Lakeridge Health sepsis study wins $50,000 grant for Oshawa trial

Lakeridge Health says a question that began at the bedside in its critical care unit is now driving research across multiple hospitals, with new funding helping more Durham Region patients take part. The J.P. Bickell Foundation has awarded a $50,000 Medical Research Grant to support the Adjunctive Methylene Blue in Septic Shock (BLUSH) study, the health system announced Oct. 30, 2026.

The award builds on a recently announced $543,150 Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant that ranked among the top 10 per cent of applications nationwide, according to Lakeridge Health. Supported by the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, BLUSH is expanding into a multi-centre clinical trial involving hospitals across Ontario in early 2027, with the potential to include additional sites across Canada.

Researchers will examine whether adding methylene blue, an existing medication, to usual treatment can improve outcomes for patients with septic shock, a life-threatening condition caused by severe infection, Lakeridge Health says. The study is a Health Canada-approved, investigator-led randomized critical care trial launched from a Canadian community hospital site.

Seed funding from the Ajax Pickering Foundation and the Lakeridge Health Foundation through the Research and Education Fund in 2024 helped the team develop the initial pilot, according to Lakeridge Health. Dr. Shannon Fernando, a critical care physician and the study's principal investigator, led the successful application with co-principal investigator Dr. Karim Soliman; the additional funding will enable more Lakeridge Health patients to participate in the study, the health system says.