Monitoring the immuno-modulatory effects of vaccine formulations is critical for novel vaccine development. While animal models have been effective, increasing evidence suggests differences when translating to humans. We have designed a platform which uses fresh human whole blood coupled with a high-throughput single cell analysis, mass cytometry (CyTof Helios), to characterize and model the immune responses to vaccine formulations.

Drug resistance of medically relevant microorganisms poses a grave threat to human health and has severe economic consequences. Fungal pathogens pose an additional complication as they are closely related to their human host. Current therapies to treat fungal infections are limited and drug resistance has already emerged in the clinic. We have conducted extensive research on fungal drug resistance mechanisms and propose to target these mechanisms in combination with existing antifungals.

IMV Inc. is developing injectable cancer immune therapy using the company’s DPXTM technology. DPX is a patented formulation that displays excellent tumor control and provides a long lasting and specific effect. The way by which this therapy exerts its effect is unclear but the translational team at IMV is determined to discover its mechanism of action and why their proprietary DPX technology delivers superior responses in comparison to other forms of injectable therapies.

A new therapy was developed in order to combat cancers by stimulating our immune system to fight agents the cancer cells in the body. The activated immune system is more efficient to fight the cancer cells than the common drugs, but stimulating the immune system is very expensive and labour-intensive with the currently developed protocols. This project will develop a cost-effective way to stimulate immune system to fight cancers. We will use advanced biomaterials and immune stimulatory genes in order to achieve this.

Making sure patients have well controlled post-operative pain is imperative for patient well-being, optimal recovery, and to prevent chronic pain from developing. Opioid medications are often used to treat post-surgical pain, but some people respond in unpredictable ways and this may be related to their genetics. Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing is a way of finding out how people’s genes affect the way they respond to medications.

At Emergent BioSolutions our vision is to "Protect and Enhance Life". The Antibody Therapeutics Business Unit focuses on applying immunotherapies to prevent and treat human infectious diseases. This includes finding effective strategies to meet existing and emerging threats to public health and intentional biothreats. As part of these efforts the Lead Generation Program was created to address bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Estrogen, a sex hormone in women plays a key role in the proliferation of cancer cells especially in post-menopausal women. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like tamoxifen and raloxifene are the most efficient drugs for treatment of breast cancer. These drugs bind to estrogen receptors (ER? or ER? subtypes) in as much as the same manner as estrogen does. However, these drugs are often accompanied by severe side effects. The proposed investigation aims at developing and evaluating new estrogen antagonists.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, mainly induced by increased pressure in the eye. Marijuana has been shown to reduce such pressure, thus benefit glaucoma patients. In the previous project, we screened several individual components from marijuana extracts and tested their ability on keeping cells alive. The current project puts an emphasis on neuroprotection and therapeutic aspects of glaucoma. We propose to target and analyse the effect of our selected compound for major downstream pathways that are significantly modulated in to Glaucoma pathology.

Most of the medicines available today are either purified from plants or derived from compounds produced by plants. The Cannabis (marijuana) plant in particular produces an enormous variety of molecules that have valuable pharmaceutical potential – in addition to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the primary psychoactive molecule in the pant, the cannabis plant produces dozens of other molecules with poorly understood effects on animal cells.