Six UHN researchers received over $2.5 million in total funding to support research projects improving liver transplant survival, how mechanical force affects immune function, enhancing safer mobility for older adults, reducing fall risk, advancing brain imaging, and accelerating drug discovery.

Through the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), the Ontario government invested over $47 million in 195 research projects from universities, colleges, and research hospitals across the province.

UHN recipients of this funding include the following:

● Mamatha Bhat, Scientist at UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s (U of T’s) Temerty Faculty of Medicine, received $396,237 from the ORF Small Infrastructure Fund. This funding will support the advancement of machine learning models to inform precision diagnostics and therapy for liver transplant patients.

● Daniel Winer, Senior Scientist at UHN and Assistant Professor at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, received $243,257 from the ORF Small Infrastructure Fund. The funding will support research to understand how the immune system detects and responds to physical changes, like stiffness, in the environment, and how these changes affect immune function. This work could help advance new therapies for disease, improve safety during space travel, and slow the aging process.

● Jennifer Campos, Senior Scientist at UHN’s KITE Research Institute and Professor at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, received $408,086 from the ORF Small Infrastructure Fund. The funding will support a research program that uses DriverLab, Canada's most advanced driving simulator, to understand how age-related changes to vision and hearing, cognitive decline, and medication use affect driving performance. The goal of the program is to support safe, independent mobility, inform driving policies, improve vehicle design, and enhance quality of life for older adults.

This funding will be used to cover the cost of state-of-the-art equipment for these critical research projects.

UHN also received more than $1.2 million through projects led by UHN-affiliated Drs. George Mochizuki, Kâmil Uludağ, and J. Rafael Montenegro Burke at collaborating institutions. Dr. Mochizuki, Affiliate Scientist at UHN’s KITE Research Institute and Associate Professor at York University, leads a project that aims to understand markers of fall risk. Dr. Uludağ, Senior Scientist at UHN’s Krembil Brain Institute and Senior Scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, leads a project enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of brain conditions through the acquisition of a new radiofrequency (RF) coil and contrast agent injector for the new 7T MRI scanner. Dr. Montenegro Burke, Affiliate Scientist at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Principal Investigator at the University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, leads a project that will explore how cancer cells alter metabolism to resist treatment.

“In the face of economic uncertainty, Ontario researchers are bolstering our critical industries with discoveries that cement our province as a global leader,” said Hon. Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “This investment in our world-class colleges, universities and hospitals will advance the sectors that drive our economy, create jobs, and save lives.”

Congratulations to all recipients at UHN!

To read the announcement, click here. To see a full list of funded projects in 2026, click here.