As surgery enters the era of value-based care, it is advocated that postoperative recovery be measured using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) as they provide a mean to incorporate the patient’s perspectives and experiences into research and clinical decision-making. In abdominal surgery, this is currently precluded by the lack of PRO measures specifically developed and validated in […]

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza infections. However, the current production of influenza vaccines in embryonated chicken eggs has limited capacity during pandemics or high demand seasons, and is both labor-intensive and time-consuming. Consequently, there is a need to develop a robust production platform that can efficiently accelerate the production process and […]

Supplying cannabis, and cannabis products, to a legalized retail market represents a major economic opportunity and has been identified as a growth opportunity under New Brunswick’s Economic Growth Plan (Province of New Brunswick, 2016). Indeed, the retail market value for recreational cannabis in Canada is expected to reach $8.7 billion annually (Deloitte, 2016); however, current […]

B.C.’s Pacific salmon are in decline yet the causes are not clear. The role of disease in declining productivity is poorly understood but is potentially an important factor especially given recent controversies involving salmon farms and disease transmission to wild salmon. We have recently collected quantitative data on 47+ viral, bacterial, fungal, and protozoan pathogens […]

Beef cattle play an important role in food production worldwide by making use of resources from which humans can derive little nutritional value to provide a nutrient-rich foodstuff containing protein, minerals and vitamins. However, greenhouse gases and ammonia that are produced by the cattle industry are associated with climate change. Producing nutritious beef that meets […]

Glutamate, the most widespread excitatory neuromediator in the brain, plays an important role in learning and memory functions. At very high cerebral concentrations it is likely to cause pathological effects (nerve cell death), such as those encountered in ischemic stroke. To reduce the toxic concentrations of glutamate in the brain, several approaches have been developed. […]

Plants are an essential part of our day-to-day lives. They provide us oxygen to breathe through photosynthesis, food and drugs for human health and well-being in addition to many materials and products for everyday use across Canadian society. For plants, light is a central to their growth, development and survival, rendering our understanding of how […]

The mammalian liver is known for its regenerative property, capable of fully restoring mass and function after injury. However, when this process is in disarray, chronic liver diseases occur, for which the current solution is liver transplantation. Transplantation remains an imperfect solution as the supply is limited and rejection can happen. Today, 25% of patients […]

The goal of this project is to further develop the JGI technology CRAGE, which enables the insertion of large DNA fragments into the chromosome of a host organism. Over the course of the 3 months, the CRAGE system will be adapted for the E. coli EPI300 strain that is host to the Hallam Lab functional […]

This project focuses on physical and biological elements of small tidally influenced marsh channels on Swishwash Island in the central arm of the Lower Fraser River Estuary. In addition to fish data; marine invertebrate, vegetation, sediment, and toporgraphic data will also be collected and analyzed. This will provide insight into the practise of monitoring tide […]

The business partner in this application (Rna Diagnostics, Inc.) has developed a diagnostic tool to determine whether the tumour(s) of a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy before surgery is responding (dying) in response to treatment. This tool, called the Rna Disruption Assay (RDA), can help tailor chemotherapy, such that chemotherapy treatment is discontinued (along with its […]

G protein coupled receptors (GCPRs) are proteins found at the surface of cells are responsible for activating numerous intracellular signaling pathways and thus are involved in regulating about every physiological response. Activation of GPCRs occurs by compounds as varied as photons, lipids, ions, small hormonal or neurotransmitter compounds or larger peptidic and protein molecules. As […]