Christine Bear, University of Toronto

Research

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In-Vivo Preclinical Trials Investigational Small Molecule Therapy Biomarkers Cystic Fibrosis Electrophysiology Molecular Target Primary Respiratory Epithelial Cultures

Latest papers

Bioengineered 3D hPSC-Cholangiocyte Ducts With Physiological Signals for Biliary Disease Modeling.
Advanced healthcare materials · 2026
Nasal cells as a bronchial cell surrogate for pre-clinical assessment of drug response in cystic fibrosis.
Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025
Relationship between theratyping in nasal epithelial cells and clinical outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis.
The European respiratory journal · 2025 · senior author

All 7 publications

Latest funding

Preclinical studies of a novel CFTR potentiator for commercialization as a therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$325,125
Uncovering the role of physiologically relevant biliary signaling in engineering 3D bile duct tubes with human pluripotent stem cell-derived cholangiocytes
CIHR · 2024 · Co-investigator
$986,850
Evaluating the Mechanism of Action of Small Molecule Modulators of CFTR
CIHR · 2012 · Nominated PI
$572,255

All 8 grants and awards

7 publications.

01

Bioengineered 3D hPSC-Cholangiocyte Ducts With Physiological Signals for Biliary Disease Modeling.

Tian B, Ogawa M, Kondo M, Langeveld G, Huan LJ, Zhang F, Hollinger A, Deir S, Bear C, Zhang B, Ogawa S

Advanced healthcare materials2026

DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202505293 PMID: 41848526

02

Nasal cells as a bronchial cell surrogate for pre-clinical assessment of drug response in cystic fibrosis.

Barillaro M, Avolio J, Balachandran S, Bartlett C, Ip W, Ouyang H, Duan W, Zabner J, Keshavjee S, Bear C, Moraes TJ, Gonska T

Frontiers in pharmacology2025

DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1651122 PMID: 40978488

03

Relationship between theratyping in nasal epithelial cells and clinical outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis.

Ratjen F, Stanojevic S, Gunawardena T, Eckford PDW, Avolio J, Shaw M, Bartlett C, Ouyang H, Moraes TJ, Gonska T, Bear C

The European respiratory journal2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01855-2024 PMID: 40210411

04

Charting the path to expanded access for CFTR modulator drugs: the nose knows.

Bear C, Ratjen F

The European respiratory journal2023First author

DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01387-2023 PMID: 37857432

05

Cost-effectiveness analysis of genetic tools to predict treatment response in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Sahakyan Y, Abrahamyan L, Ratjen F, Bear C, Strug L, Eckford PDW, Peel JK, Krahn M, Sander B

Journal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2023.04.013 PMID: 37100704

06

An organoid model to assay the role of CFTR in the human epididymis epithelium.

Leir SH, Yin S, Kerschner JL, Xia S, Ahmadi S, Bear C, Harris A

Cell and tissue research2020

DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03208-7 PMID: 32377875

07

Generation of Induced Progenitor-like Cells from Mature Epithelial Cells Using Interrupted Reprogramming.

Guo L, Karoubi G, Duchesneau P, Shutova MV, Sung HK, Tonge P, Bear C, Rogers I, Nagy A, Waddell TK

Stem cell reports2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.10.022 PMID: 29198829

Preclinical studies of a novel CFTR potentiator for commercialization as a therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nominated PICIHR2024Project Grant

Principal investigators: Bear, Christine E

Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; In-Vivo Preclinical Trials; Investigational Small Molecule Therapy

$325,125

Uncovering the role of physiologically relevant biliary signaling in engineering 3D bile duct tubes with human pluripotent stem cell-derived cholangiocytes

Co-investigatorCIHR2024Project Grant

Principal investigators: Ogawa, Shinichiro; Zhang, Boyang

Keywords: Biliary Disease; Cholangiopathies; Cystic Fibrosis; Cystic Fibrosis Related Liver Disease; Liver Disease

$986,850

Evaluating the Mechanism of Action of Small Molecule Modulators of CFTR

Nominated PICIHR2012Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Bear, Christine E

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cystic Fibrosis; Electrophysiology; Molecular Target; Primary Respiratory Epithelial Cultures; Protein Biochemistry; Protein Biophysics; Respiratory Health; Small Molecule Therapies; Synthetic Chemistry

$572,255

Development of quantitative assays to probe the interaction of CFTR with small molecule therapeutics

SupervisorCIHR2010CIHR Fellowship

Principal investigators: Eckford, Paul D

Keywords: Abc Proteins; Cftr (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator); Cystic Fibrosis; Elisa; Fluorescence Spectroscopy; Ion Channels; Membrane Protein Trafficking Defects; Protein Conformational Changes; Protein Purification; Small Molecule Therapies

$86,250

Mapping of Small Modulator Binding Site on CFTR Mutant

SupervisorCIHR2010Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Yu, Wilson

Keywords: Cftr; Cystic Fibrosis; Drug Design; Genetic Disease; Ion Channels; Membrane Protein; Site Mapping

$17,500

CIHR Emerging Team in Cystic Fibrosis Therapy

Principal investigatorCIHR2009Emerging Team Grant: From Genes to Proteins, Cells, Tissues and Patients

Principal investigators: Ratjen, Felix; Bear, Christine E; Durie, Peter R; Ellis, James R; Rotin, Daniela

Keywords: Clinical Assays Of Lung Disease; Cystic Fibrosis; Differentiated Respiratory Epithelium; Induced Pluripotent Cells; Molecular Recognition; Small Molecules

$2,401,449

Understanding the mechanism of action of small molecule therapies in Cystic Fibrosis

Nominated PICIHR2009Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Bear, Christine E

Keywords: Airway Epithelium; Cftr; Cystic Fibrosis

$327,209

Emerging Team in Cystic Fibrosis Therapy

Co-investigatorCIHR2008Emerging Team Grant: From Genes to Proteins, Cells, Tissues and Patients - LOI

Principal investigators: Ratjen, Felix

Keywords: Clinical Assays Of Lung Disease; Cystic Fibrosis; Differentiated Respiratory Epithelium; Induced Pluripotent Cells; Molecular Recognition; Small Molecules

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Molecular Medicine
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Pediatrics
Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
Toronto General Research Institute
Community Health and Epidemiology
Thoracic Surgery
Other

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Felix Ratjen

Faculty

3 shared papers, latest 2025

Tanja Gonska

Faculty

2 shared papers, latest 2025

Beate Sander

Pediatrics

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Lusine Abrahamyan

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Sanja Stanojevic

Community Health and Epidemiology

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Golnaz Karoubi

Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Andras Nagy

Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Shinichiro Ogawa

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Shaf Keshavjee

Thoracic Surgery

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Murray Krahn

Toronto General Research Institute

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2024

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Dear Professor Bear, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Bioengineered 3D hPSC-Cholangiocyte Ducts With Physiological Signals for Biliary Disease Modeling." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Preclinical studies of a novel CFTR potentiator for commercialization as a therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." (2024), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]