The goal of this research project is to create a novel type of biosensor by combining two complimentary microfabrication techniques. First, a silicon chip containing JFET transistors with an open gate will be fabricated using traditional microfabrication techniques that are highly reliable and give good performance. Second, a graphene layer will be inkjet printed onto […]

Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) is the idea that the practice of protecting lands should be examined on a broad scale and be holistic in nature. Available areas of land with conservation potential should be examined critically for whether they fit into a larger ecological network – either as a link between existing protected areas, or […]

Enhancing tissue homeostasis and immune tolerance mechanisms is pivotal for the development of new therapeutic approaches for transplantation and autoimmunity. This proposal is focused on harnessing newly discovered types of lymphocytes that regulates immune responses in cell-based immunotherapies. We are developing methods to isolate and expand these newly identified regulatory lymphocytes and are assessing their […]

High quality Cannabis sativa varieties are needed in Canada since the legalization of recreational Cannabis in fall of 2018. Unfortunately, powdery mildew, caused by the fungi Golovinomyces cichoracearum is a major disease of cultivated cannabis. We propose using high-throughput genotyping tools to map new resistance genes to this pathogen. Our approach will include genome wide […]

Micropropagation is a technique widely used in agriculture to rapidly produce genetically identical stock plants that are free from plant diseases. The recent legalization of Cannabis in Canada has prompted the need for licensed producers to access genetically stable plant material that produces a consistent yield and chemical profile. Micropropagation is a solution to replace […]

By the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada in 2018 and continuing the legal use of medicinal cannabis, there is an emerging need for investigating the health aspect of cannabis products. Despite the memory difficulties that may cause by the long-term use of cannabis some research indicated the benefit of cannabinoids, the bioactive components of […]

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are a clean source of energy and a promising candidate for replacing internal combustion engines in automotive applications. However, the commercial use of fuel cells in such applications faces significant challenges on cost and durability. This project aims to address the concerns around fuel cell durability with a focus on […]

This research project will examine the how digital networking technologies that use geo-targeted data can be used for social movement building. The project will analyze how grassroots community engagement can be optimized for online networks and digital technologies, and will engage with artists and activists who do this work, in a participatory relationship, in order […]

Our world is witnessing an increase in the spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) microbes and the irony is that the hospitals serve as an important reservoir for these microbes. MDR infections kills 8,000 Canadians each year, which may rise to 400,000 in next 30 years. Primarily, the spread of pathogens between patients are believed to […]

The research will be using visual information from the phone’s camera as well as demographic information from participants and implement various machine learning algorithms such as random forests, support vector machines, etc. to provide feedback regarding different exercises to the participant. Specifically, the algorithms will classify the exercise types. Furthermore, these algorithms will be optimized […]

Emphysema, a lung disease that millions of Canadians currently suffer from, has few safe and non-invasive options available. One of the features of emphysema is the lack of proper blood flow in the diseased lungs and this results in poor gas exchange. IKOMED Technologies Inc. has been developing a new technology that has the potential […]

The most successful computer vision approaches are based on deep learning architectures, which typically require a large amount of labeled data. This can be impractical or expensive to acquire. Therefore, few-shot learning techniques were proposed to learn new concepts with just one or few annotated examples. However, unsupervised methods such as generative adversarial networks (GANs) […]