Hypoxia (deprivation of adequate oxygen supply to the body) associated with cardiorespiratory crisis initiates vigorous respiratory and sympathetic “fight/flight” responses. The carotid bodies (CB) are the main respiratory oxygen sensors but without their influence sympathetic responses persist, suggesting a cardiovascular-specific oxygen chemoreceptor. Recently we discovered that neurons within the thoracic region of the spinal cord […]

The rotator cuff muscle group is a strong contributor to the healthy function of the shoulder. However, tearing in this muscle group is common, leading to pain and difficulty performing activities of daily living. Though surgical repair can reduce pain and improve function, muscle re-tears are common after surgical intervention. A novel biotechnology, Regeneten, being […]

Plastics are the prime contributor to the global litter crisis. Every second, a quarter tonne of non-degradable plastics enter the world’s oceans. Despite this, petroleum-based plastic production continues to increase, with more than 300 billion kilograms of virgin plastic produced annually. Our team is slightly altering the metabolism of a strain of bacteria to efficiently […]

Dental caries is a major health hazard in the general population worldwide. Fluoride-based formulations are conventionally used to resolve this problem but they present certain important disadvantages, which has been overlooked. Here we propose to develop and characterize a non-fluoride based dental varnish using natural product conjugated nanoparticles that holds the potential of inhibiting bacterial […]

Musculoskeletal extremity injuries, including traumatic amputations, represent the majority of injuries sustained by victims of traffic accidents, work-related traumas and military recruits injuries. Over the last decade, vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), the transplantation of specialized tissue from a deceased donor, has become a good alternative for the reconstruction of devastating hand and facial injuries, like […]

Protein degradation induced by PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras) constitutes a novel modality of drug discovery, with advantages over the traditional approach. This approach is still at infancy and there is a lot to learn in this field. The trainees will work under academic supervisors at University of Toronto, who are experts in chemical tool development […]

Currently there is a huge challenge in drug screens as the vast majority of the candidate drugs fail in clinical trials either due to no efficacy or drug toxicity. As an alternative to traditional animal models, zebrafish have recently emerged as a powerful vertebrate paradigm to study human disease and to use its developing embryos […]

Dans une situation de crise environnementale, l’industrie doit prévenir le réchauffement climatique avec la transition des énergies fossiles vers les énergies renouvelables. L’hydrogène dont la combustion génère de l’eau présente le carburant le plus prometteur quant à la préservation de l’environnement et son rapport énergétique massique. Actuellement, la majeure production est issue du reformage du […]

The challenges faced by mammals in adapting to their environment must be tightly controlled in order to ensure optimal body function. Hormones can travel in the bloodstream to reach various parts of the body and execute their biological actions on various organs. However, to reach their target the hormones must leave the bloodstream. That means […]

The Ubiquitous Health Technology Lab (UbiLab) will explore the development of a data integration framework and recommendation for associated standards that aims at combining data from (1) smart home systems, (2) AAL or IoT for health technology, (3) mHealth, and (4) wearables. Important areas of data management will be explored, as for example security and […]

The activity of putting on and tying one’s shoes is completed multiple times per day, and is taken for granted until an individual experiences mobility challenges due to pain, stiffness, weakness, or instability. A new foot stool, the LaceUp, is designed for users to sit or stand, and perform the activity of putting on and […]

Ecosystems are linked by exchanges of both energy and matter. These exchanges can be passive, as in water run-off, or active, as when an animal moves between ecosystems. These two types of exchanges can act against each other but, while research has focused on passive exchanges, not much is known about active exchanges. In this […]