The joint-effort project by Nordion Inc and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute aims to develop a series of radiolabeled necrostatin derivatives, which act as imaging agents based on necroptosis (programmed necrosis - a type of cell death) inhibitors to help diagnose disease (such as cardiovascular, neurological diseases and cancer) and monitor their treatment effects. The roles of the fellow are to design, synthesize and characterize these agents and to assist in testing their biological properties through further in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is a new technology that was introduced in radiology departments in the last few years. At CHUM, in collaboration with Siemens, we installed a DECT in the radiation oncology department. The global objective of this project is to develop and confirm the various applications of DECT in radiation oncology. Specifically, a first objective is to assess the improved accuracy in radiation dose calculation needed for treatment planning.

There is an increasing demand for high resolution multimodality imaging of research animals, such as mice and rats, to allow non-invasive monitoring of disease models and therapeutic interventions. This project focuses on the development of a new positron emission tomography (PET) imaging system that can be operated inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Once complete, this system will allow simultaneous high resolution PET/MRI imaging of research animals.

Throughout my Doctoral Studies I have used various approaches to evaluate and/or predict the behaviour of cardiovascular structures in the setting of acquired disease. These have been focussed on two key methodologies: insilico testing aimed at predicting functional responses to therapeutic intervention, such as mechano-electric Finite Element Method (FEM) modelling of the left atrium strains and stresses in response to hypertension, and fluiddynamic FEM modelling of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The research focuses on development and implementation of advanced software algorithms designed for the automated analysis of skin lesion images. The algorithms will be designed to run on mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tablets, and could be used by the general users as well as doctors for computer-assisted screening and diagnosis of skin cancer. For users, our computer program will automatically compute the risk score for skin lesions based on the previously diagnosed cases, and for doctors, it will use machine learning to assist in making the best diagnostic decision.

Medella Health is developing contact lenses that continuously detect blood glucose levels to better manage diabetes and improve the quality of life for diabetic patients. Patients have a difficult time monitoring and maintaining their blood glucose levels because current systems are invasive, discontinuous and do not generate the continuous feedback necessary for patients to take immediate action.

A cochlear implant (CI) is a complex electronic device designed to provide the sensation of sound to profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing individuals. Imaging of the implanted CI electrode would assist manufacturers in verifying the efficacy of their designs and would also provide important information to clinics for programming CIs post-surgery. However, the size and position of the cochlea in the body make it difficult to image using clinical imaging scanners.

The aim of the project is to develop molecules capable of treating cancer. Currently, chemotherapeutics used in the clinic kill cancer as well as healthy cells; this broad mechanism of action results in high toxicity to the patient. In contrast, our approach is to generate a targeted therapeutic that will work against STAT5, a specific protein which is overexpressed in breast cancer. This approach will limit the toxicity associated with currently used treatments.

The project relates to the fabrication of polymeric devices capable of mimicking that of live human tissue under x-ray computed tomographic (CT) imaging. These devices must be fabricated in such a way that specific material properties are controlled to thereby precisely mimic the desired tissue. The work following this will benefit the partner organization as they will be able to optimize CT imaging conditions by means of precise tissue mimicking polymeric devices.

Les études démontrent que 15-20 % des patients sont insatisfaits en post prothèse totale du genou. Plusieurs de ces patients présentent de la douleur antérieure. Dans le cas du syndrome fémoro-patellaire, différents déficits biomécaniques pouvant expliquer ces symptômes ont été identifiés. Cependant, aucune étude ne s’est intéressée à la biomécanique du genou chez une population souffrant de douleur post prothèse.