Knee osteoarthritis is a disabling disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Knee braces have been adopted as a treatment strategy to help manage osteoarthritis pain. These braces apply a force to the knee, which, in theory, reduces the joint loads in the knee. They also however change the way people walk, which can also reduce […]

Pressure ulcers are a major health concern around the world, affecting individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in particular. Pressure ulcers occur when the blood supply to the skin and underlying tissue is compromised, leading to cell death and potentially fatal infections. In this project, we are developing a soft, flexible and stretchable pressure […]

Microplastics cause severe environmental issues, damage to ecosystems and harm animal and human health. This project aims to develop low-cost and/or portable microplastic detection platforms. In the proposed project, a particle focusing microfluidic device will be developed and integrated with the Raman spectroscopy equipment at industry partner site to maximize the light scattering effect and […]

Many methods for providing respiratory support to patients are currently in use, however more commonly available techniques such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) are not appropriate for ventilation of patients with airborne infectious diseases due to the risk of aerosolization endangering other patients and hospital staff. Clarivent is working with BCIT to further develop […]

Pertussis or whooping cough is caused by the strict human pathogen B. pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis and is a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening respiratory tract illness when it occurs in unprotected infants. Despite the introduction of acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines and great initial success of the immunization program, pertussis outbreaks were reported in adolescents and […]

Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance that is found in the epithelial, connective, and neural tissues in the human body and rooster comb tissues. It provides lubrication and acts as a cushion in the joints for different tissues of the human body. Currently, hyaluronic acid is widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and medical applications. In […]

This research will develop protocols and identify enzymes to break down compostable plastics using the FoodCycler system. The FoodCycler is a household device that accelerates the breakdown of organic waste, leaving behind a sterile soil-amendment-like by-product, and is a practical solution for rural, northern, and remote areas without municipal compost systems. Use of compostable plastics […]

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are a highly invasive species which causes destructive damages to property and crops and poses a major threat to the Canadian pork industry because wild boars are also reservoirs for infectious diseases, including African swine virus (ASF). Current control and management of the wild boar populations have been ineffective because these […]

The future of plant breeding arguably lies in the direct genetic transformation of plants for improved traits via gene editing. CRISPR is a relatively new and powerful gene editing tool that can be used to edit the DNA of any organism. CRISPR gene editing has the potential to improve apple fruit quality and speed up […]

Understanding how humans and non-human animals communicate with each other continues to be a central question in neuroscience. Songbirds serve as powerful animal models for this endeavor because they learn their vocalizations (“songs”) in a manner that resembles how humans learn to speak and because vocal learning in songbirds is regulated by discrete brain circuits […]

The incidence of female infertility is on the rise in Canada, afflicting up to 17% of woman between the ages of 18 to 34 and with a considerably higher rate of occurrence in woman over 34. Many infertile women are now turning to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to facilitate conception and child bearing. Female oocyte/egg […]

The overall purpose of this research is to measure the effect of lower extremity muscular fatigue and bracing on the hip, knee, and ankle joint biomechanics in two different populations; i) those at risk of ACL injury and ii) those with early onset osteoarthritis. This topic is significant because muscle fatigue is often considered as […]