Innovative Projects Realized

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

29670 Completed Projects

2811
AB
4990
BC
801
MB
663
NL
825
SK
8841
ON
9197
QC
95
PE
568
NB
1088
NS

Projects by Category

How are rapid environmental changes influencing Canadian-origin Yukon River Chinook declines?

Yukon River Chinook salmon have experienced devastating declines in recent years, leading to significant impacts on Yukon First Nation citizens. To address this growing conservation issue, we have collaborated with Yukon First Nations to understand their desires for improving salmon conservation capacity, and how we can support them in this endeavour. Together, we have identified some key avenues for research: first, what is responsible for salmon declines – climate change, fishing pressure, habitat loss, too many hatchery fish, or a combination? Armed with this extra information, we will create watershed-specific conservation strategies to help protect salmon and their habitats from future impacts. These strategies will be developed in collaboration with local First Nations to make sure that they are 1) desirable, 2) feasible, and 3) scientifically supported. Finally, as downstream fishing and increased climate change over the Alaskan border have been rising concerns for Yukon First Nations, we will use our data to determine if current harvest rates should be lowered in a warmer and more variable climate. Together, these actions will help Yukon First Nations maximize their local conservation impact, while also supporting their advocacy goals on the International stage.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Steven Cooke

Student:

Partner:

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (Whitehorse, YT)

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration)

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Elevate

Supporting adaptive grizzly bear population management in British Columbia using dietary profiles

Stable isotope analysis is an important tool for identifying the primary foods present in wildlife diets. This project will use stable isotopes, collected from approximately 1000 hair samples, to develop dietary profiles of grizzly bears in British Columbia, Canada. The dietary profiles, representing the proportion of meat, fish, other marine fods, and vegetation in an individual bear’s diet, will be used to understand how the availability and quality of different foods, topography, climate and human pressures combine to influence bear diet throughout the province. The project goal is to support grizzly bear population monitoring and conservation programs developed by the BC Conservation Foundation by providing information on dietary patterns associated with different regions and habitats throughout the province.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mathieu Bourbonnais;Garth Mowat

Student:

Partner:

BC Conservation Foundation

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program:

Accelerate

Investigating WD repeat protein function in the nucleolar biology and cancer – Year two

Ribosome biosynthesis is one of the most multifaceted and energy-demanding processes in biology. It involves over 250 factors that transiently associate with the nascent pre-ribosome in a well-orchestrated manner. Importantly, increased ribosome biogenesis has a critical role in cancer initiation and progression. Owing to the advances in cryo-electron microscopy, this pathway’s detailed mechanism started to be revealed, setting the grounds for new therapeutic interventions. The current project seeks to develop chemical probes for WD repeat proteins, a new drug target class. We are particularly interested in targeting WDR12 and WDR55—key components of a nucleolar complex that affect the large ribosomal subunit’s maturation. In this project, we will combine the latest advances in super-resolution microscopy and cell biology to assess WDR12 and WDR55 protein function and interaction networks in cells. Next, binding of inhibitors to the target proteins will be tested using a variety of techniques to establish compound activity and selectivity. Finally, inhibitors will be used to investigate their biological function in nucleolar regulation and glioblastoma tumorigenesis – the most aggressive type of brain cancer. The development of these inhibitors will reveal insights into the biology of this intricate pathway and may provide clinical-translational opportunity for glioblastoma treatment.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dalia Barsyte-Lovejoy

Student:

Partner:

Structural Genomics Consortium

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Development of a Privacy-preserving Infection Risk Assessment Protocol

In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing has been found an effective measure to mitigate the spread of the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim of contact tracing is to identify, notify and potentially quarantine persons who have been in close contact with infected individuals, thereby breaking the chain of infections. Next to manual contact tracing usually performed by local health authorities, several automatic, technology-driven contact tracing systems have been proposed throughout the last year, including popular constructions such as the Google/Apple Exposure Notification Framework (GAEN), DP-3T, or PACT. However, recent research has found that most of these constructions are still far from perfect, as they are susceptible to potential attacks (e.g., relay/replay of information) or they disallow collection of valuable data such as statistics or location-information due to privacy concern. Hence, our objective is to propose a novel contact tracing system which overcomes these shortcomings of previous constructions with the help of applied cryptography while maintaining a high degree of user privacy and real-world applicability.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Florian Kerschbaum

Student:

Partner:

Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Investigating WD repeat protein function in the nucleolar biology and cancer

Ribosome biosynthesis is one of the most multifaceted and energy-demanding processes in biology. It involves over 250 factors that transiently associate with the nascent pre-ribosome in a well-orchestrated manner. Importantly, increased ribosome biogenesis has a critical role in cancer initiation and progression. Owing to the advances in cryo-electron microscopy, this pathway’s detailed mechanism started to be revealed, setting the grounds for new therapeutic interventions. The current project seeks to develop chemical probes for WD repeat proteins, a new drug target class. We are particularly interested in targeting WDR12 and WDR55—key components of a nucleolar complex that affect the large ribosomal subunit’s maturation. In this project, we will combine the latest advances in super-resolution microscopy and cell biology to assess WDR12 and WDR55 protein function and interaction networks in cells. Next, binding of inhibitors to the target proteins will be tested using a variety of techniques to establish compound activity and selectivity. Finally, inhibitors will be used to investigate their biological function in nucleolar regulation and glioblastoma tumorigenesis – the most aggressive type of brain cancer. The development of these inhibitors will reveal insights into the biology of this intricate pathway and may provide clinical-translational opportunity for glioblastoma treatment.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Dalia Barsyte-Lovejoy

Student:

Partner:

Structural Genomics Consortium

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Epidémiologie des maladies émergentes chez les amphibiens en lien avec la composition de leur microbiome.

Les amphibiens sont la classe animale la plus en danger d’extinction, notamment à cause de maladies émergentes qui se propagent sur tous les continents, en partie à cause du commerce exotique des espèces. Il semble cependant que les bactéries vivant à la surface de leur peau (le microbiome cutané) leur confèrent une certaine résistance face à ces épidémies. Néanmoins, tous les amphibiens ne possèdent pas le même microbiome, et donc pas le même armement contre les pathogènes. Au travers de cette étude collaborative, nous voulons identifier les facteurs qui influencent la composition du microbiome cutané des amphibiens, pour mieux comprendre et prédire leur devenir face aux maladies dans un contexte d’invasion accidentelle. Ce projet s’inscrit directement dans le cadre de ma thèse, et me permettra de revenir en Belgique riche de l’expertise canadienne en matière de recherches sur les maladies émergentes des amphibiens, et d’appliquer les techniques ainsi apprises à mes échantillons belges.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Lesbarrères

Student:

Partner:

Université de Liège

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Laurentian University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Genome-wide overexpression library in Giardia spp. for drug target discovery

Giardiasis is a foodborne and waterborne disease that affects people worldwide, and it causes enteric diseases with outbreaks of diarrhea in adults and children. There are a few drugs available for treating Giardia spp. infections and they are associated with low efficacy, adverse effects, and drug resistance is spreading. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify new drugs and understand drug mechanisms of action. The goal of this project is to generate a genome-wide gene overexpression library to identify new drug targets. In this approach, transgenic Giardia parasites will be created to express genes to high levels. These parasites will be screened against drugs (e.g., metronidazole and others) to identify new drug targets by selecting drug-resistant parasites and sequencing resistance/target genes. This innovative approach, combined with other genetic and biochemical methods, will also help shed light on drug action and resistance mechanisms.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Igor Cestari

Student:

Partner:

Universidade Federal da Paraíba

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Biotechnology; Pharmaceuticals

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Untangling local drivers of species interactions: a multi-elevational experiment in Colombia

The internship project for this Mitacs proposal will provide new data that will be added to the existing set from a 3-year standardized experiment across North and South America. The internship will be conducted in collaboration with Professor Pablo Stevenson’s research team from Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia) and aims to determine which, if any, of three local ecological mechanisms (climate, productivity, and biodiversity) best predicts geographic variation in predation and if this variation is consistent across two different trophic levels (seeds and caterpillars). The duration of this project abroad will be of about 13 weeks and will be partly executed along a steep elevational transect composed of sites located between 800 and 2300 meters above sea level near the municipality of Medina, Colombia.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Anna Hargreaves

Student:

Partner:

Universidad de los Andes

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Sustainability & the Environment; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Benchmarking and validation of two dosimetry software packages for radiotherapy applications.

Brachytherapy dosimetry is traditionally based on the American Association for Physicists in Medicine Task Group No. 43 report, referred to as TG-43. The TG-43 dose calculation formalism describes dose delivery around a single source centrally positioned in a spherical water phantom. Patient geometry, tissue compositions, and density heterogeneities are ignored, as are foreign objects such as radiation sources and applicators that may be present at the time of treatment. These simplifications lead to inaccuracies and inconsistencies between prescribed dose and delivered dose. The TG-43 formalism is the prevailing dosimetry standard. The American Association for Physicists in Medicine TG-186 report, released in 2012, recommends the use of model-based dose
calculation algorithms in brachytherapy. Model-based dose calculation algorithms such as the Monte Carlo method calculate dose to medium and account for heterogeneities. MC is the gold standard and the most accurate method for calculation of absorbed dose in the human body.
The research group at McGill University has developed an opensource MC-based treatment planning system for brachytherapy applications. The research group at University of Bordeaux has developed another type of model based dosimetry package built on a new deterministic method for calculating the dose distribution in external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Shirin Abbasinejad Enger

Student:

Partner:

Université de Bordeaux

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Biotechnology; Technology

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

The Implications of Blockchain Technology on Privacy, Regulation, and Public Policy

The goal of this research project is to understand how private, blockchain-based enterprises best engage and understand current Canadian regulation on data privacy. Policy is created at many different levels of government and it can be difficult for companies to be aware of the specific requirements needed to comply with regulation. This project will ask how do tech companies situate themselves amid provincial and federal privacy regulations? What are the best practices for handling contradictions in regulation? This project will work in collaboration with Manyone, a company researching the creation and proliferation of self-sovereign digital identities across platforms, to tackle these questions. This research project will deliver a strategic action plan for companies on how to best interact with data privacy regulation in British Columbia and an academic paper that examines the current state of data privacy policies as well as easing the communication gap between the public and private sectors.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Victoria Lemieux

Student:

Partner:

Manyone Inc

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Evaluation of safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of a recombinant FVIII molecule: meta-analysis of the Advate Postauthorization Safety Surveillance studies

We propose a meta-analytic project which aims at summarizing Post-Authorization Surveillance Safety data on Advate, a recombinant FVIII concentrates used to treat patients with Hemophilia A. The study will involve the largest cohort of hemophilia patients on FVIII concentrates analyzed in theliterature. The project represents an attempt to sustain a methodologically strong approach in the field of Hemophilia, as paradigm of rare disease. We will accompany a classic and more common metaanalytic modeling with a Bayesian modeling, able to provide measures of efficacy and safety after repetitive simulations with a probabilistic construct resembling the physician’s decisional process. The partner organization will benefit from a state-of-the-art assessment of the safety profile of their prodict in a post-authorization context, which will facilitate plans for the development of future molecules and will be used for lobbying with the regulators in improving the registration process.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lehana Thabane

Student:

Partner:

Baxter

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Trusted Records in TAPESTRY Approach

New America’s Future of Property Rights program aims to create a solution for people all over the world to achieve their basic human right “to own, rent, or otherwise occupy property” (Panfil & Mellon, 2019). What is denying a large part of populations their basic human right is the “lack of proper documents” (Panfil & Mellon, 2019). To solve this important issue, the program proposes using emerging technology such as Self-Sovereign Identity or SSI to harness an abundance of data that already exists in a way that is “trustworthy, secure, and privacy preserving” (Panfil & Mellon, 2019).
Peer Social, whose goal is to build a secure communication and data-sharing solution using a decentralized architecture and encrypted ledger technology to give users complete control of how they are social, is interested in learning about this approach and the rationale behind it. They are also interested in learning about what trust could mean in records created through blockchain technology and especially through self-sovereign identity and what characteristics it must have to satisfy the United Nations requirements, and whether these characteristics can be converted into a point system, similar to credit card scores.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Victoria Lemieux

Student:

Partner:

Modern Being Corporation

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology; Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

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