ou may have heard about Astro Fly, the research project to harness fruit fly genetics to study the effects of microgravity on human health.
Since we first shared their story in October 2024, Dr. Savraj Grewal, PhD, Senior Associate Dean (Research), Cumming School of Medicine, Dr. Giuseppe Iaria, PhD, of the Faculty of Arts, and Tejdeep Jaswal, BSc'23, Faculty of Arts, recently won a Consolidating Transdisciplinary Connector Grant, awarded by the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship (ITS). These grants enable existing transdisciplinary teams to deepen their activities and connections, positioning them well for future funding applications.
Since meeting two years ago through Justin Ma-Phan, BHSc'24, their connection took flight. They established the project, won the Initiating grant, presented their work at a symposium, and won the Consolidating grant, which propelled them toward more extensive grant applications.
And their passion for this project is undeniable.
Iaria says that transdisciplinary research has inspired him intellectually, sharing, "These projects are extremely important and rejuvenating. When you are a scientist and you have been in your research field for a while...you get comfortable. So, working in a transdisciplinary project, you get exposed to something completely new again with new challenges. We got into science because we love learning, so starting from scratch again is amazing."
Grewal adds, "Transdisciplinary projects create a new spark, a spark of interest, in a way of thinking of research that neither of us would have come to alone."
With this additional transdisciplinary funding, the team intends to purchase a new piece of equipment to simulate microgravity.
Grewal says that they can really start thinking about this as a long-term program of research, saying, "This piece of equipment offers a more refined way to study and simulate microgravity here on Earth. We can now extend our work to study how microgravity and exposure influence the fly's entire ability to respond and adapt and live with these stresses that are relevant to space flight and things we experience here on Earth."
Health in space is relevant on Earth as it relates to many health issues.
Iaria explains, "Issues experienced in microgravity are somehow similar to some conditions on Earth, for example, inactivity. Our sedentary lifestyle can create a lot of health problems."
What's next for the team? They credit the Connector Grants for opening the door to other opportunities, facilitating their ability to push the project forward towards external funding.
Iaria says, "This funding can help a truly transdisciplinary project become a research program because it's new territory and there are so many questions and so many interesting perspectives that come from the project itself."
When asked why transdisciplinary scholarship is important, Jaswal, in the Grewal lab, shares, "It's a really unique experience, being able to collaborate between two different fields and integrating different scientific perspectives. For me, it's important because I can think of things in different ways, which opens up new ways for developing and answering questions, which I think is really important for scientific progress."
Grewal builds on that notion, saying, "Transdisciplinary research really comes down to connecting two disciplines that have their own foundational principles by which they operate and generate new knowledge, and putting them together to generate brand new principles, and develop a new way of thinking to attack really important questions."
New matching funds for Consolidating Transdisciplinary Connector Grants
Starting with the June 1, 2025, intake, the Clinical Research Fund, awarded by the Cumming School of Medicine and Alberta Health Services, will offer additional support to successful Consolidating Transdisciplinary Connector Grant projects that meet the Clinical Research Fund's eligibility criteria.
This will support researchers building on and deepening existing transdisciplinary activities and connections performing clinical research, regardless of faculty.
On Consolidating grant applications, teams can now indicate if they are eligible for additional funding by stating if their research is focused on the conduct of clinical research and to briefly outline how their project meets the Clinical Research Fund's clinical research eligibility criteria. These applications will then be forwarded to the Clinical Research Fund office for review.
