The Decar nickel deposit is located in British Columbia. With more than 2 billion tons of reserves grading 0.2% Ni the deposit represents a significant resources. The nickel occurs in an uncommon mineral awaruite which is an alloy of nickel and iron. Due to its strong ferro-magnetic properties and high density (SG 8.0) it should be readily recoverable using magnetic separation followed by gravity concentration. However, the presence of significant amounts of magnetite which as similar physical properties makes it difficult to separate the awaruite from the magnetite.

The generation of functional ?-cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for cell replacement therapy and disease modeling of diabetes is a strongly investigated area. Recent scientific breakthroughs have enabled derivation of large quantities of human pancreatic ?-like cells in the laboratory, but the protocols are currently not consistent or optimized for cells of various genetic backgrounds. We aim to develop a commercial kit to differentiate hPSCs into ?-cells with reproducible efficiencies between multiple cell lines.

Poor nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, and infectious diseases during pregnancy and early childhood can lead to poor growth and development that can be everlasting negative effects on the child. A large number of clinical trials have been conducted, but as many interventions have not been compared against each other, it is unclear what interventions are effective and should be provided over different life stages of the child.

A novel technology for delivery of biologically active compounds found in hemp oil is being developed. This novel technology significantly reduces the health risks associated with traditional administration of Cannabis products (e.g., smoking and THC-related intoxication) The proposed project, in collaboration with a federally-licensed facility for cannabinoid analysis, Abattis Bioceuticals, engages into the development of two different platforms for encapsulation of hemp oil using nanoemulsion and nanolipid carrier technologies.

Drone technology has recently gained wide-scale acceptance in multiple military and commercial applications, including security surveillance and medicine delivery. In 2017 alone, the market revenue from drones is estimated to be around $6 billion. With this, there is also an emerging need for sophisticated anti-drone technology to detect rogue drones entering secure territories, such as military bases and prisons.

For this project, we propose to integrate the data about Fraser River salmon populations into a multi-species, multi-population database, and develop an interactive data visualization tool that allows fisheries scientists and managers to explore this data at different spatial and temporal scales. The objective of this project is to provide fisheries scientists and managers with the tools to easily and comprehensively track annual trends in salmon data, and explore these trends for their possible drivers.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer is a late stage disease and many people die of it due to lack of effective therapeutic drugs. In the current project, we propose to develop new therapeutic drug a to specifically target CRPC’s common weak points, which are MCT4 and eIF4E gene’s proteint products that play very important roles in regulation of cancer cell’s energetic and protein translation pathways. The project aims to develop an antibody drug, an small molecule chemical drug and a nanoparticle drug to target MCT4 membrane protein and eIF4E transcription factor protein.

A major contributor to smog formation is the release of volatile chemicals into the atmosphere which are emitted from many sources including automobile exhaust and consumer products such as paints. To combat the adverse effects smog has on air quality in North America, agencies such as Environment and Climate Change (Canada) and the Environmental Protection Agency (United States) enforce limits on the types and amounts of chemicals used in industrial applications and consumer products.