The major focus of this proposal is to perform preclinical studies to support clinical development of a novel inhibitor for treatment of different caners such as breast, lung, colorectal and kidney. We have recently developed a novel therapeutic protein that selectively inhibits multiple pathways for treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

The bedsore or pressure ulcer is a serious health problem that affects many individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). These ulcers mostly develop on skin that covers bony prominences of the body, such as the hips and tailbone. Pressure ulcers are often very difficult to treat and not only negatively affect patients’ health, but also have profound impact on their quality of life. This speaks to the need for finding more effective treatment methods to address this problem. Our aim in this research project is to find a novel method to improve the healing of pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers are among the top five leading causes of re-hospitalization in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Unfortunately, current conventional prevention and treatment methods have neither decreased the prevalence of these ulcers nor significantly improved their outcomes. To address this difficulty, here, we will test the efficacy of our new liquid skin substitute to fill up the non-healing wounds where the skin solidified and promotes the healing process. Our plan in a pilot study is to treat 12 patients who pressure non-healing wounds did not heal in the previous 3 months.

Diagnostic medical devices work by translating our vital signs, such as neuron electrical activity and brain waves, into digital data that can be manipulated by a computer. High-speed computer processing improves diagnoses by presenting the physician with a numeric or graphical readout of important features extracted from the signal. Often, the ability of computer programs to extract the most diagnostically-relevant information is limited by how well the device can recognize and ignore background electrical noise common in clinical environments.

The proposed research project is aimed at detailed characterization of organic matter found in certain types of phosphate ores. The presence of organic compounds often complicates the beneficiation of such ores to produce a fertilizer-grade phosphate concentrate. Further advances in the treatment of such problematic phosphate ores require a thorough understanding of the nature and distribution of organic compounds within phosphate ores.

OMiCS represents a broad research initiative exploring the relationship between physical literacy (PL) in children and markers of biological health. The research seeks to expand on the literature surrounding the components of PL: physical competence, confidence, and motivation for being active, and determine whether any of these components can shift objective biomarkers of health (the “omics”).

Lamps and lighting products are the most commonly used electrical product around the globe. With the improvement in lamp technologies, from incandescent bulb to compact fluorescent lamp to LED bulbs, the products have grown complex and hence they require an improved recycling process. In general, lamps consist of various valuable metals such as iron, copper, aluminium, chromium, silver, gold and some hazardous metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic. It also contains plastic and glass.

The proposed project will use classical animal models to investigate the therapeutic effects and associated side effects of extracts from the whole plant of different strains of cannabis. The targeted medical conditions include pain and chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Our data and results will play a key role in pre-screening of cultivars to obtain best candidates suited for particular medical conditions, or that have lower side-effect liability.

Cited is a multimedia knowledge mobilization project that tells stories about research and academia to a general audience. It is experimenting with a unique co-creative approach that puts students, journalists, and researchers together on the same team. Mitacs interns will work with Cited media partners to conduct original research that builds interviews, documentaries, and other media related to research and academia—particularly in the social sciences and humanities. These will be distributed widely through a network of partners across North America.

Rockfalls and landslides are a common hazard throughout Canada and have a significant impact on transport corridors, infrastructure associated with natural resources, and in public areas. The ability to determine the potential for slope failures is often limited either by the lack of a detailed assessment of the slope, or by the understanding of the processes driving failure. The latter is particularly limiting when considering small-scale movements, which potentially indicate subsequent, larger failures.