Innovative Projects Realized

Mucoadhesive nanoparticle eye drop drug delivery

Eye diseases, such as dry eye syndrome, affect about 15% of the population. Eye drop formulations are the most common way to treat eye diseases, but patients struggle with the multiple daily applications required and the resulting side effects. Our goal is to develop an eye drop formulation that requires less frequent application using nanoparticle drug carriers. Drugs are quickly cleared from the eye due to blinking and tear turnover, but these nanoparticles can attach to the corneal surface to prevent rapid clearance. The nanoparticles can also be designed to slowly release drugs over a prolonged period to further reduce the frequency of application. This technology has the potential to make eye drop use easier for patients and result in fewer side effects. By collaborating with AmorChem Holdings Inc., we plan to perform preclinical studies to advance the technology into clinical trials and beyond.

Simultaneous Preclinical PET/MRI System: Integration andApplications

Lawson and Cubresa have entered into an agreement to build and install the first commercially available preclinical PET/MRI insert. The overall goal of this proposed research is to integrate the PET insert into MRI systems at both Western University and Lawson and develop initial

applications for Canada’s first preclinical PET/MRI system. Initial work will include: (i) acceptance testing, characterization, and comparison to standalone preclinical PET systems at Lawson, (ii) integration and software development for initial PET/MRI tests at Western University in a 9.4T preclinical MRI, (iii) development of protocols and application to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to conduct preclinical PET/MRI experiments, (iv) and develop and test initial applications. This work represents an exciting collaboration between Canada’s first research facility with a clinical PET/MRI (Lawson) and a Canadian company at the cutting edge of preclinical imaging (Cubresa).

Effectiveness of Progress Place: Evaluation of Service Delivery and Support for Individuals with Mental Illness

Clubhouse International, formerly known as International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) is an international non-profit organization that supports the creation of community-based clubhouses. Using a psychosocial rehabilitation approach, clubhouses provide individuals living with mental illness opportunities to successfully live and work in their communities through a variety of programs and services. Progress Place, an accredited clubhouse located in Toronto, Ontario, recently underwent a realist evaluation to identify mechanisms of change and outcomes that members experienced as a result of their participation at Progress Place (for example, sense of respect, autonomy, acquiring skills). The goal of the present study will be to document the specific number of clients who are reporting progress on these process and measures which relate to recovery from mental illness. Empirical data will allow Progress Place to provide support that the program is benefiting a community with severe mental health conditions.

Development of a Quantitative Lab and Field-Based Microbial Tool to Determine Arsenic Speciation in Seawater

Arsenic (As) is a contaminant found in ecosystems and drinking water throughout the world; it is a potent human carcinogen. Arsenic levels and speciation are controlled by a series of abiotic and microbial processes. Arsenic toxicity depends on its speciation and proper risk management is linked to predicting As speciation in various environmental matrices. Laboratory speciation of arsenic is expensive and requires tedious collection methods to preserve in-situ conditions. Marine ecosystems are affected by As contamination but few tools are adapted to its detection. Our goal is to develop a novel arsenic biosensor capable of determining the speciation of inorganic arsenic in seawater while rapidly estimating the quantity of bioavailable arsenic at concentrations regulated by the World Health Organization.

The Neurobiology of Anorexia Nervosa: integrating cellular mechanisms into brain circuits

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by exaggerated weight loss, fear of gaining weight, self-depreciation. It mostly affects young women and is most likely have the highest death rate of any other mental illnesses and of many diseases in general. Anorexia is notoriously treatment refractory and the main explanation is the poor understanding of the dysfunctional brain function that underlies it. Until we understand the neurobiology of Anorexia, namely, which part of the brain and which mechanisms are affected, there is little hope to develop efficient therapeutic strategies to help those afflicted young women. Here, we propose a collaborative effort to understanding the neurobiology of Anorexia. Specifically, we suspect that estrogens -a female sex hormones that also regulate feeding by acting in the brain- may contribute to Anorexia. In preliminary findings, we started understanding the mechanisms by which estrogens regulate feeding in male and female rodents and here we will expand this finding into the brain circuitry of feeding.

Modeling Geochemical and Hydrogeological Processes in a Deep Geological Repository for Used Nuclear Fuel

The NWMO is designing an engineered barrier system to contain and isolate highly radioactive used nuclear fuel from people and the environment in Canada. Used nuclear fuel is hazardous to humans for millennia. The millennia design life of the engineered barrier system necessitates the use of computer models to predict their evolution. The results of the analysis support the NWMO in assessment of the adequacy of the design while still permitting improvements. Of importance is the performance of the corrosion barrier and its response to disturbances caused by the changing chemistry around and in the engineered barriers. The modeling undertaken will answer fundamental questions on the evolution of the corrosion barrier performance by assessing its sensitivity to corrosion agents and their transfer rates. In answering these questions, an optimized engineered barrier can be designed.

Typage des zones de préhension plausibles d’objets CAO pour l’ergonomie virtuelle

Dans différents outils de conception assistée par ordinateur (CAO), dont CATIA, il est possible d’intégrer un mannequin humain dans une maquette numérique à des fins de simulations. Pour intégrer un mannequin humain au sein d’une maquette numérique, il est nécessaire de le positionner adéquatement. Le positionnement des mains du mannequin sur l’objet à saisir constitue aujourd’hui une tâche longue et fastidieuse même pour un usager habitué à travailler avec une maquette numérique. Le projet proposé s’inscrit dans un plus vaste programme visant le développement d’un outil CAO limitant l’intervention de l’usager à indiquer la main à utiliser, l’objet à saisir et le type d’action à effectuer. Pour y parvenir, un ambitieux programme de développement d’un moteur de positionnement du mannequin est en cours. Le présent projet se concentre sur le typage des zones de préhension plausibles d’objets usuels. Les résultats de ce projet alimenteront le nouveau moteur de positionnement.

Genome Sequencing and analysis of two bacteria for applications to biofuel wastes

This project will investigate the genomes of two naturally occurring bacteria. These bacteria are of interest because they can convert wastes from biodiesel and bioethanol production into valuable compounds. This is novel in comparison to other bacteria used for similar processes because these bacteria are generally regarded as safe, naturally occurring, and contain no genetic modifications. By sequencing and analysing the genomes of these two bacteria, we hope to gain further insight into how these bacteria work, how we can use them in industrial scale applications, and what other applications they might be useful for. The partnering organization will benefit from this project through increased capability for technological innovation and development with the potential for future job creation through eventual application of these organisms in industrial settings.

MANU-706 – Étude de l’usinabilité des alliages d’aluminium à faible coefficient de dilatation thermique pour applications spatiales

Ce projet vise à sélectionner, caractériser et usiner des pièces en aluminium à faible expansion thermique pour des applications spatiales en remplacement des pièces dont la performance et les coûts de fabrication ne sont plus satisfaisants. Différents alliages incluant ceux à base de silicium sont pressentis pour ce projet, mais il y a soit un manque de données d’usinage pour certains, soit des problèmes d’usinage et d’usinabilité pour d’autres. Aussi, les pièces dont il est question possèdent des détails délicats à usiner compte tenu de la qualité et de la
précision requises. L’objectif principal du projet est de déterminer les meilleures méthodes d’usinage qui maximiseront les performances du procédé et la qualité des pièces. Pour ce faire, l’analyse des pratiques industrielles actuelles s’impose en vue d’établir, à l’aide des essais, les conditions efficaces pour usiner les nouveaux matériaux avec lesquels les industries participant à ce projet ne sont habituées de travailler.

Optimizing bakery performance: Developing new flour quality protocols for commercial bread making

The goal of this research is to understand and develop techniques to improve flour performance in bread making, a low margin market which requires some of the tightest flour specifications across all bakery platforms. Standard flour quality testing methods will be compared to more recently developed quality tests as well as experimental methods. The end objective is to generate protocols to define flour criteria for optimal performance in commercial flours for bread baking operations. This will benefit the partner organizations by improving their ability to deliver (supplier) and process (customer) flour for bread products.

Investigating the involvement of sleep pathways in absence seizures

Absence seizures are the most common form of epilepsy in children. These patients often experience transient episodes of impaired consciousness, which have an enormous impact on their quality of life. We are proposing to identify the neural substrates for these seizures. These experiments would provide the basis of future experimental studies examining the biological basis of impaired consciousness and epilepsy, as well as be the first step towards evolving new pharmacologic or stimulation paradigms designed to control absence epilepsy.

3D Imaging of breeding tubercle innervation in the male zebrafish

Breeding tubercles (BTs) are epidermal structures found on the dorsal surface of pectoral fin rays of males bony fish, such as zebrafish. Females do not have BTs on their fins. BTs appear during the sexual maturation of male zebrafish. Males use their fins and BTs for grasping the female to stimulate egg laying. We want to determine whether BTs are sensory organs. Preliminary results show that BTs are highly innervated. However, the structure of the BTs and fin rays limits a complete visualization of the spatial pattern of innervation using the microscope equipment available in the Canadian team. The French team developed protocols to better “see through“ thick tissue and imaging technology allowing 3D reconstruction of the tissue. We propose to use these procedures on the intact fin and on the regenerating fin to better understand the innervation patterns of the BTs. We will also conduct experiments to determine the relationship between blood vessel network and innervation of the BTs.