The Laurentian Great Lakes and many Canadian inland waters have experienced a resurgence of cyanobacteria-dominated harmful algal blooms (cHABs), which negatively impact recreational uses, aesthetics, taste and odor in drinking water. The presence of toxins can also have dire repercussions on aquatic wildlife and human health. The factors that influence the occurrence and magnitude of […]

The Laurentian Great Lakes and many Canadian inland waters have experienced a resurgence of cyanobacteria-dominated harmful algal blooms (cHABs), which negatively impact recreational uses, aesthetics, taste and odor in drinking water. The presence of toxins can also have dire repercussions on aquatic wildlife and human health. The factors that influence the occurrence and magnitude of […]

Urinary tract infections caused by indwelling catheters (CAUTIs) employed for the treatment of urinary flow are very common. Almost 100 million of these devices are sold on an annual basis with around 25% of these being marketed in the USA. In addition to the cost of catheters and their insertion, hospital treatment of CAUITs runs […]

Urinary tract infections caused by indwelling catheters (CAUTIs) employed for the treatment of urinary flow are very common. Almost 100 million of these devices are sold on an annual basis with around 25% of these being marketed in the USA. In addition to the cost of catheters and their insertion, hospital treatment of CAUITs runs […]

The August 2014 tailings dam breach at the Mount Polley Mine, BC severely disturbed downstream forest ecosystems through erosion and tailings deposition. The impacted area presents an opportunity to research using ecosystem legacies (ecosystem components that survive a disturbance) to rehabilitate disturbed areas. A field trial at Mount Polley is testing seedling establishment and soil […]

The research in the Foulkes Lab is focused on the regulation of circadian rhythms and environmental effects on specific gene products. The project I will be contributing to aims to investigate the role of environment, specifically light, on the evolution of cryptochromes and photolyases. Photolyases are proteins that are involved in repairing DNA, and the […]

Enacting complex behaviours, such as locomotion, involves network-wide integration of information at the level of the nervous system. This understanding highlights the need for appropriate technologies to monitor the global dynamics of neurons in these networks. However, previous studies employing model organisms have been limited to low resolution imaging, few neurons and/or immobilized specimens. In […]

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium in rocks and soils. Radon can enter buildings and reach high levels in indoor air (Khan and Gomes, 2017). It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking). killing approximating 3200 Canadians a year (Chen et al. 2012). High radon concentrations […]

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium in rocks and soils. Radon can enter buildings and reach high levels in indoor air (Khan and Gomes, 2017). It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking). killing approximating 3200 Canadians a year (Chen et al. 2012). High radon concentrations […]

A novel class of DHODH inhibitors called tetrahydroindazoles was recently identified in the group of professor Sonia Lain through screening of a commercially available chemical library for activators of p53. The hit compound HZ00 is able to slow tumor cell growth in culture, an effect which was reversed upon supplementation with uridine, and had little […]

Oxidative stress and inflammation can cause neuron degeneration and lead to mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia is debilitating and poses economic burden to the patients, families, and society. Currently, no curative drugs have been developed to treat dementia. This study will be elucidating the mechanism of action and examining the anti-oxidative and therapeutic […]

Buckwheat contains an active ingredient that lowers blood glucose in diabetic rats. The active ingredient is not a known compound such as chiro-inositol or rutin. The goal of this project is to characterize the bioactive compounds in buckwheat fractions obtained by countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and having biological activity. This is important for setting the foundation […]