{"id":33076,"date":"2025-09-16T09:09:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/?p=33076"},"modified":"2025-09-16T09:09:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:09:53","slug":"cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-sponsored-by-takeda-dr-megan-levings-and-dr-issac-rosado-sanchez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-sponsored-by-takeda-dr-megan-levings-and-dr-issac-rosado-sanchez\/","title":{"rendered":"CDTRP Research Innovation Grant sponsored by Takeda: Dr. Megan Levings and Dr. Issac Rosado Sanchez"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1216.8px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-image-element \" style=\"text-align:center;--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-dropshadow imageframe-1 hover-type-none\" style=\"-webkit-box-shadow: 3px 3px 7px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);box-shadow: 3px 3px 7px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" title=\"Levings&#038;Sanchez\" src=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez.png\" alt class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-33079\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271600%27%20height%3D%27900%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201600%20900%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271600%27%20height%3D%27900%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez-200x113.png 200w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LevingsSanchez.png 1600w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/span><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 &#091;&#093;\"><strong>CDTRP 2025 Research Innovation Grant Competition Results<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CDTRP is thrilled to announce the results of the <a class=\"ProsemirrorEditor-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/announcing-the-results-of-the-2025-cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-competition-11-new-projects-funded\/\">CDTRP 2025 Research Innovation Grant Competition<\/a>, made possible through our partnership with various esteemed organizations. We are proud to showcase all of the exciting projects that have been funded in this year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n<p>We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to <strong>Dr. Megan Levings and Dr. Issac Rosado Sanchez<\/strong> and their team for being awarded the <strong>CDTRP Research Innovation Grant sponsored by Takeda<\/strong>. We wish them all the best as they embark on their innovative project!<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-double sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:#e0dede;border-top-width:1px;border-bottom-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div><style type='text\/css'>.reading-box-container-1 .element-bottomshadow:before,.reading-box-container-1 .element-bottomshadow:after{opacity:0.7;}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-reading-box-container reading-box-container-1\" style=\"--awb-title-color:#333c4e;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:84px;\"><div class=\"reading-box\" style=\"background-color:#f6f6f6;border-width:1px;border-color:#f6f6f6;border-left-width:3px;border-left-color:var(--primary_color);border-style:solid;\"><div class=\"reading-box-additional\">\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 &#091;&#093;\"><em>\u201cTakeda is proud of our ongoing support of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program\u2019s efforts to further medical research initiatives in organ or tissue donation and transplantation,\u201d said Dr. Andrew Vieira, Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Takeda Canada. \u201cThe work being undertaken by Dr. Megan Levings and Dr. Issac Rosado Sanchez\u2019s project Engineering next-generation CAR Tregs for precision immune tolerance in transplantation is an important step in improving the lives of Canadian transplant patients.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 &#091;&#093;\"><strong>CDTRP Research Innovation Grant<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>sponsored by Takeda: Dr. Megan Levings and Dr. Issac Rosado Sanchez<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Project Title: <\/strong>Engineering next-generation CAR Tregs for precision immune tolerance in transplantation<\/p>\n<p><strong>Main affiliation: <\/strong>University of British Columbia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Theme: 4 \u2013 <\/strong>Tailor an Optimal Immune System for Each Patient<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\"><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lay Abstract<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><style type='text\/css'>.reading-box-container-2 .element-bottomshadow:before,.reading-box-container-2 .element-bottomshadow:after{opacity:0.7;}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-reading-box-container reading-box-container-2\" style=\"--awb-title-color:#333c4e;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:84px;\"><div class=\"reading-box\" style=\"background-color:#f6f6f6;border-width:1px;border-color:#f6f6f6;border-left-width:3px;border-left-color:var(--primary_color);border-style:solid;\"><div class=\"reading-box-additional\">\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 &#091;&#093;\">For people who receive an organ transplant, the biggest challenge is helping their body accept the new organ. Right now, patients have to take strong drugs to stop their immune system from attacking the transplant. These drugs can cause serious side effects, including infections and cancer, and they don\u2019t always prevent rejection in the long run. Our research is looking for a better, safer solution. Instead of using drugs to turn off the immune system, we are developing a type of personalized cell therapy. It uses a kind of immune cell called a regulatory T cell, or Treg, which naturally controls the immune system and prevents it from attacking healthy tissues. Our team has previously developed a way to modify these Tregs giving them a special sensor called a \u201cCAR\u201d that helps them find and protect the transplanted organ. This new project builds on past work and aims to further improve CAR Tregs by using gene editing to: first, program the cells to quietly release a tiny amount of a drug that blocks dangerous immune signals\u2014right where it\u2019s needed, not throughout the body; and second, to remove a molecule (CD40L) that can accidentally trigger harmful immune responses. These improvements aim to make CAR-Treg therapy safer, more effective and more targeted. The ultimate goal is to create a new personalized therapy that helps the body accept a transplanted organ without the need for lifelong medications. If successful, this approach could be used in other diseases, like autoimmune conditions, in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-double sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:#e0dede;border-top-width:1px;border-bottom-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\"><h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/announcing-the-results-of-the-2025-cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-competition-11-new-projects-funded\/\"><strong>View the results of the 2025 CDTRP Research Innovation Grant Competition.<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n<h5 class=\"fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-fontsize=\"20\" data-lineheight=\"30px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/cdtrp-innovation-grant-winners\/\">View past CDTRP Innovation Grants recipients here.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":33079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33085,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33076\/revisions\/33085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}