Innovative Projects Realized

Inertial Measurement of Human Motion for Realtime Applications

Engineering of a Thermostable Aldehyde Dehydrogenase

Our Home and Native Resources: Community planning and sustainable development to build prosperity in Wasagamack and Garden Hill First Nations

This Indigenous participatory research will work with community members from Garden Hill and Wasagamack First Nations to plan community development and work towards achieving sustainable livelihoods in their traditional territories. Research will consider traditional land use and occupancy, and how branding, community development, capacity-building and social enterprise development can lead to self-sustenance and prosperity. Future plans and enterprises must ensure a good life for these First Nation communities and consider opportunities for the youth, and women. This capacity-building will assist community members to engage with the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (WNO) (Ojibway words meaning: “East Side of the Lake Governance”), East Side of Lake Winnipeg Large Area Transportation Network Study and other economic and human development activities which are directly related to traditional land use. Some enterprises identified by the communities thus far are healing centres, woodlots, alternative energy, farms and food markets, fishery co-operatives, tourism, and hunting.

Application of spent hen adhesive for engineered wood products

In the egg industry, as the hens are at the end of their productive lives they are of little economic value to the farmers and seen as a by-product or a waste which require disposal. Disposal of spent hens is a long-existing liability to the egg industry for paying associated cost of handling, transportation and disposal. Therefore finding alternate methods and new use is highly desirable to increase the profitability of the poultry industry. Our previous study has resulted in a propriety method of preparing adhesives from spent hens; the overall objectives of the project are to adhesive preparation and to test its applicability in engineered wood products at pilot scale. The current proposed application is essential to help translate the technology into a precommercial application through pilot scale adhesive preparation and application. Outcome of this research will be helpful in improving economic return to the egg farmers through value addition to their waste materials, and Canadian Poultry Research Council will have the benefit to aid farmers in providing sustainable solutions to their existing problems.

The development of single-cell RNA-sequencing methods for identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in leukemic stem cells

Targeted cancer therapies have significantly improved the treatment of leukemias, but emergence of treatment resistance and subsequent cancer relapse significantly reduces patient survival. This relapse is primarily caused by the inability of current therapies to eradicate leukemic stem cells. It is currently extremely challenging to study these stem cells, due to its rarity in patient blood samples. This project aims to develop new methods, in collaboration with Applied Biological Materials (ABM) Inc, to isolate leukemic stem cells from drug-resistant patients and to identify signature genes at the single cell level. The development of novel and marketable advanced next-generation sequencing methodologies will greatly benefit ABM, who themselves have recently established these sequencing platforms. In addition, this study will hopefully discover new predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the development of improved therapies for patients with drug-resistant leukemias.

Statistical tools for quality control of aerospace structural parts made by Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process

Composite materials have been increasingly used in today’s aerospace products such as Bombardier CSeries and Boeing787 airplanes. A widely used composite manufacturing process is Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) utilizing robotics, precision control, and other high tech tools. Quality requirements for aerospace products are at very high level for product safety and performance. Statistical quality control have been widely used for many decades in automotive, aerospace and other manufacturing as well as service industries. Since AFP is a relatively new manufacturing process, research is very limited on using statistical and numerical methods for productivity and quality improvement. To meet industry needs, in this project, we will investigate AFP quality control problems, identify proper statistical methods and develop effective and efficient statistical quality control tools for AFP manufacturing processes.

Enhancement of a Pharmacogenomic Treatment Decision Support Tool for Schizophrenia – Year two

The GeneSight (GS) Psychotropic Test (AssureRx Health, Inc.) measures individual variations in drug-related genes and recommends optimal drug choices for individual patients. A clinical study will be conducted to validate novel gene markers of antipsychotic-induced weight gain for use in an enhanced version of GS. Sarah Groleau will be responsible for genotyping DNA from 600 schizophrenia patients to evaluate which of the significant gene variants (UofT/CAMH) predict the most troubling side effect of antipsychotic medications: weight gain and metabolic syndrome. She will also be involved in economic analyses of financial burden in failed treatments, with MaRS EXCITE, to position the GS tests for OHIP reimbursement. In addition, Sarah will shadow ARxC personnel, gaining exposure to all aspects of the company’s function. Sarah’s project will provide AssureRx Canada with substantial intellectual capital and access to research expertise at CAMH, enabling accelerated timelines for AssureRx product release and Ministry of Health licensing.

Assessment of Urban Nonpoint Source Pollution in the Middle Grand River Watershed

The Grand River Water Management Plan is a collaborative initiative endorsed by more than 30 partner organizations, outlining best value solutions to current watershed challenges. The Plan identifies knowledge gaps, including the need to better understand the impacts of urban stormwater on the Grand River. The proposed research project draws on existing water quality and flow monitoring data to characterize urban nonpoint source pollution in the Middle Grand River and its tributaries. This involves regional- and subwatershed-scale analyses of data to describe temporal (e.g., seasonal) and spatial trends in phosphorus and sediment levels in the watercourses. Preliminary identification of urban nonpoint “source areas” will draw on water quality data and land use mapping resources. This work will address knowledge gaps, inform municipal infrastructure master planning processes (stormwater, wastewater), and provide valuable context for meeting future phosphorus loading targets to be established for Lake Erie under the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Social Enterprises as Revenue Generation for the Non-Profit Sector in Canada

IL Canada would like to increase their revenue streams through inititating market-based approaches. The organization has struggled to identify appropriate social enterprise opportunities that can be replicated across the country. Examples of social enterprise opportunites for a NFP include: adding fee-for-service consulting; starting a new for-profit company that donates all profits to the organization; and offering new products which will be sold by the organization. This Mitacs intern will conduct a study and prepare a report that outlines social enterprise options for IL Canada. Specifically, data will be collected from within IL Canada on examples from one location that might be replicated elsewhere, and also data will be collected from other organizations regarding best practices that might be replicated. Based on the findings, IL Canada can then implement business activities. The ultimate benefit for IL Canada will be new products or services, and thus an increased revenue. IL Centres are looking for models that make up for the loss of core funding (around $50,000 per centre), as other funding streams do not cover operational costs. Increasing revenue activities would help make up for these loses.

Using GIS Mapping to Understand the Burden of Trauma in East Africa

The World Health Organization estimates trauma causes 5 million deaths each year, 90% of those deaths occurring in low-to-middle income countries. While improved outcomes have been noted when resources are focused on improving staff training, infrastructure, supplies availability, and process organization, the burden of injury in Kenya is not fully known and significant injury and death from major traumas occur frequently. This research will propose a Geographical Information System (GIS)–enabled trauma registry that will map layers of data, highlighting trauma locations, and healthcare facilities to understand the burden of trauma and suggest the strongest use of resources to improve outcomes. This conceptualization will guide future protocols in developing local infrastructure, empowering facilities (trauma hubs), and expand transportation protocols in Western Kenya. This process of developing and implementing a GIS-enabled trauma registry can then be applied to rural areas of Canada where similar resource allocation challenges apply.

PMU Based Load Modelling and Validation Methodology

Load Modeling accurately has been a fundamental and critical subject for many years in power industry. Recently with the deployment of Phasor Measurement Units (PMU), real time data to
analyze the loads has become feasible. Previously, load modeling has been focused on using some models based on pre-assumed certain form of the models, as a consequence the
prediction error would be considerable. We propose to use techniques that do not need such assumptions, therefore it should promote the prediction accuracy of the analysis. On the other hand, we want to adopt some models commonly used in statistics and econometrics to replace
the models used by previous engineering researchers, and in our case the proposed model would have simple forms, easy to analyse, and capture a wider range of generality than the
previous work in the field. The intern is going to benefit from the practise of implementing theory into applications, and the partner organization is going to have potential economical benefit due
to better prediction of the real power operating scenarios.

Energy-Efficient and Robust Wireless Sensor Networking for Marine Environments

Interactio has a plan to build automated sensor packages for boats and recreational vehicles (RVs). The objective of the sensor packages is to measure water level, fuel flow, movement, etc. This project is focused on developing self-contained sensor packages that are rugged, wireless, cost-effective, do not require battery replacements, and can be used to sense and actuate for many different use cases. All components of a sensor package should be equipped with low energy chips and radios as well as have energy harvesting capabilities. Since the sensor package needs to work in wet, harsh environments and will be placed in enclosed locations, the technologies planned to be used need to be thoroughly explored. Therefore, at the initial phase of this project, we hope to find out the most suitable technologies for the sensor package, and their best configurations. The deliverables in this phase are the complete specifications of a sample sensor package and wireless networks that will be used in the manufacturing phase.