Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Netticadan who has been named Team Leader of the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine (CCARM), for a three-year term effective April 1, 2022.

Dr. Netticadan is Principal Investigator, Heart Failure Research Laboratory, CCARM; Acting Associate Director, Morden Research and Development Centre (MRDC) and Science Team Leader of the Agri-Food and Food Security Group, MRDC and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Adjunct Professor Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba.  

Best known for his research studying the heart-healthy benefits of resveratrol, a natural compound found in dark grape and berry skin, Dr. Netticadan joined CCARM in 2007 after working as a Principal Investigator in the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, also at St. Boniface Research, and as Assistant Professor in Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, for six years. 

Netticadan began his education in his home country of India, where he first graduated with a BSc in Chemistry, a Masters in Biochemistry, and his PhD in Physiology from the University of Bombay. He completed his postdoctoral training in Paris, France, at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicalé, and then moved to Canada to complete a second post-doc at the University of Western Ontario.

Working collaboratively with several other labs, Netticadan’s role as Team Leader will be to continue advancing CCARM’s research program which aims to translate positive results from basic laboratory science into new and safe dietary supplements and food products that will directly impact the health of the Canadian public.

“We have such an excellent team of researchers in diverse areas such as nutrition, food chemistry, health and plant sciences, I would like to take initiatives to strengthen the translational research capacity to support multiple clients along the agri-food value chain,” Netticadan explained. 

Ideally, this will include plant breeders, food processors and producers, regulatory bodies and consumers. “It’s really about utilizing the research outcomes from the existing farm-to-bench-to-fork-to-bedside path and translating it back to the farm by promoting crops with robust nutritional and health attributes, a win-win for the health of Canadians and growth value for Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector,” he added.

“Dr. Netticadan is well respected internationally for both his ground-breaking research, but also his skills as a mentor and leader. We are delighted that he has been appointed to lead CCARM for the next three years,” said Dr. Michael Czubryt, Executive Director of Research, St. Boniface Hospital.

CCARM represents an ongoing unique partnership between St. Boniface Hospital, the University of Manitoba, The University of Winnipeg and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and is located within the St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre and the I.H. Asper Clinical Research Institute.

From laboratory to human research, CCARM conducts clinical research studies of functional and health food products and nutraceuticals identified by its laboratories as having potential beneficial effects on diseases that are of clinical and financial significance to Canadians. Diseases targeted thus far include, immune disorders, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular and vascular diseases.

“AAFC has a longstanding partnership with CCARM and Dr. Netticadan has been instrumental in this collaborative partnership,” says Dr. Joyce Boye, Director General for AAFC’s Science and Technology Branch for the Prairie Region. “CCARM is paving the way for innovation in functional foods and nutraceuticals research and helping the agri-food industry continue to provide food products that directly impact the health of Canadians. We wish Dr. Netticadan all the best in this new leadership role,” on Thomas’ appointment .