Projets novateurs réalisés

Formes pharmaceutiques solides gastro-résistantes de la Catalase

Inflammation is an undesirable effect that can be caused by the high level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an oxidant molecule. This inflammation is found mostly in small and large intestines area. Catalase, is a protein (antioxidant agent). It is able to decompose large quantities of H2O2 into water and oxygen and thus, eliminating this harmful molecule.

The project will consist of manufacturing swallowable tablets containing catalase in order to act in the intestine. The tablets pass through the stomach before arriving in the intestine. Tablets must remain intact after they pass through the stomach. For this, the tablets are made with different component able to protect drug against the gastric acidity. To test the tablets in the laboratory, liquids simulating the environment of the human stomach and intestine are used. Different compositions and coatings of the tablets will be tested. In short, the tablets are aimed to reduce the inflammation produced by H2O2 in the intestine. In future perspective, tablets might be used as drugs.

Mobilizing Environmentally Sustainable Learning Health Systems in Nova Scotia

Canada’s health sector is among the top three worst polluters per capita in the world. Medications are estimated to contribute to 25% of the carbon footprint of healthcare in Canada. Decarbonizing hospital pharmacy requires coordinated decision-making and implementation of low-carbon healthcare practices. This Mitacs Elevate research project aims to explore how to mobilize low-carbon pharmacy by collaborating with two tertiary care centers in Halifax, Nova Scotia to co-develop organizational strategies to advancing environmentally sustainable pharmacy practice. The Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral fellow will investigate high impact areas for pharmacy intervention at QEII and IWK and co-create an approach for mobilizing low-carbon pharmacy in Nova Scotia.

Characterization of candidate chemical probes for WDR91 and investigation of its function in endosomes

Target 2035 is an ambitious goal supported by the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) to develop pharmacological modulators of all proteins encoded within the human genome by the year 2035. These compounds, referred to as chemical probes, are made available to the public and enables researchers to investigate biological processes in a more effective manner. The development of chemical probes leads to future research discoveries, especially for proteins with functions that are not well understood and those have avoided attention by scientists due to high risks associated with their investigation. Fostering collaboration between industry and academia will be a necessity to make Target 2035 a possibility. The proposed project will encourage collaboration between SGC, Pharma partners, and academics to develop and characterize candidate chemical probes for WDR91, a protein with limited functional insights associated with endosomes and intracellular trafficking. The intern will establish assays to evaluate WDR91 compound target engagement in cells and use the compounds to interrogate the biological function of this protein. To this end, the intern will contribute towards an important and necessary goal for the development of high quality chemical probes.

Songbird community response to oil and gas development activities in Alberta

This project aims to understand the impact of energy development activities on birdlife and support effective conservation measures. Alberta’s boreal forest plays a crucial role, serving as both a unique ecosystem for millions of breeding birds and a key resource for the oil and gas industry. By analyzing a decade of bird banding data, the study will assess changes in boreal bird communities with the goal of understanding how changes in landscapes are affecting birdlife and provide models for effective conservation decisions. This project will benefit the partner organization by offering valuable insights into preserving wildlife and habitats amidst ongoing energy development.

Numerical modelling of enhanced superplastic forming of titanium alloy aerospace parts

Titanium alloys are used to manufacture aerospace components that require high strength at high operating temperatures such as fan blades, heat shields and jet engine exhaust cones. Parts that have complex geometries are commonly formed at high temperature (around 900°C) so as to achieve maximum ductility during the forming process. By applying a small oscillating pressure on the sheet during the forming process, the titanium alloy was shown to deform more uniformly and to a much greater extent than during conventional superplastic forming. The objective of this investigation is to develop numerical simulation models that accurately describe the behaviour of Ti64 during superplastic forming and numerical simulation tools that can reliably predict the outcome of a superplastic forming process with pressure oscillations. The results of this research will ultimately be used to improve process robustness and part quality while reducing cycle time when manufacturing titanium aerospace parts.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Solar Energy in HVAC Systems for Sustainable Building Climate Control.

This research project aims to revolutionize heating and cooling systems in buildings by combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) and solar energy. By developing smart algorithms, the HVAC system will adapt to changes in the environment and occupancy patterns, ensuring optimal energy use and reducing environmental impact. The intern will design simulations to evaluate performance, compare results with traditional systems, and explore challenges and scalability. The partner organization stands to benefit from a prototype of an AI-driven HVAC system, paving the way for energy-efficient buildings and substantial cost savings.

Meta learning of hyperparameters for parallel and distributed Gradient Boosted Decision Trees on big data

When Kinaxis trains its machine learning models, it does so on two time scales. Every week or so, it looks at around 10 billion sales records and tries to learn the rapidly-changing “parameters” that best describe this data. Every 3-6 months, it updates 10 thousand collections of “hyperparameters” that govern the parameter-learning process. Kinaxis would like to update the hyperparameters more frequently, but the update process is very expensive. In this project, we will find cheaper proxies for the hyperparameter update procedure that will allow much more frequent small updates, and thus better machine learning models. The basic idea is to look at historical relationships between hyperparameters, allowing us to calculate only a few updates and propagate the changes to all 10 thousand collections.

Développement d’un revêtement barrière à base de complexes polyélectrolytes pour le papier

Les revêtements à base de complexes polyélectrolytes (CPE) sont de plus en plus reconnus pour leur capacité à protéger et à conférer différentes propriétés à de nombreux substrats tels que le textile, le bois et le papier. Composés d’un polyanion et d’un polycation qui se lient par interactions électrostatiques, ces systèmes offrent l’avantage de pouvoir être appliqués et séchés en une seule étape, contrairement aux systèmes couche par couche. De plus, les CPE sont exempts de composés organiques volatils et autres substances toxiques, avec des propriétés modulables en fonction des composants et des ratios de mélange. Ce projet vise à développer et optimiser des CPE pour des revêtements de papier, notamment pour les emballages alimentaires. Le but est de créer des revêtements de surface à faible impact environnemental limitant la perméabilité aux gaz et aux corps gras.

Assessing the Efficiency of Extracellular Vesicles for the Therapeutic Delivery of Modified mRNA

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny, membrane-based particles that cells release into various bodily fluids. They serve as messengers, facilitating communication between different cells in the body and, therefore, playing pivotal roles in modulating various biological processes. They achieve this by transporting a diversity of bioactive cargos, including RNA molecules. Over the past decade, our understanding of EVs has rapidly expanded, encompassing their different classes and unique attributes, as well as their roles in both normal physiological functions and pathological conditions. In the context of mRNA-based pharmaceuticals, driven by the success of Covid-19 vaccines, there is a growing need for innovative mRNA therapies across numerous diseases. While lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations are commonly used for drug delivery and have demonstrated effectiveness, our project will explore alternative RNA delivery methods that can complement and enhance current approaches. To address this, we are harnessing EVs as natural mRNA carriers, capitalizing on their established safety and specificity. The primary objective is to develop an efficient method for loading mRNA into EVs, transforming them into precision delivery vehicles to enhance therapy efficacy. Project milestones include demonstrating efficient mRNA loading, developing methods to produce, characterize, and compare EVs to LNPs, and assessing safety and efficacy in pre-clinical models. Upon completion, this project will produce essential data to back future development efforts, offering patients alternative and more effective mRNA therapies. Simultaneously, it will grant industry partners access to cutting-edge delivery technology, solidifying Québec’s status as a leading hub in biopharmaceutical innovation.

Agile digital twin solutions for enhanced utility-scale photovoltaic fleet energy performance

This research project enables internship personnel, guided by their industry sponsors, to develop advanced software features for designing and operating vast solar power farms. Creating a digital twin of the system, these computational models apply the latest solar technologies to efficiently harvest light from the whole environment (sun, sky, and ground) under the complex shading environment caused by terrain with panels moving on mechanical structures. In the design phase, this digital twin allows accurate moment-by-moment prediction of electrical generation for any illumination condition to quantify and de-risk solar power deployments. In the operation phase, it connects the digital twin to real time monitoring, ensuring proper operation, optimizing operation, and forecasting operation. The software runs in the cloud and balances computational cost, accuracy, and speed.

Enhancing equine tendon repair: evaluating the synergistic effects of mesenchymal stromal cells and hyaluronic acid in a collagenase-induced injury model

This research project aims to enhance the treatment of common tendon injuries in horses, a prevalent issue causing economic losses in equine sports. Despite various treatments, there’s a crucial need for more effective solutions. The study focuses on comparing the impact of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) alone to a combination of MSCs and Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in a superficial digital flexor tendon injury model. By understanding the cellular and molecular responses, the research intends to provide insights into improving tendon healing. The experiment involves creating injuries in horses, assigning them to different treatment groups, and analyzing tissue responses over time. The anticipated outcome includes valuable advancements in equine tendon care, potentially extending the athletic careers of horses and reducing economic challenges on the equine industry. The partner organization involved stands to benefit from increased knowledge and potential innovations, contributing to enhanced horse health and performance.

Use of sourdough to improve the color of durum wheat pasta

Wheat carotenoids give durum wheat pasta a light yellow color. Wheat lipoxygenase oxidizes flour carotenoids and further loss of carotenoids is caused by extrusion of pasta. Because bright yellow pasta is preferred by consumers, oxidation of carotenoids during extrusion impairs pasta quality. To maintain the yellow color that is mediated by flour carotenoids, pasta extruders operate under vacuum to limit oxidation of carotenoids. Sourdough fermentation improves the color of pasta but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This project therefore aims to employ sourdough to improve the color of pasta by determination of the impact of sourdough on oxidation of carotenoids, and by determination of the impact of yellow pigmented sourdough lactobacilli on the color of pasta.
The project will train one MSc student in an industry-oriented project. The project will also provide critical research support for Kaslo Sourdough, a small but rapidly growing family enterprise which is Canada’s only producer of sourdough pasta, and one of very few globally. The research will support scaling of the production, and potentially licensing of the technology to third parties to increase economic activity and tax revenue.