The Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Craniofacial Pain

Pain in the craniofacial region is one of the more complex and difficult to treat conditions for patients and clinicians. Current treatments are complicated by limited efficacy and considerable side effects. Many of these conditions show greater prevalence in women than men, but there is a lack of basic research utilizing female animals. Recent advances
in cannabinoid pharmacology have renewed hope in cannabis-based treatments for chronic pain. However, whether the endocannabinoid system can be recruited to treat specific craniofacial pain conditions remains unclear.

Synthesis & Development of Nano and Microsponge Formulations for Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a slow and progressive degenerative joint disorder, and is the most common form of arthritis, causing a significant reduction in the quality of life of afflicted individuals. A common treatment for this disease is to inject corticosteroids, such as triamcinolone acetonide (TA), directly into affected joints, which treats the joint inflammation that causes pain, swelling and reduced mobility. However, the effect of these drugs is short lived due to the rapid clearance of the drug from the joint synovial fluid.

Somatostatin Receptor Mediated Modulation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors Signaling

The work proposed here is based on a novel and innovative approach which has not been addressed till today. We propose that developing a combined therapy to inhibit ErbBs and activate SSTRs, might be useful approach to control tumor progression and better hormonal therapy response in breast cancer. The outcome of the present study first, will uncover novel molecular and cellular mechanisms for SSTR and ErbBs functional interaction in pathophysiological conditions such as in breast cancer.

Producing bioactive peptides from left-over proteins of egg yolk after IgY extraction

Chicken egg yolk contains IgY antibodies that target various infectious disease and food allergens. IGY Inc is a company focused on utilizing chicken immune system for antibody production. Their innovative products have applications in food processing, therapeutics and diagnostics. IgY antibody contains 0.64% of total wet egg yolk and after extracting the antibodies, the leftover egg yolk is a material of low commercial value. Egg proteins are well known for its dietary value and also a rich source of bioactive peptides with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory activities.

Preclinical characterization of medical marijuana cultivars with therapeutic efficacy and low side-effect liability

Medical marijuana describes the legal use of cannabis plants for treating health-related issues. In Canada, there are currently about 40,000 medical marijuana users, and this number is expected to increase by over 1000% during the next decade. The large majority of patients use medical marijuana for its psychological effects, such as for anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia. There is a concerning lack of knowledge about the effects of different strains (“cultivars”) of medical marijuana, including both therapeutic effects as well as unwanted side-effects.

Investigating the effects of ?-adrenergic stimulation on IKs channel trafficking in cardiac myocytes using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy

Cardiac arrhythmia is an electrical disturbance in the heart which can cause a variety of potentially life threatening conditions. Arrhythmias are due to malfunctions in the protein channels, which in turn alter the bioelectric currents signaling each heartbeat. A key channel responsible for terminating the electrical signal is the voltage gated potassium channel, IKs. During an adrenaline spike associated with the fight or flight response, there is an increase in IKs activity although the mechanism is not well understood.

An economic evaluation of sulfonylurea medication, hypoglycemic episodes and falls in older adults with type 2 diabetes

Drug use in older persons is a major public health concern. Even though therapeutic drugs are beneficial for patients’ health in terms of survival or quality of life, patients aged >65 years have a greater risk of developing drug-related complications. Such complications may be fatal because of the high frequency of both multiple pathologies and polypharmacy in these patients, who consume a major proportion of healthcare resources.

Potential of magnetic nanoparticle targeting with the help of cell permeable proteins

Magnetic drug targeting is a recent drug delivery method where the drug is bound to a carrier, the magnetic nanoparticles. Directed with a magnetic field towards the target tissue, e.g., tumours. the drug is released there to produce a therapeutic effect. In many cases, however, it is additionally necessary that the drug enters the target cells to be active.

Development of Lipid Nanoparticle Reagents for Functional Genomics in Difficult-to-Transfect Cells In Vitro

The objective of this project is to develop lipid nanoparticle (LNP) reagents for the delivery of nucleic acids to turn off, or turn on target genes in “hard-to-transfect” neurons and stem cells in vitro and in vivo. A recent report (BCC Research, April 2011) observed that "51% of researchers employ cell-based techniques to perform transfection routinely.

Design and synthesis of novel influenza M2 proton channel inhibitors with drug resistant antiviral activity

Seasonal influenza causes significant mortality and morbidity worldwide, and we are currently unprepared to mitigate a fatal pandemic outbreak like the 1918 Spanish Flu. A proven influenza antiviral target is the M2 viroporin, or viral ion channel. Amantadine, an M2 inhibitor was an effective antiviral for 20 years. However, current influenza antivirals are increasingly ineffective as viruses develop resistance. For example, the M2 mutation S31N is now present in >90% of influenza strains and confers resistance to adamantanes.

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