Innovative Projects Realized

Finding blood biomarkers to inform local inflammation in coronary artery disease

As an anti-inflammatory drug has been recently approved to prevent heart attacks in heart disease patients, specific blood tests are needed to guide the application of such drugs. There is currently no blood test to identify patients who may benefit from this drug. This project aims to evaluate the accuracy of a current clinical blood test and find blood tests that more accurately reveal local inflammation in the heart. By studying the inflammation pathways in the heart and its associated markers in the blood, we hope to identify blood tests that could accurately guide clinical decision-making. Through this project, the partner organization will gain new opportunities to collaborate with another research centre, and gain visibility in academic and professional conferences, which could attract further collaborations.

Enhanced Wireless Power Transfer via Multisource Thermophotovoltaic Systems

The objective of this research project is to design, fabricate and test a prototype wireless power transmission system that uses a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system to receive the power beam. By using a TPV system as the receiver (instead of a photovoltaic cell) the electromagnetic radiation can have almost any wavelength. This opens a broad range of radiation that can be used to enhance power beaming applications. For example, by using radiation with wavelengths in the atmospheric window (the range of wavelengths from about 8-10 um wherein radiation is highly transmissive in the atmosphere) power can be beamed to a TPV receiver with minimal losses. Furthermore, the performance of TPV systems can be increased by enabling them to be powered by multiple sources. The goal of this research is to design and test TPV systems that are powered by two sources, wherein one of the sources is an object at high temperature and the other source is beamed power. The industrial partner will play an active role in the design and development of multisource TPV systems capable of functioning as receivers in wireless power transfer applications and will have a competitive advantage to market TPV receivers on a global scale.

Metabolomic profile of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms

This research project aims to develop an innovative blood test for earlier detection of an important subtype of lung tumors, known as neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). Unfortunately, these tumors are too often diagnosed late and are difficult to treat. Our approach is to exploit a specific characteristic of neoplasms: tumor cells adapt the way they generate and use energy. By analyzing chemical substances called metabolites in the blood, we hope to create a test that would enable these tumors to be diagnosed more quickly and accurately. Biomark Diagnostics Inc. provides measurement of the concentrations of these metabolites in patients’ blood using an innovative physical technology called Luxon ion source®. By identifying biomarkers, patients could then be diagnosed earlier and receive treatment, which could improve their quality of life, prognosis and chances of recovery. This project offers the opportunity to contribute to important medical advances in the detection and treatment of NENs, which could lead to better therapeutic options for patients.

Development of Autonomy for Log-loading Machines in Canadian Mill Yards

The timber-harvesting and processing industries anticipate that the use of robotics and AI technologies will increase
productivity, safety and job satisfaction of machine operators to help address the shrinking labor force. We have engaged
with our partner, FPInnovations, on research to increase the autonomy of log-loading machines with the goal to demonstrate
the technology on machines operating in the mill yard. We will focus our research and development on three relevant
problems, of direct relevance to different aspects of log-loading operations. In the first project, we will investigate the use of
vision and inertial sensors on the crane of the machine to determine the position of the crane’s grapple and to measure the
crane’s joint angles. In our second project, we will develop localization and mapping solutions to allow the machine to
position itself relative to the infeed deck of the mill and to build a map of the infeed deck area in order to increase the
machine’s situational awareness. In the third project, we will work towards an integrated planning and control framework for
efficient unloading of logs from large piles in mill-yard storage areas. To validate the developed algorithms, we will employ
the physical Crane test-bed available at FPInnovatrions, as well as, state-of-the-art simulation tools.

Formes pharmaceutiques solides gastro-résistantes de la Catalase

Inflammation is an undesirable effect that can be caused by the high level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an oxidant molecule. This inflammation is found mostly in small and large intestines area. Catalase, is a protein (antioxidant agent). It is able to decompose large quantities of H2O2 into water and oxygen and thus, eliminating this harmful molecule.

The project will consist of manufacturing swallowable tablets containing catalase in order to act in the intestine. The tablets pass through the stomach before arriving in the intestine. Tablets must remain intact after they pass through the stomach. For this, the tablets are made with different component able to protect drug against the gastric acidity. To test the tablets in the laboratory, liquids simulating the environment of the human stomach and intestine are used. Different compositions and coatings of the tablets will be tested. In short, the tablets are aimed to reduce the inflammation produced by H2O2 in the intestine. In future perspective, tablets might be used as drugs.

Mobilizing Environmentally Sustainable Learning Health Systems in Nova Scotia

Canada’s health sector is among the top three worst polluters per capita in the world. Medications are estimated to contribute to 25% of the carbon footprint of healthcare in Canada. Decarbonizing hospital pharmacy requires coordinated decision-making and implementation of low-carbon healthcare practices. This Mitacs Elevate research project aims to explore how to mobilize low-carbon pharmacy by collaborating with two tertiary care centers in Halifax, Nova Scotia to co-develop organizational strategies to advancing environmentally sustainable pharmacy practice. The Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral fellow will investigate high impact areas for pharmacy intervention at QEII and IWK and co-create an approach for mobilizing low-carbon pharmacy in Nova Scotia.

Characterization of candidate chemical probes for WDR91 and investigation of its function in endosomes

Target 2035 is an ambitious goal supported by the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) to develop pharmacological modulators of all proteins encoded within the human genome by the year 2035. These compounds, referred to as chemical probes, are made available to the public and enables researchers to investigate biological processes in a more effective manner. The development of chemical probes leads to future research discoveries, especially for proteins with functions that are not well understood and those have avoided attention by scientists due to high risks associated with their investigation. Fostering collaboration between industry and academia will be a necessity to make Target 2035 a possibility. The proposed project will encourage collaboration between SGC, Pharma partners, and academics to develop and characterize candidate chemical probes for WDR91, a protein with limited functional insights associated with endosomes and intracellular trafficking. The intern will establish assays to evaluate WDR91 compound target engagement in cells and use the compounds to interrogate the biological function of this protein. To this end, the intern will contribute towards an important and necessary goal for the development of high quality chemical probes.

Songbird community response to oil and gas development activities in Alberta

This project aims to understand the impact of energy development activities on birdlife and support effective conservation measures. Alberta’s boreal forest plays a crucial role, serving as both a unique ecosystem for millions of breeding birds and a key resource for the oil and gas industry. By analyzing a decade of bird banding data, the study will assess changes in boreal bird communities with the goal of understanding how changes in landscapes are affecting birdlife and provide models for effective conservation decisions. This project will benefit the partner organization by offering valuable insights into preserving wildlife and habitats amidst ongoing energy development.

Numerical modelling of enhanced superplastic forming of titanium alloy aerospace parts

Titanium alloys are used to manufacture aerospace components that require high strength at high operating temperatures such as fan blades, heat shields and jet engine exhaust cones. Parts that have complex geometries are commonly formed at high temperature (around 900°C) so as to achieve maximum ductility during the forming process. By applying a small oscillating pressure on the sheet during the forming process, the titanium alloy was shown to deform more uniformly and to a much greater extent than during conventional superplastic forming. The objective of this investigation is to develop numerical simulation models that accurately describe the behaviour of Ti64 during superplastic forming and numerical simulation tools that can reliably predict the outcome of a superplastic forming process with pressure oscillations. The results of this research will ultimately be used to improve process robustness and part quality while reducing cycle time when manufacturing titanium aerospace parts.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Solar Energy in HVAC Systems for Sustainable Building Climate Control.

This research project aims to revolutionize heating and cooling systems in buildings by combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) and solar energy. By developing smart algorithms, the HVAC system will adapt to changes in the environment and occupancy patterns, ensuring optimal energy use and reducing environmental impact. The intern will design simulations to evaluate performance, compare results with traditional systems, and explore challenges and scalability. The partner organization stands to benefit from a prototype of an AI-driven HVAC system, paving the way for energy-efficient buildings and substantial cost savings.

Meta learning of hyperparameters for parallel and distributed Gradient Boosted Decision Trees on big data

When Kinaxis trains its machine learning models, it does so on two time scales. Every week or so, it looks at around 10 billion sales records and tries to learn the rapidly-changing “parameters” that best describe this data. Every 3-6 months, it updates 10 thousand collections of “hyperparameters” that govern the parameter-learning process. Kinaxis would like to update the hyperparameters more frequently, but the update process is very expensive. In this project, we will find cheaper proxies for the hyperparameter update procedure that will allow much more frequent small updates, and thus better machine learning models. The basic idea is to look at historical relationships between hyperparameters, allowing us to calculate only a few updates and propagate the changes to all 10 thousand collections.

Développement d’un revêtement barrière à base de complexes polyélectrolytes pour le papier

Les revêtements à base de complexes polyélectrolytes (CPE) sont de plus en plus reconnus pour leur capacité à protéger et à conférer différentes propriétés à de nombreux substrats tels que le textile, le bois et le papier. Composés d’un polyanion et d’un polycation qui se lient par interactions électrostatiques, ces systèmes offrent l’avantage de pouvoir être appliqués et séchés en une seule étape, contrairement aux systèmes couche par couche. De plus, les CPE sont exempts de composés organiques volatils et autres substances toxiques, avec des propriétés modulables en fonction des composants et des ratios de mélange. Ce projet vise à développer et optimiser des CPE pour des revêtements de papier, notamment pour les emballages alimentaires. Le but est de créer des revêtements de surface à faible impact environnemental limitant la perméabilité aux gaz et aux corps gras.