{"id":35000,"date":"2026-10-13T21:17:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T01:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/?p=35000"},"modified":"2026-10-13T21:18:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T01:18:00","slug":"cdtrp-kfoc-research-innovation-grant-dr-karen-sherwood-and-dr-tom-blydt-hansen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/cdtrp-kfoc-research-innovation-grant-dr-karen-sherwood-and-dr-tom-blydt-hansen\/","title":{"rendered":"CDTRP KFOC Research Innovation Grant : Dr. Karen Sherwood and Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen"},"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=\"2026 Innovation Grant1_KFOC\" src=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC.png\" alt class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-34986\" 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\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC-200x113.png 200w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Innovation-Grant1_KFOC.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 2026 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-2026-cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-competition-7-new-projects-funded\/\">CDTRP 2026 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.<\/strong> <strong>Karen Sherwood and Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen<\/strong> and their team for being awarded the <strong>CDTRP KFOC Research Innovation Grant<\/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>&#8220;The Kidney Foundation of Canada is excited to support this work which could see immunosuppression after transplantation as a thing of the past. While transplantation can provide a new outlook on life for many kidney patients, it is often accompanied by a lifelong complications resultant from the requirement to take medications to suppress the host immune system. Innovation that could contribute to the reduction of immunosuppressive medications, have the potential to result in meaningful change for the post transplant community, and increase the potential for transplant as a treatment in a larger percentage of the population.&#8221;<\/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 KFOC Research Innovation Grant<\/strong> <strong>: Dr.<\/strong> <strong>Karen Sherwood and Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Project Title: <\/strong>Precision Immune Genomics in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation: A Novel Application of Nanopore Adaptive Sampling for integrated genomic Risk Stratification<\/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;\">Kidney transplantation gives children with kidney failure the opportunity for a longer, healthier life, but every child&#8217;s immune system is different. Some children develop early rejection or persistent inflammation that damages their transplanted kidney, while others thrive on standard treatment. Today, we lack the tools to predict before transplant which children carry an inherently higher immune risk, leaving clinicians unable to tailor immunosuppression to the individual child.<\/p>\n<p>Answering this challenge sits at the heart of CDTRP&#8217;s vision: to tailor an optimal immune system for each patient. This study will examine 42 variations across 28 immune-related genes in DNA samples from 200 pediatric kidney transplant recipients in British Columbia. Each gene variant has been individually linked to rejection or graft failure in other studies; however, we propose to understand how they interact in aggregate to shape each child&#8217;s net immune response after transplantation.<\/p>\n<p>Using Oxford Nanopore adaptive sampling, a novel sequencing strategy, we will build individual genetic risk profiles and connect them to real clinical outcomes: kidney biopsies, urine inflammatory markers, and long-term graft survival. Machine learning will identify which combinations of variants best predict early rejection, allograft inflammation, and graft failure.<\/p>\n<p>The result will be a personalized pre-transplant immune risk score to guide donor selection, monitoring intensity, and immunosuppression dosing for each child. Patient, family, and donor partners are embedded throughout this work, co-developing how findings are interpreted and communicated, and ensuring that this genetic risk tool is meaningful, trustworthy, and ready for real-world clinical implementation. This precision approach directly supports the CDTRP mission of moving transplant medicine from reactive to proactive, individualized care.<\/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-2026-cdtrp-research-innovation-grant-competition-7-new-projects-funded\/\"><strong>View the results of the 2026 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":34986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35000","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\/35000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"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=35000"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35002,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35000\/revisions\/35002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cdtrp.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}