2015 Mitacs Postdoctoral Award for Outstanding Innovation: Pamela Ovadje, University of Windsor

Pamela Ovadje, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of Windsor is the recipient of the Mitacs Postdoctoral Award for Outstanding Innovation for her research with Calgary-based Advanced Orthomolecular Research (AOR) Inc.

Sensitizing compounds for cancer-treating viruses find new use in vaccine production

Beyond understanding how oncolytic viruses work, Rozanne and other researchers at the University of Ottawa have studied how these viruses can be enhanced with “viral sensitizers,” small molecules that increase their efficacy. Recently, her research into how viral sensitizers can therapeutically enhance oncolytic viruses has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

New product benefits from Accelerate intern’s expertise

But while the Halifax-based startup had worked-out the mechanical design of its brace, its team knew they needed people with expertise in body movement and rehabilitation to test it. That’s where Mitacs Accelerate came in. With expertise from two interns, Spring Loaded was able to make some big strides in its research.

One of those interns was physiotherapist Tony Ingram. Having just arrived from Newfoundland after completing his Masters in Kinesiology at Memorial University, Tony had an in-depth knowledge of knee function and chronic knee pain.

Research project aims to increase access to autism therapies

Getting a handle on high blood pressure

It was her interest in cardiology that persuaded Rayane Simas to come to Canada through a Mitacs Globalink Research internship. As a medical student at Brazil’s Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Rayane knew Globalink would provide her with an international hands-on research experience directly related to her field of study.

Creating a new road map for diagnosing and treating heart disease

For diagnosticians and surgeons working to prolong the lives of patients with heart disease, the map that a pre-surgical x-ray provides is often not enough to navigate the unique and changing terrain of the human body. With heart disease affecting 1.3 million Canadians, an accurate map of a diagnosis can have profound effects on the patient’s recovery time and outlook — ultimately saving lives and reducing costs.

Strengthening families in need from Hanoi to Halifax

Hanh Phuc Nguyen is a Business English student at Foreign Trade University in Hanoi, Vietnam. She hadn’t considered going abroad as part of her education, but discovering the Globalink Research Internship online prompted a change of heart: “I wasn’t confident about travelling abroad and hadn’t even thought about coming to Canada. But once I learned about Globalink, I knew I had to apply!”

Improving liver disease diagnostics with elastography ultrasound

Samuel Hybois began his undergraduate career interested in all areas of engineering; however, a class project piqued his interest in biomedical engineering. His home program at École des Mines de Nancy (Université de Lorraine) in France requires each student to complete an internship, and the university had forwarded information about the Globalink Research Internship. Several projects in biomedical engineering appealed to Samuel, and he was eventually matched with a Université de Montréal radiology project, where he worked in the Laboratory of Biorheology and Medical Ultrasonics.

Intern from Brazil is helping improve outcomes for children with hearing loss

After hearing about the Globalink Research Internship, he jumped at the chance to work with Dr. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick at the University of Ottawa’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences.

I learned about Globalink and saw that one project was supervised by Dr. Fitzpatrick. I was already familiar with her research and wanted the chance to work with her. She’s a leader in the area of early diagnosis of children with hearing loss, and it’s amazing to work with one of the top people in my field.”

Finding new uses for existing drugs

During the summer of 2014, researchers at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy were looking into whether a group of drugs called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — normally used as anti-depressants — could be used to treat Alzheimer's.

Pages