The principal objective of this proposal is to discover novel drugs to treat colon cancers. Currently colon cancer is a huge medical problem and there are many disadvantages to current drug therapies. These disadvantages include their ineffectiveness to completely eradicate cancers, causing toxic side effects and the development of multidrug resistance. A group of compounds discovered in the laboratory of the supervisor designated series 1 has significant potencies towards a number of human colon cancer cell lines.

The project involves the development of a rapid detection test kit that will enable food processors to measure the absence or presence of potentially harmful pathogenic organisms prior to shipment to the general trade. The interns’ main objectives will be to dramatically reduce the assessment time for the tester- currently ranging from 4 to 5 days- to an elapsed time of minutes. The kit will benefit the food processor to reduce microbial risk and potential cost from a recall, while the consumer will have safer foods.

Whether it is for research, development or diagnostics, life sciences typically require the quantitation and characterization of samples with assays that classically measure molecules one at a time. Considering that the development and execution of such assays are time consuming and requires considerable investment, the uses of multiplexed analysis would be highly advantageous. Mass spectrometry is a technology that allows multiplexing, but requires highly specialized knowledge in order to achieve the desired results.

Pharmaceutical platform technology (PPT) was invented by Sinoveda Inc., the partner organization, to accomplish the tasks of identification, purification, and activity determination for the active ingredients of natural herbal remedies, with the goal of developing and optimizing the remedies. However, two issues remain to be tackled in the PPT process: first, there is as yet no systematic approach to take advantage of the properties of the ingredients of herbs; and second, there is a lack of appropriate methods to consistently understand their effects.

There is an increasing number and variety of calcium supplements being made available to the Canadian public, often making claims regarding improved action over competitor products. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of drugs and nutraceuticals upon bone health, particularly if they contain elements (such as calcium) which incorporate into newly mineralizing bone.

The first successful clinical application of nanotechnology was the use of a nanoparticle container to deliver a drug to a tumour. That basic strategy of using a nanoparticle to carry a treatment or indicator molecule has a lot of potential, but requires continued research to determine the therapeutic effectiveness and potential toxicity of each container and payload combination. DLVR Therapeutics and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals focus on the development of nanotechnology-based chemotherapeutic and imaging agents.

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds which give fruits and vegetables their bright colours. Habitual consumption of dietary flavonoids reduces the risk for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Pre-clinical studies performed using animal models for these disorders have convincingly demonstrated that flavonoids not only halt the pathological processes which cause neurodegeneration but also promote recovery after brain damage.

Stem cells are at the forefront of modern medicine and are expected to revolutionize both the human and veterinary healthcare industries. Currently, a major obstacle to the field is the time-consuming and costly technical time spent growing and maintaining various stem cell populations. The degree of contamination with non-stem cells, ability of the stem cells to thrive and grow, and quality of the stem cells depends largely on the skill of the technician.