TORONTO, March 18, 2026 - Arthritis Society Canada is investing more than $4.6 million over three years to support 16 outstanding researchers from across Canada. The recipients of the 2025 Strategic Operating Grants, Stars Career Development Awards, and Ignite Innovation Grants will help improve early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of arthritis.
Dr. Sarah Manske from the University of Calgary, recipient of a Strategic Operating Grant, is focused on how bones and joints interact in thumb osteoarthritis (OA), a common condition that can make everyday tasks – like turning on taps and using tools – painful and difficult. Dr. Manske and her team will investigate why some people with thumb OA develop severe symptoms while others do not, despite having similar joint damage. The team will identify new strategies to prevent and treat this condition before symptoms worsen, taking a critical step toward more personalized treatments and better pain management.
Dr. Christopher Kim from Toronto Western Hospital – University Health Network, recipient of the Stars Career Development Award, is testing a new targeted injection to treat pain and inflammation in OA. The treatment is designed to stay within the joint to deliver pain relief exactly where it is needed, potentially reducing the risk of side effects that come with other non-localized treatments. This innovative approach could lead to safer, more effective treatments that provide longer-lasting pain relief with fewer side effects.
Dr. Évelyne Vinet from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, and recipient of an Ignite Innovation Grant, is exploring a more accessible approach to cervical cancer screening for women living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus. Because these individuals have compromised immune systems and many take medications that make it harder to fight infections like human papillomavirus (HPV), regular screening is especially important. Instead of Pap tests which can be uncomfortable or difficult to access, Dr. Vinet and her team will evaluate urine-based HPV testing as a simpler, more patient-friendly alternative. If successful, this approach could increase screening rates and help prevent cervical cancer in women with autoimmune diseases.
“From developing safer targeted treatments to making cancer screening more accessible for women with autoimmune diseases, these projects tackle arthritis from all angles,” said Dr. Siân Bevan, Chief Science Officer at Arthritis Society Canada. “They reflect our commitment to funding research that not only deepens scientific understanding, but also delivers practical, patient-centred solutions that can improve care and quality of life.”
This year’s recipients showcase a diverse array of projects including:
2025 Strategic Operating Grants
- Dr. Tom Appleton, Western University – Lining and LRRC15+ synovial fibroblasts in knee osteoarthritis
- Dr. Robert Inman, University Health Network – Targeting exosome-induced regulatory T cell dysfunction in ankylosing spondylitis: A preclinical path to precision therapy
- Dr. Lauren King, St. Michael’s Hospital – Unity Health Toronto – Melatonin for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: The MELO randomized controlled trial
- Dr. Sarah Manske, University of Calgary – Establishing the interaction between bone and joint biomechanics in radiographic and symptomatic thumb base osteoarthritis
- Dr. Hugo Massé-Alarie, Université Laval – Deciphering pain mechanisms underlying symptomatic lumbar spinal osteoarthritis
- Dr. Liam O’Neil, University of Manitoba – Pathogenic citrullination of neutrophil proteases in rheumatoid arthritis
- Dr. Anthony Perruccio, University Health Network – Who benefits from patient education and exercise therapy? Identifying and predicting knee osteoarthritis outcome trajectories in the GLA:D-KOA cohort
- Dr. Reza Sharif Naeini, McGill University – Validating a novel target in the treatment of osteoarthritis pain
2025 Stars Career Development Awards
- Dr. Christopher Kim, Toronto Western Hospital – University Health Network – Designer Cells to Treat Osteoarthritis with Delivery of Combinatorial Local Acting Biologics
2025 Ignite Innovation Grants
- Dr. Philipp Maass, The Hospital for Sick Children – SickKids Research Institute – Decoding regulatory variants in osteoarthritis
- Dr. Joy MacDermid, Western University – Enhancing Accessibility in Arthritis Care: Implementation of a Remote Orthotic Fabrication Workflow
- Dr. Naomi Matsuura, University of Toronto – Drug-eluting biodegradable embolic agents for osteoarthritic pain treatment
- Dr. Laetitia Michou, Université Laval – Acceptability of a nurse-led telehealth remote self-monitoring model of care in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a multicentre randomized pilot study
- Dr. Heidi-Lynn Ploeg, Queen’s University – Controlling the local mechanical loading environment to elucidate tissue changes in human osteoarthritic tissues
- Dr. Denis Poddubnyy, University Health Network – Molecular Imaging for the Detection of Immune-Mediated Inflammation in the Axial Skeleton in Psoriatic Arthritis and Axial Spondyloarthritis
- Dr. Évelyne Vinet, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre – Self-Collected Urine in Rheumatoid arthritis & systemic lupus Erythematosus for primary Human Papilloma Virus screening: the SECURE-HPV study
Learn more and view full details of the recipients of the Strategic Operating Grants, Stars Career Development Awards, and Ignite Innovation Grants.
About Arthritis Society Canada
Arthritis Society Canada represents more than six million people in Canada living with arthritis today, and the millions more who are impacted or at risk. Fueled by the trust and support of our donors and volunteers, Arthritis Society Canada is fighting arthritis with research, advocacy, innovation, information and support. We are Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We will not give up our efforts until everyone is free from the agony of arthritis. Arthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit arthritis.ca.
Media Contact:
Jenny Ng
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Media
Arthritis Society Canada
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