By diagnosing oral premalignant lesions that might progress to cancer and making better clinical decisions, clinicians can significantly lower the mortality rate, increase quality of life with earlier and less traumatic surgery and reduce healthcare costs.

In partnership with Mitacs-Accelerate intern Julius Adebayo Awe, CancerCare Manitoba has developed an innovative way to determine the progression of prostate cancer in intermediate risk prostate cancer patients through a simple blood test.

For Alyssa, her Mitacs Accelerate internship was a great way to get real-world experience in her field while completing her studies. “Mitacs Accelerate builds the bridge between academic and industry by giving graduate students a chance to work with more experienced researchers, and provides exposure to research in real world settings,” she said.

Vinícius Gadotti’s quest to understand how the human body deals with pain began more than ten years ago, when his aunt was diagnosed with a severe form of arthritis that left her in constant pain and confined to a wheelchair. A Mitacs Elevate fellow at the University of Calgary’s Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Vinícius is researching alongside Dr. Gerald Zamponi to help uncover these answers.

My research is particularly important because it identified that stigma may be preventing open discussions about the risk for psychiatric disorders. An open discussion is the first step in making sure patients receive proper and timely mental health care, which can greatly improve prognosis.