The current gold standard for the diagnosis of genetic disorders and infectious diseases involves the use of molecular methods for target gene detection through DNA/RNA amplification techniques. However, this requires a critical upstream step of extracting purified nucleic acid (NA) material from a variety of collected patient samples. This step can be easily performed through magnetic-based NAs extraction techniques which have recently replaced traditional spin-column approaches in diagnostic testing labs in the world.

Mental illness and addiction refer to a wide range of disorders that affects mood, behavior and thinking and thus leads to depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorder and stress. The psychedelic drug assisted therapy functions as a mental health therapy, which is evolving at a quicker pace nowadays. These drugs are useful in the treatment of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance addiction, cancer-related and end of life anxieties.

Graphene is considered a strategic nanomaterial for the development of clean technologies due to its unique properties. According to Allied Market Research, the global graphene market was valued at US $91.3 million in 2019, and is projected to grow to US $1.4 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.2% from 2020 to 2027. Currently, there are no clean and cost-effective technologies available for the mass production of graphene. ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd.

More than 2 million Canadians suffer from diabetes, a disease associated with the body’s inability to produce or effectively use insulin. The high blood sugar levels associated with diabetes can lead to serious complications such as vision loss, kidney failure, cardiovascular problems, and amputation. Therefore, diabetes patients are treated with insulin, with the aim of achieving tight control over their blood sugar levels.

Due to the increased demand for isopropyl alcohol industrial clients are turning to replacements for industrial uses. Producing an alternative for isopropyl alcohol for specific industrial applications is now a sought-after target. Creating an environmentally friendly alternative is desired since volatile chemicals used in industrial applications are a major contributor to smog formation.

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV2 coronavirus. This virus which infect cells that are vital in human organs leading to multiple diseases in need of timely medical treatment. There is a great need in search of inhibitors to block such viral infections as a means for disease prevention and/or treatment. Cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), and high-CBD producing plant species of the Cannabis genus will be tested for the inhibition effects.

Urinary tract infections caused by indwelling catheters (CAUTIs) employed for the treatment of urinary flow are very common. Almost 100 million of these devices are sold on an annual basis with around 25% of these being marketed in the USA. In addition to the cost of catheters and their insertion, hospital treatment of CAUITs runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Organic contaminants enter the marine environment through atmospheric transport, runoff into waterways, or directed disposal into the ocean. They are prone to long-range, bioaccumulation and can have adverse effects on human health and the environment. In this project, a simple and convenient extraction device developed for analysis of organic pollutants will be examined for various types of environmental monitoring such as active and passive sampling. Our proof-of-concept studies have shown the that these devices provide simple, high throughput, reliable and green analyses.

To combat the growing need for accessible freshwater sources across the globe, new technologies that don’t rely on fossil fuels are ideal. Additionally, these technologies should be easily implemented in the developing communities that need them most for lower cost than the current options. The purification of seawater, also known as desalination is a highly attractive method due to the large amount of easily accessible saltwater, though current methods are highly fossil-fuel dependent.

The Canadian government has vowed to reduce their pollutant emissions by 2030 in order to curb the effects of climate change. This means that shipping companies must make strides to reduce their overall emissions. This project will use novel sponge-like frameworks, called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), to remove environmentally toxic pollutants from exhaust gas. The materials currently being utilized for pollutant gas removal (e.g.. limestone) are often are very minimally active by weight, this is not the case for MOFs.