Innovative Projects Realized

Characterization of the antifibrotic efficacy of PBI-4050 in AdTGF-?1 mediated pulmonary fibrosis

Fibroproliferative disorders are a/the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A large group of interstitial lung diseases (ILD) can cause progressive scarring of lung tissues, affecting the ability to breathe. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is one of the major forms of ILD and is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function. Although the pathogenesis of IPF is incompletely understood, work from our group and others suggest that transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-?1) is involved in the fibrogenic process. PBI-4050 is a promising novel anti-fibrotic drug developed by ProMetic Life Sciences that is currently in phase II clinical trial in IPF. In this project, we will examine the anti-fibrotic effect of PBI-4050 in a TGF-?1 mediated animal model of lung fibrosis. This work will increase our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in pulmonary fibrosis and potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for IPF.

Critical Synthesis and Application of Youth Wellbeing Indices to Guide Philanthropic Work

Little attention has been paid to the ways in which standardized indices on youth wellbeing capture the multifaceted and complex environments of youth. Thus, the proposed project seeks to fill existing gaps by gathering information on all existing youth wellbeing indices. This project will identify how measures of wellbeing are derived from factors that make up an index, and compare these domains along dimensions. Thus, this study will elucidate relationships within and across indices in the hopes to capture the range of diverse experiences and age-related transitions, as youth roles shift within and across contexts. The goal is to understand how Canadian society can foster a supportive infrastructure for youth.

Improvements for automatic pushback generation

In open pit mining, planning production phases, i.e. pushbacks, significantly affects the profitability. Generating practical pushbacks is a complex and time consuming task, mostly due to the difficulty of adhering to the geometric constraints of the mining operation such as the minimum width, the smoothness of the pit shell, and continuity of each pushback. A new method has recently been developed by our team that successfully integrates these constraints. The method modifies the infeasible pushbacks created by conventional methods to have feasible geometries. This proposed renewal of the project aims to improve the method and move it towards commercialization. Specifically, the goals include: 1) integrate additional geometric constrains, the vertical depth, in pushback generation, 2) test the algorithms on a variety of real datasets. 3) develop an optimization to improve the NPV of the generated feasible pushbacks 4) assist in producing a transferable product for the industrial partner.

An Oral History of the St. George-Grosvenor-Piccadilly Neighbourhood

An oral history of the St. George-Grosvenor-Piccadilly neighbourhood will be conducted. Research themes include an understanding of how institutions and notable structures shaped the neighbourhood, and the role played by sites of social interaction, and the role played by the neighbourhood’s rural character It is hoped that conducting oral interviews will elicit memories of buildings, institutions, changes in architectural details, conservation culture, material culture, and cultural and natural landscapes, and preserve information that would otherwise be lost. Following collection and analysis, and in tandem with academic publication, the information will be circulated via an online oral history which will offer value to the neighbourhood and the region as a draw for tourism. The postdoctoral researcher will benefit though an expanded network, and an opportunity to gain professional experience in the heritage sector. The company will be able to access a researcher with the expertise to conduct this kind of research.

Enhancing Youth Engagement as part of the Community Strategy to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness in Ottawa

Ottawa has a ten-year goal to end homelessness. Many people feel this is possible using Housing First strategies which help people access housing immediately, then address problems of addiction, poverty and mental illness which compromised past housing. However, youth homelessness is different than adult homelessness. It has youth-specific causes and higher stakes; the less time youth are homeless, the less likely it is they will remain homeless. In collaboration with Ottawa’s Alliance to End Homelessness, Carleton University sociologist Jackie Kennelly and anthropology master’s student Justin Langille will spend six months in 2016 researching homeless youth perspectives on Housing First strategies. They will hold focus groups and conduct interviews to find out what homeless youth see as challenges and opportunities in accessing housing and participating in the political process to make it happen. Their research will inform strategies to address youth homelessness developed by the A Way Home Ottawa steering committee.

Calibration of a first passage model for CVA applications

Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) is the price of an insurance contract covering the bank’s losses in the event that one of its trading counterparties defaults. QuIC, the sponsor of the proposed research project has developed “on paper” a comprehensive model of counterparty default that is still easily calibrated to various market observables. A key aspect of the model is that it accounts for correlation between the credit worthiness of its trading counterparties and market risk factors, such as interest and foreign exchange rates. The model also accounts for variations in the credit rating of the bank’s trading counterparties, which impacts CVA through the amount of collateral posted by the counterparty. The project will involve further development of this model and thorough testing vs. market data provided by Markit, QuIC’s new parent organization. QuIC expects to be able to sell products based on it.

Design tool development for retrofitting of I-joist having web hole / flange notch

Timber I-joists are very common for construction of residential and small scale commercial buildings around the world. Timber I-joists are commonly known as engineered I-joist due to utilization of engineered wood products (such as Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or Plywood as web materials and timber as flange materials) for manufacturing of I-joist. These engineered I-joists have several advantages over the solid sawn lumber joists, i.e. robust, easy to handle, lighter. Moreover, these engineered I-joists are very good to facilitate the different services i.e. plumbing and HVAC systems, of the building without increasing the building height. To facilitate those services, notching of flanges and web holes are very common. But it reduces the structural integrity of the flooring system. Hence, it is critical to investigate the performance of I-joists due to flange notch and web hole and their performance improvement due to the retrofitting with different techniques, which will be addressed through this proposed research. Based on the outcome of this research, a tool will be developed for the partner organization to assist the engineers for designing the retrofitting of I-joists having web hole/ flange notch.

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.