Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Enhancing Software Lifecycle Visibility and Traceability

Teams of specialized workers develop most software. For example, one team may specialize in the requirements that describe what the software is to do. Another team may specialize in producing the software itself. Yet another team may specialize in determining whether the software meets the desired requirements. Supporting communication between all these teams is challenging: each team is focusing on their part of the system, yet needs to have awareness of the work being performed by other teams. This project will investigate what information about the software lifecycle is beneficial to provide to software developers and will determine appropriate mechanisms for providing developers access to software lifecycle information. The intern will produce new knowledge about the awareness needed by developers how awareness of software lifecycle information can be effectively provided. This new knowledge will help the organization plan future product offerings and will potentially help improve the productivity of its own developers.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ivan Beschastnikh

Student:

Sam Creed

Partner:

Tasktop Technologies

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Impact of a Year-Long Physical Literacy Structured Recreation Program on the Motor Proficiency of Kindergarten Students

The study focuses on the assessment of motor proficiencies of children before and after their involvement in a specialised recreation program, when compared to children of the same age who are enrolled in standard parent-selected programming. The specialised program sets at  introducing children to a wide array of activities in multiple environments, and are taught by instructors who have sound knowledge bases in these activities and sports. The assessments will not only provide information on the current motor proficiency of children, but also how effective and efficient the specialised program is at skill acquisition of motor patterns and motor behaviours over eight months, which could lead to better programming and program design in the recreation sector.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Larry Katz

Student:

Kyle McCallum

Partner:

Vivo for Healthier Generations

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Intracellular growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: prospects for drug discovery

The success of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the infectious agent of tuberculosis (TB), lies in its ability to primarily infect, reside, and multiply in the lungs of patients. Mtb infects white blood cells termed alveolar macrophages and hides from the host immune response as well as from many antibiotics used for treatment, creating additional challenges for anti-TB drug discovery. With the increasing prevalence of multi- and extremely- drug-resistant tuberculosis in several countries, there is a pressing need for new drugs against Mtb. The objective of this study is to progress through pre-clinical development a series of lead compounds against Mtb found to be highly effective within human macrophage. We will decipher the compound’s mode of action and try to understand the basis for these compound’s exhibition of greater potency against Mtb inside the macrophages. The results of this project can be used to identify novel compounds in the treatment against tuberculosis in Canada and worldwide, fulfilling the mission of our partner organization, B.C. Lung Association. Additionally, the path to developing a new drug against tuberculosis can be expedited to clinical trials through our company partner, Novateur.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Yossef Av-Gay

Student:

Gagandeep Narula

Partner:

Novateur Ventures Inc

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Defining cell therapies using CNS tissue sources in living Parkinson’s Disease patients

There is a critical need for new therapies for Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Current therapies for PD treat disease symptoms, but do not provide a cure. The ability to generate patient brain-derived cells may rapidly advance development of personalized therapies for PD and other incurable neurological disorders. This study will use brain samples from living patients with PD to develop viable human cells specialized to deliver deficient brain chemicals that restore and protect neurological function. The potential clinical benefits of these cells will be tested in animal models of PD. Results of this work support commercialization of new culture products and human brainderived cells for researchers worldwide. This study may further set the foundation for the development of new, innovative, personalized therapies for PD, with potential application in a host of neurological diseases. This work will be performed under partnership with STEMCELL Technologies Inc.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Matthew Hebb

Student:

Andrea Di Sebastiano

Partner:

London Health Sciences Foundation

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Western University

Program:

Accelerate

A Survey of Ergonomics Education Opportunities Available to Dental Hygienists in Ontario.

Dental hygienists (DH) are exposed to many potentially injurious physical demands, such as prolonged exposure to awkward neck, trunk, and shoulder postures. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in this group is alarmingly high (62-93%). DH would benefit from ergonomics-specific workplace safety education, but it is unknown what sort of instruction, if any, is currently offered within the DH curriculum or for continuing education credit. Evaluation of existing educational opportunities will be conducted using a web-based survey of DH across Ontario. The surveys will also include questions regarding the mode of continuing education the DH would find most accessible (e.g. online or night courses, workshops, etc.). The results of the survey will guide ergonomists at the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. in updating existing and/or creating new educational resources for registered DH and DH programs, in order to promote proactive injury prevention in this occupational group across the Province.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Nadia Azar

Student:

Alaina Zvric

Partner:

+VG Architects

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Service industry

University:

University of Windsor

Program:

Accelerate

Development of efficient and inexpensive thermal storage “on demand” for Dish/Stirling System

In this project we aim to study means of development of a new concept of the thermal energy storage (TES) technology which allows for the collection of thermal energy for later use. With the Solar Power System it is necessary to balance energy demand between day and night time. On the one hand, TES can help improve the performance of a power generating system by achieving full load operation of the thermodynamic cycle at high efficiency. On the other hand, demand for energy for personal needs is unsteady during the day. Therefore, storage for the solar system is necessary and cannot be avoided. This storage can find an application in both the domestic and industrial sectors, with the final aim of achieving commercialization in the Canadian market. The implementation of these storage systems may lead to marked energy savings and significant lowering of CO2 emission.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Maria Elektorowicz

Student:

Cedric De Luca

Partner:

Innovative Solar Power Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate

Mining of population-based routinely collected health data to determine risk factors associated with pediatric morbidity in Ontario, Canada

ICES is a non-profit organization tasked with housing and conducting research of Ontario’s health administrative data. Data is available on all legal residents of Ontario, Canada most populous province. In addition, these health administrative data are being supplemented with data from other sources, such as maternal and newborn clinical data, newborn screening data, and immigration data. The rate of immune-mediated disease (such as Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease) is increasing rapidly in Ontario children. Most of this increased risk is thought to be secondary to environmental factors. This study will use advanced data mining methods to determine early-life environmental, sociodemographic, and clinical risk factors of chronic diseases in Ontario children. This will be the first study to use data mining techniques on Canadian health administrative data. ICES will benefit in terms of establishing new methods and research processes that will allow for advanced assessment of health data.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bijan Raahemi

Student:

Mohammad Hossein Tekieh

Partner:

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

University of Ottawa

Program:

Accelerate

Development of Cell-Based Functional Assays to Accelerate Commercialization and Therapeutic Application of Recombinant Antibodies

Antibodies are the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical market, and with modern engineering technologies antibodies can be programmed to target devastating diseases. Within the immune system, antibodies fight invading bacteria and viruses. High-quality synthetic antibodies directed to disease-related targets have immense therapeutic potential. Development of cell-based assays to enable rapid identification of functionally active antibodies is a critical step in the commercialization process. The proposed research project will involve screening of binders against disease-associated targets; antibodies showing clinical relevancy will be considered for entry into the clinical trial pipeline. The newly formed Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) will bridge the research and discovery occurring at the Donnelly Centre with industry partners to enable accelerated delivery of new therapies to fight diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and Crohn’s disease. CCAB will facilitate commercialization of antibodies by leveraging a world-class technology platform and experienced product development professionals.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jason Moffat

Student:

Carly Griffin

Partner:

Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Discovering the mechanism of action of a novel immunotherapy, Cat-SPIRE, using a network analysis

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory condition of the nasal passages induced after allergen exposure in sensitized individuals. Approximately 20-25% of Canadians suffer from allergic rhinitis, with cat allergy affecting up to 15% of people with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. Although existing immunotherapies have some effectiveness, these have safety problems and require long-term treatment. A novel immunotherapy, Cat-Synthetic Peptide Immuno-Regulatory Epitopes (Cat-SPIRE), composed of seven synthetic molecules related to cat allergen, acts on allergen-specific immune cells to induce subsequent clinical tolerance to cat allergen with reduced side effects and a shorter treatment time. Its specific mechanism is not yet fully understood. Young Woong Kim will participate in a study to discover the mechanism using blood samples and clinical data obtained from research  participants who have undertaken Cat-SPIRE clinical trials at Adiga Life Sciences, Inc. The investigation of the effects of Cat-SPIRE will allow us to find significant gene expression signatures for diagnosis and effectiveness of the treatments.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Scott Tebbutt

Student:

Young Woong Kim

Partner:

Adiga Life Science Inc.

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Exploring usability of an app environment to deliver transformative professional development

Professional development (PD) refers to an individual’s growth throughout a professional life cycle. Generally, the intent of PD is to deepen understanding and improve practice within a standardized professional life cycle. Given the personalized nature of PD, program evaluations are frequently based on participants’ satisfaction rather than evidence of professional learning or change in practice. At the same time, online programs provide more convenient and flexible PD opportunities without geographical barriers. Some PD programs are meant to disrupt current practices and potentially introduce new standards to a professional life cycle. Many of these programs are delivered in a classroom where facilitators may observe evidence of professional learning or change in practice. This study explores how to design an app environment for a PD program only available in a traditional face-to-face delivery.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Susan Crichton

Student:

Deb Carter

Partner:

Canadian Mental Health Association

Discipline:

Education

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of British Columbia Okanagan

Program:

Accelerate

Low-dose ionizing radiation and health

This project involves three streams, all focusing on the effects of low-dose ionizing radiation. The first stream examines the effects of single ion irradiation using the Microbeam at McMaster University. Preliminary biological research will be conducted on human cell lines using standard radiobiological endpoints including DNA double strand break foci and micronuclei formation. The second stream is a clinical trial assessing whether low-dose half-body irradiation can stimulate immunity and reduce recurrent prostate cancer. Once the clinical trial is initiated, blood samples will be collected from patients receiving irradiations and measurement will be taken on the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and other markers of immune function. The third stream is intended to understand how eliminating background ionizing radiation will impact biological functions. Cell line and animal models will be raised in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOLAB), a facility that was built 2070 metres underground to shield from background radiation exposure. The knowledge generated from the three research streams will assist in understanding the impacts of very low-dose radiation exposure and nuclear power production, as well as setting appropriate regulatory guidelines.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Douglas Boreham

Student:

Chris Thome, Suji Tharmalingam, Stephanie Puukila

Partner:

Bruce Power

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Energy

University:

Laurentian University

Program:

Accelerate

Cannabinoid ligand in vitro drug screening

Current treatments for pain and inflammation have substantial side effects which limit their use and thus clinical effectiveness. Panag, is a Halifax based drug company which focuses on development of novel therapeutic treatments which can be applied topically to alleviate both pain and inflammation. These compounds are synthetic derivatives of plant-based molecules from the Cannabis sativa plant which have proven to be advantageous in treating pain and inflammation in animal models. Although the outcome of these tests have been positive, additional drug screening in cells must be conducted in order to fully understand the mechanism of action of these treatments. The intern will learn valuable research skills working on studying the cellular mechanisms of drugs, while Panag will gain insight into how their treatments are working.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Eileen Denovan-Wright

Student:

James Thomas Toguri

Partner:

Panag Pharma Inc

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

Dalhousie University

Program:

Accelerate

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