Innovative Projects Realized

Reversing immune evasion through modulation of exosome release

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest type of cancer affecting the female reproductive system. While surgery and chemotherapy are commonly used to treat it, many patients experience a recurrence of the disease that no longer responds to treatment. Immunotherapy—a method that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer—has worked well in other cancers but not in ovarian cancer. One reason is that ovarian tumors create a surrounding environment that weakens the immune system’s ability to attack. Our project is focusing on stopping cancer cells from releasing tiny particles, exosomes, which cancer cells use to communicate with one another to weaken the immune environment around the tumor. So, by blocking the release of exosomes, we hope to improve the body’s immune response to ovarian cancer. We are also combining this new approach with another approach our laboratory has previously studied, which involves turning off the function of protein called BRG1 that affects how genes are controlled in cancer cells. By combining both treatments—blocking BRG1 and stopping exosome release—we aim to make the immune system stronger and more effective at fighting ovarian cancer.

Adaly.AI Generative AI & Data Science Proposal (WLU)

This project focuses on researching and developing an advanced coordination mechanism between our API layers and LLM infrastructure. The goal is to efficiently access and reason across both structured and unstructured data sources to improve customer’s decision-making processes. Success will be measured by the speed in which that data source can be identified, sourced, and integrated alongside the response quality that’s ultimately generated from the implementation.

Demonstrate the potential carbon emission reductions of increasing middle housing supply in Calgary

The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) is a national convener of city builders — policymakers, urban professionals, civic leaders, community advocates, and academics — who collaborate to advance inclusive, sustainable communities across Canada.
Through this project, CUI seeks to address how Calgary can meet its net-zero emissions goals by 2050 through residential densification. The project models future growth scenarios and evaluates land use policies and climate programs to enable more middle housing in established neighbourhoods.
CUI anticipates significant benefits: improved public and professional understanding of how built form influences GHG emissions by housing type and location, and enhanced decision-making through new analytical tools. These tools support evidence-based planning and climate action by illustrating the emissions impact of various development patterns.
The research findings will inform industry practices and municipal policy, encouraging innovative, cost-effective middle housing strategies. This contributes to increased housing choice, equitable access to well-served neighbourhoods, and reduced sprawl and ecological harm.
Long-term, the project supports a shift toward more compact urban form, with co-benefits for local retail, services, and transportation behaviours, reducing emissions in both the building and mobility sectors — helping Calgary become a more climate-resilient, livable city.

Trade in Services as Transboundary Data Regulation

This research falls at the intersection of the “data, economy and society” and the “digitalization, security and democracy” core research areas. It aims to tackle the consequences of cross-border data flows on democracy and individual’s security, while underlining the economic potential of this data. The research also exists in continuation of CIGI’s two essay series on Data Governance (Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2018, 2024).
Trade in services regulation, despite its intrinsic focus on regulating data flows (Marchetti & Mavroidis, 2011), has failed to keep up with the evolution of the data landscape (Leblond, 2024). Even the CUSMA, which was lauded for expanding the scope of trade issues in emerging legislative areas (Gagné & Rioux, 2022), lays the responsibility for data governance with domestic governments (Chapter 19 – Digital Trade, 2020). This lack of regulatory action has also created a measurement gap, with little data available on the volume and value of data flows (Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, 2016). Considering the looming CUSMA review and the chaotic trade environment, this research will attempt to map the “trade in data” landscape to inform trade policy, providing a pathway for governments, notably Canada’s, to protect their citizen’s privacy across borders.

Generative AI in Corporate: Do Male and Female Leaders Respond Differently?

This project will study how male and female executives differ in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. I use the launch of ChatGPT as the big technological event to understand how executives communicate and discuss the adoption to generative AI. I then analyze how these differences affect how investors react in the stock market. By using data from company earnings calls and stock prices, the project will provide new knowledge about the role of gender in corporate decision-making during the changing era of technology. The research will strengthen connections between the University of Oxford and the University of Calgary, combining expertise in gender and corporate governance with innovation and technology adoption. The project will help both institutions build new collaborations and contribute to important discussions about leadership and technology in today’s economy with a new angle.

Investigating the mechanism of theta burst stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe form of non-invasive brain stimulation that treats different brain conditions. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a TMS protocol that alters the underlying neural circuitry and is an FDA and Health Canada approved treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. How cTBS changes brain function remains unknown; however, understanding this mechanism is important to improve ongoing mental health treatments. The objective of the research project is to determine how a TBS protocol called continuous TBS (cTBS) changes targeted brain networks. This project will use medications that can block or enhance neuronal processes during the administration of a cTBS session, which helps determine the underlying mechanism of TBS. Participants will be randomized into two groups to receive different medications with active and placebo cTBS. Before and after stimulation, participants will undergo an electroencephalography (EEG) and a cognitive test of working memory. EEG measures electrical brain activity and reveals changes in neurophysiology. The working memory test can indicate changes in cognitive function. Understanding how brain stimulation mechanisms impact biology and behaviour supports the ongoing research at the University of Calgary and McLean Hospital of Harvard Medical School, which aims to improve neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric treatment options.

Citoyenneté et normes internationales : les impacts de la Responsabilité sociale des entreprises minières sur les peuples autochtones en Bolivie

Le présent projet de recherche s’inscrit dans un mémoire de maîtrise en science politique. Il vise à analyser les enjeux entre firmes minières transnationales et peuples autochtones en Bolivie. Cette recherche a pour point de départ une contradiction importante. Elle réside dans l’adoption d’une des Constitutions les plus progressives et décoloniales en matière d’autodétermination autochtone par le gouvernement Morales en 2009 et, simultanément, la poursuite d’un modèle de développement fondé sur l’extraction minière avec les impacts négatifs sur les peuples autochtones. Si le rôle du gouvernement dans ces exactions a été l’objet central de la plupart de ces études, peu s’intéressent aux firmes minières transnationales. Notre recherche vise donc à combler partiellement ce vide dans la littérature pour mettre en exergue la complexité de ces enjeux, le caractère multiscalaire et multiniveau de ceux-ci et l’ampleur des acteurs qu’ils concernent. Un séjour de 13 semaines en Bolivie est donc prévu, en collaboration avec l’Université San Mayor de Andrés, afin d’effectuer un travail de collaboration avec des organisations autochtones impliquées dans les conflits miniers.

Correa Equity Partners Ltd.

Correa Equity Partners Ltd. is a purpose-driven real estate investment firm dedicated to creating safe, beautiful living spaces while building generational wealth for investor partners. Since its inception in 2020, the organization has expanded across multiple provinces and is now focused on enhancing its digital presence to reflect its impact and mission more effectively. The innovation challenge at hand is the need to develop a cohesive and strategic brand identity that resonates across multiple platforms, improves online visibility, and positions the founder, Michele Correa, as a thought leader in the real estate investment space. Despite their meaningful work, the company’s current digital branding and outreach strategies are limited and lack a unified narrative that can scale with its rapid growth. This project goes beyond routine marketing efforts by introducing a comprehensive branding and content strategy that will integrate storytelling, SEO-optimized blogging, consistent thought leadership content, and audience engagement across social media, email, and the company website. It will also include hands-on multimedia production and supervision of a virtual assistant, adding an operational innovation layer. Solving this challenge requires expertise in branding strategy, digital content creation, social media analytics, SEO, and strategic marketing communication. By implementing these solutions, the intern will help Correa Equity Partners improve brand equity, operational efficiency in content delivery, and stakeholder engagement, which are critical to the firm’s long-term growth and impact.

Fraser Health Authority

Fraser Health Authority is one of the largest regional health systems in Canada, delivering hospital and community-based services to nearly two million people across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. As part of its commitment to “Better health, best in health care,” Fraser Health is undertaking a significant digital transformation within its Housekeeping Services portfolio to improve service delivery, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction. A major challenge lies in modernizing and reengineering existing user interfaces, dashboards, and workflows to support continuous improvement and innovation. Current systems and processes require enhanced integration, automation, and real-time data visibility to meet quality assurance KPIs and support rapid decision-making.

Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland

Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling life-changing mentoring relationships for self-identified girls, non-binary, trans, and Two Spirit youth. The organization is committed to building confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging for its mentees through a variety of programs and a strong emphasis on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. A key challenge the organization faces is increasing community engagement and visibility in an increasingly saturated digital landscape. Despite the impactful work they do, there is a need to develop more innovative and visually compelling marketing and communication strategies to amplify their message, increase volunteer recruitment, and strengthen donor relations. This innovation project will focus on redesigning and streamlining the organization’s content development processes, enhancing visual storytelling, and optimizing their use of digital platforms through creative assets, multimedia content, and analytics-informed campaigns. The project goes beyond day-to-day communications by creating scalable, strategic content frameworks and visual systems that can be reused and expanded after the internship ends. Expertise in marketing communications, graphic design, social media analytics, and digital storytelling—particularly using tools like Canva, WordPress, and social video platforms—is required to address this challenge effectively. This project will help Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland not only improve their visibility but also increase their operational efficiency and long-term impact in the community.

Rewiring Time in Brain Models: Anatomically-Grounded Delay Distributions for Multiscale Neural Mass Modeling

This international project brings together top neuroscience teams from McGill University (Canada) and Aix-Marseille University (France) to develop the next generation of realistic brain models. The goal is to improve how computer simulations represent the timing of signals traveling through the brain, which depends on factors like axon length, thickness, and myelination. Current models often oversimplify this by assuming fixed or instantaneous delays.

To address this, the project combines high-resolution anatomical data from Canadian initiatives (e.g., BigBrain, HIBALL) with advanced simulation tools like The Virtual Brain (TVB) from France. It introduces biologically realistic, distributed conduction delays into whole-brain models, improving our ability to simulate brain rhythms, seizure dynamics, and disease-related changes. Tools and data will be openly shared through platforms like CBRAIN and EBRAINS to support global collaboration.

This partnership strengthens Canada–France leadership in neuroscience and offers a unique training opportunity for a Canadian graduate student to gain hands-on experience in advanced brain modeling and open science.

Multiscale Simulation of Cortical and Hippocampal Dynamics Using Region-Specific Brain Network Models

Recent advances in computational neuroscience underscore the value of biologically accurate models integrating multimodal neuroimaging to simulate brain activity realistically. Deep brain areas like the hippocampus, crucial for memory and cognition, pose challenges for non-invasive study due to their complex dynamics. The Region-Specific Brain Network Model (RSBNM) addresses this by combining Neural Mass Models, high-resolution BigBrain-derived surface meshes, and DWI-based connectivity to simulate hippocampal activity, achieving approximately 0.8 correlation with empirical EEG, MEG, and BOLD data. This project expands RSBNM to include both cortical and deep structures, employing unified high-resolution meshes for anatomically precise, whole-brain simulations. Implemented within The Virtual Brain (TVB) platform, the enhanced framework leverages detailed structural data from EBRAINS and BigBrain, integrating these inputs into a graph-based neural modeling pipeline. Collaboration with Dr. Viktor Jirsa’s group, specifically Paul Triebkorn and Borana Dollomaja, will utilize their expertise in connectome-based modeling, TVB simulations, neural mass modeling, and high-performance computing. Their methodologies and datasets will facilitate rigorous model development, scalable simulations, and empirical validation, thereby enabling RSBNM to provide detailed insights into brain-wide neural interactions with high anatomical fidelity.