courtesy of University Health Network)

Grant Investigator: Heather Youngs

This page was reviewed but not written by the grant investigator. University Health Network staff also reviewed this page prior to publication.

The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $1,134,975 to the University Health Network, a Canadian research center affiliated with the University of Toronto, to support a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of an intervention to reduce preterm birth in Kenya. Preterm birth is a leading cause of global under-five mortality, resulting in over 1 million deaths each year.

Pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia face high rates of preterm birth as a result of multiple risk factors, including protein-deficient diets and a high burden of diseases, including malaria, anemia, and HIV. This trial will compare the current standard of care for expectant mothers in Kenya, which includes dietary supplementation of iron and folic acid, to the same standard of care with the addition of the amino acid L-arginine, an essential nutrient in pregnancy that contributes to healthy placental development. The research will be led by Kevin Kain and Chloe McDonald.

This falls within our interest in scientific research, specifically within our interest in advancing human health and wellbeing.