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.

The goal of the current research is to design an injectable polymer-lipid (Pol.i) formulation to treat ovarian cancer. The PoLi drug delivery system is a hiocompatible and biodegradable, physically cross-linked gel that has the potential to provide dramatic improvements in the treatment of ovarian cancer. It is formulated as an injectable gel (all components are safe for humans) which is then loaaded with active chemotherapy drugs such as the commercially available paclitaxel.

This project will profile the use of new drugs of rheumatoid arthritis, in a population-based sample. Potential differences in the use of these agents will be examined to identify discrepancies in drug use patterns across demographics, which could be addressed through targeted strategies. Our proposal is timely in terms of increasing attention on the part of policy-makers regarding "better, more coordinated evaluation of drug safety and effectiveness" and targeted intitiatives to increase knowledge about the safety and effectiveness of drugs in population-based samples.

Amphotericin B is the most effective, and frequently the only treatment available for a number of life-threatening diseases, including systemic fungal infections and visceral leishmaniasis. The drawbacks of today’s amphotericin B treatment are toxicity and the need to administer the drug intravenously in hospital settings. The need for intravenous administration is due to poor absorption of the drug following oral administration and greatly increases the costs of the therapy and complications associated with intravenous admnistration.

In partnership with Labopharm, a leading company in optimizing the performance of small molecule drugs, a complete pharmacokinetic (PK) study of three new formulations of a commercially available drug will be performed. This study will be conducted in order to choose the most appropriate formulation in terms of bioavailability and absorption rate. Pharmacokinetics parameters of the drug will be estimated using different methods. Mechanisms of drug absorption, distribution, and elimination will also be identified.

Pharmaceuticals are among the most commonly used and important healthcare treatments in Canada. Third party healthcare payers, such as provincial departments of health and private insurers such as Blue Cross and Green Shield, use a variety of tools and techniques to balance the access, cost and quality of medications. Collectively, these tools and techniques are known as drug policies and they include things such as formulary restrictions, prior authorization forms and patient co-payments and deductibles.