Differences in the composition of bacteria within the gut have been found in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and healthy people. In addition to this, bacterial functional differences may also contribute to inflammation in IBD, but it is difficult to determine whether these changes are cause or the consequence of disease. Proteases, which are […]

Radiodermatitis is a group of skin reactions that occur as a result of radiation therapy. It is a significant health challenge as approximately 70% of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy and approximately 95% of them experience radiodermatitis. Patients with radiodermatitis experience redness, itchiness, pain, scaling, and weeping or crusted wounds. Importantly, radiodermatitis can impede […]

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is an important disease characterized by recurrent blockages of the upper airway during sleep leading to breathing cessations (up to 100 times per hour); OSA is common and is widely under-diagnosed. OSA might cause cancer or lead to cancer progression, potentially mediated through low oxygen levels; however, evidence for this association […]

Competency-based medical education (CBME) is an approach to training that combines educational objectives and time-based learning. CBME is currently being rolled out in residency training programs across Canada and represents the biggest change in medical education since the early 1900s. This project aims to determine perspectives of current residents in CBME- and non-CBME-based residency training […]

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is a not-for-profit public-private partnership research organization that aims to accelerate the discovery of new medicines through open science. This Mitacs cluster will bring together SGC’s industry and academic collaborators to work together towards new and affordable medicines for challenging diseases. Sixty-three post-doctoral fellows will spend 2-3 years developing open […]

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD) affect more than 5 million Canadians. Progression of CKD is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease while NASH is now the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and liver transplant. Despite their high prevalence and severe impact on morbidity and mortality, current therapies are largely ineffective and […]

Current testing for SARS-CoV-2 focuses on detection of the pathogen via isolated nucleic acids, routinely from nasopharyngeal swabs. To our knowledge, no approved clinical SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests using nasopharyngeal swabs incorporate measurements of host responses at the time of diagnosis. Monitoring host responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection is important, as stratification of COVID-19 patients based on […]

The inclusion of touch and physical sensations from within Virtual Reality and other Mixed Reality experiences provides exciting opportunities from both an entertainment and academic perspective. Enhancing immersive integration within these environments is useful, beneficial and thus highly desired- whether we are looking to develop skills for use in challenging technical and medical or dangerous […]

Minimally invasive treatments have greatly changed the clinical landscape for a variety of disorders. A catheter is navigated through the body to the target site where a multitude of interventions can be performed, including drug delivery and therapeutic embolization and in the near future delivery of tissue-engineered constructs. However, there are still limitations for treatment […]

Some healthcare providers have concerns, misconceptions, and reluctance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which puts them at risk of occupational and public exposure to the virus. This is called vaccine hesitancy, which is defined as the delay or refusal of vaccines in the presence of vaccination services. Widespread vaccination is an effective public health measure […]

Globally, neurological disorders impact over 250 million individuals and of this, stroke makes up the highest demand for rehabilitation (Cieza, 2020). As the prevalence of stroke continues to grow, the number of individuals who experience lasting impairment will continue to increase. We face challenges including the limited availability of health care providers, access to specialized […]

The global burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing as it has become the second leading cause of cancer-relateddeaths and the fifth most common cancer worldwide. HCC is heterogenous, arising in the setting of various chronic liver diseasessuch as hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis who develop cancer cannot tolerate […]