Acceleration Consortium announces $1.2 million in funding for projects that accelerate scientific discovery

Twelve diverse research ventures from across the U of T community will receive support through the Acceleration Consortium’s unprecedented Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) grant. Bowen Li, assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and emerging leader in the field of novel mRNA therapeutics has received the Accelerate Translation grant.

“The Accelerate Translation grant is crucial for advancing our work to develop a pioneering AI and robotics-powered platform.”

“The Accelerate Translation grant is crucial for advancing our work to develop a pioneering AI and robotics-powered platform,” says Li. “Our team aims to revolutionize mRNA therapy delivery by automating the synthesis and screening of vast libraries of ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The integration of AI with robotics in this project facilitates the generation and optimization of new LNP formulations tailored for specific cell types, significantly speeding up the process of discovering effective delivery systems for mRNA therapeutics. This approach not only enhances the efficiency and capacity of LNP library synthesis but also supports the tailored development of delivery systems for mRNA-based treatments, including CAR T-cell cancer immunotherapies, with potential expansion to other applications such as gene editing.”

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