Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating musculoskeletal disease affecting approximately 1/3 of Canadians over the age of 25. Knee braces are often prescribed for OA patients to restore joint function and reduce pain in an attempt to avoid or delay knee replacement surgery. Most braces are designed to offload one side of the knee, however, more […]

Cannabinoids are diverse chemical compounds that are created by the Cannabis crop. To produce and extract the necessary amounts of cannabinoids for the market is taxing on the environment due to its high energy input costs. However, through the use of synthetic biology and genetic engineering, cannabis related chemicals can be created using simple yeast […]

Pigeons can act as pests for the ability to spread disease as well as ruin infrastructure with their excrement. At Skytrain stations, they cause delays by triggering intrusion alarms as well as erode infrastructure. By attempting to reduce population numbers using a type of avian reproductive control that does not effect the environment or other […]

Viruses that infect the brain, such as Zika virus, are a significant threat to public health in Canada since many are poorly understood, and no vaccines or antivirals exist to combat them. We are investigating the use of “mini-brain” organoids derived from human stem cells as a model to study Zika virus infection that mimics […]

Plastics are the prime contributor to the global litter crisis. Every second, a quarter tonne of non-degradable plastics enter the world’s oceans. Despite this, petroleum-based plastic production continues to increase, with more than 300 billion kilograms of virgin plastic produced annually. Our team is slightly altering the metabolism of a strain of bacteria to efficiently […]

ImmunoPrecise antibodies is a company that specialized in the production of custom antibodies, the Y-shaped molecules produced by living things to defend itself from infection. Their ability to recognize and bind to specific targets allows for their use in diverse scientific analyses where their specificity of binding is manipulated to allow for localization and/or isolation […]

Fungal pathogens of agriculturally significant crops pose a serious threat against global food security. This is exacerbated by the limited classes of fungicides that are commercially available for the farmers and the rapid emergence of resistance against the existing fungicides. Furthermore, resistance against agricultural fungicides can poses serious threat to human health as it can […]

Sensors that track human movement are becoming more and more popular in all kinds of applications including healthcare, sport and general human movement. However, traditional sensors generally have problems tracking individuals indoors and they are not very accurate when measuring subtle movements. Using innovative technology, new wearable sensors have been developed to track human movement […]

Xpan Inc. is developing a patent-pending expandable laparoscopic access port device. Xpan needs to develop its proof of concept prototype into a high-fidelity prototype through a series of iterative design, prototyping and benchtop testing. Research must be performed to select appropriate biocompatible material that achieve user requirements. Research must also be performed to evaluate the […]

Many patients who initially respond well to highly efficacious chemotherapy eventually develop resistance and relapse despite continued treatment. These cancers acquire drug resistance to current therapies through various mechanisms such as the acquisition of mutations for example. Furthermore, some promising targets that play a crucial role in the progression of cancer have been deemed undruggable […]

Focused Ultrasound (FUS) is a therapeutic modality that can concentrate non-invasively mechanical energy far from its source in just a few cubic millimeters. FUS is used, by example, to treat brain disorders such as essential tremor. At research level, very diverse approaches are being explored. From the treatment of Alzheimer Disease, brain stimulation with FUS […]

Life on the planet has evolved in constant presence of radiation, some of which comes from space, and some of which comes from natural sources in the Earth. This natural background radiation (NBR) is a normal component of biological life. One way we can study the role of NBR in life is to see what […]