Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting more than 23,500 people in Quebec. Freezing of gait (FoG), a disabling motor symptom characterized by the sudden inability to initiate or continue walking, occurs in up to 80% of patients in advanced stages increasing fall risk and reeducing quality of life. While structural, […]

Aquaculture needs scalable, noninvasive tools that can see what farmers miss. This project will build an AI system that recognizes individual Nile tilapia and flags behavior shifts signaling stress or disease. Using YOLO for fast detection and a key-point model for anatomical landmarks, we will extract precise coordinates for the snout, operculum, fin bases, and […]

This project will launch LigandQI, a next-generation Contract Research Organization (CRO) that empowers researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors with advanced molecular-interaction analysis. LigandQI applies state-of-the-art quantum chemistry and computational modeling to reveal, with exceptional precision, how drug candidates bind to their target proteins, enabling faster, more accurate lead optimization. Through the Lab2Market Launch […]

Ce projet de recherche vise à améliorer la prévention des problèmes de santé liés au travail en milieu chaud. Les travailleurs et travailleuses de secteurs comme la construction, l’agriculture, la foresterie ou les services d’urgence sont particulièrement exposés aux vagues de chaleur, qui seront de plus en plus fréquentes avec les changements climatiques. Pour protéger […]

This project is a continuation of my doctoral research, which investigates how IgG antibodies interact with neurons in various neuropathological conditions. So far, we’ve observed that IgGs can be internalized by neurons in models of spinal cord injury, stroke, and neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE). The next critical step is to understand the physiological consequences of this […]

Spinal cord injuries often cause lifelong motor deficits, with limited recovery from current therapies. This project explores a new approach: using deep brain stimulation of the brain’s reward circuits to encourage and reinforce natural movements during rehabilitation. In the rat model of spinal cord injury, we aim to boost both immediate motor performance and long-term […]

This project is designed to provide a baseline dataset for fish processing stations on Southern Vancouver Island. From this dataset, researchers aim to identify broad-scale trends in nearshore marine systems and identify future research needs. Main objectives of the project include monitoring both seal behaviour and fish waste subsidies near these recreational fish processing stations […]

Pain not only signals potential injury but also guides learning, teaching us to avoid harmful actions. Recent work from Roy’s laboratory (Coll et al., 2024) highlights the role of prediction errors—the difference between expected and actual outcomes— in shaping our pain perception, depending on whether it aligns with or violates our expectations. However, the precise […]

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive loss of motor neurons, muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventual death. The disease affects males and females differently. A key feature of ALS is immune system dysfunction in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and outside, in peripheral blood. This study aims […]

Healthy pregnancies require major changes in blood flow to support the growing baby. Specifically, the mother’s uterine arteries must widen to allow more blood to reach the placenta, and the placenta must build a complex network of blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. In hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), these changes […]

Our research concerns a group of lipid trafficking proteins, scientifically known as ABC transporters, that only work when submerged in the sea of lipids, which we call membranes. These proteins can “pick up” lipid molecules, especially sterols, and move the lipids out or into the cells. We know that different members of these lipid trafficking […]

Organoids are powerful cellular models that can advance our understanding of human biology and disease progression. They can be generated from human patient samples and be used to screen the best treatment course for patients, thereby allowing for a personalized therapeutic approach. However, a major challenge facing the organoid field is the lack of standard, […]