Targeted delivery of drugs can reduce the side effects associated with oral delivery systems. The urethra provides easy access of therapeutic agents to the urinary bladder, an ideal organ for localized therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer, interstitial cystitis, overactive bladder, and chronic prostatitis. We propose a new therapeutic approach to increase the residency time and efficacy of the drugs by using biogradable polymers as a drug carrier, allowing a prolonged release of drugs in the bladder.

This project will upgrade the Climate and Infrastructure Forensic Analysis System (CIFAS), originally developed to characterize snow- and permafrost-related impacts to ground transportation and mine access roads in the Canadian North. My first objective is to enhance the analytical capacity of CIFAS by improving its ability to quantify uncertainties associated with empirical knowledge used to causally connect infrastructure service levels with climate-induced disturbances, as well as with climate projections from climate models.

L’objectif du projet est de mettre au point des méthodes de visualisation par microscopie confocale laser l’intensité du stress oxydant ainsi que les zones d’induction d’apoptose dans des cellules cancéreuses perméabilisées. Les cellules cancéreuses qui seront étudiées sont des cellules de carcinome colorectal humaines de la lignée HCT116 provenant de American Type Culture Collection.

Additional research is required to fully understand the effects of a powerful antioxidant Curcumin on the short and long term impact of exercise. Previous studies have demonstrated other antioxidants can potentially slow recovery and reduce benefits of exercise. However, there is lacking information regarding the effects of Curcumin on cardiovascular health and exercise performance.

Bleeding following traumatic injury is the leading cause of early cause of death. Currently these patients are treated based on the results of time consuming laboratory tests resulting in inappropriate usage of blood products and poor survival rates. Rapid recognition of defects in clotting mechanism is necessary to stop bleeding in trauma patients.

Emma Allen-Vercoe has established a world leading capability to grow microbes in a controlled environment. The intent of our newly established Biotech company - NuBiyota - will be to translate this exciting capability into a therapeutic product. The project we are proposing will leverage Kathleen's expertise and experience in professor Allen-Vercoe's lab, combined with the company's GMP expertise to create a clinical/commercial grade Microbiome therapeutic product.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic painful disease of joints that involves the progressive destruction of the articular cartilage and bone and leads to pain. It affects both humans and animals. Animals can serve as models for the human disease and in this case we will study equine OA. There is currently no effective medication that can effectively reverse the cartilage destruction in OA. This is mediated by enzymes. It was believed to be due to MMP enzymes alone until recently we showed that Cathepsin K is also involved.

Manufacturing of consistently high quality products is the commitment of pharmaceutical industry. To achieve this, new products must be thoroughly tested and the results meet government-approved product specifications. Improving existing and adopting improved analytical technologies for product testing ensure the production of safe and effective products. This is particularly critical for the manufacturing of biologic products which, relative to small molecular drugs, have a larger size, are more complex in structure and are thus more difficult to characterize.

Mutations in the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GBA1) are the most common genetic risk factor for development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is characterized by the buildup of abnormal protein deposits in the brain, followed by progressive loss of neurons and behavioural symptoms. Numerous studies have noted a correlation between reduced GBA1 activity and increased levels of these abnormal protein deposits in the brain, but the relationship remains poorly understood.