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 […]

Oral cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, and the incidence of new cases and mortality is rising worldwide. Currently, oral cancer is treated with chemotherapy agents alone or in combination with radiotherapy or surgery. Chemotherapeutic approaches made the patients suffer from severe side effects and drug resistance. Henceforward, the current focus […]

Our project is to discover a more effective way to treat oral cancer that includes Eugenol and Carnosol and its derivatives that are effective in treating different types of cancer and also examining their beneficial (preventive and therapeutic) effects. The specific objectives: 1) To study the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of these two compounds as […]

Myocardial infarction is among the most prominent causes of death worldwide. Following cardiac injury, changes in the composition of the extracellular matrix trigger inflammatory and fibrotic responses. Particularly, left ventricular remodeling and cardiac fibrosis are characterized by pathological glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production and ECM rearrangement, which contribute to cardiomyocyte death and subsequent heart failure. Additionally, chondroitin […]

The overarching objective of this proposal is to develop and validate a new, robust and reproducible 3D culture system that supports the clonal growth of primary sources of normal and malignant human epithelial cells and that is suitable for commercialization by STEMCELL Technologies who will partner in its development. The work will systematically address 3 […]