Backgrounder

August 4, 2010

Early Researcher Awards

Ontario is providing more than $11 million to support 80 emerging researchers and their teams at 16 institutions across Ontario through the Early Researcher Awards program. Lead researchers will receive up to $140,000 through the program.

Carleton University

Language: systems and interfaces
Expanding linguistic theory to reduce barriers to global communication
Lead researcher: Dr. Ash Asudeh
Number of researchers benefiting: 6

Dr. Asudeh and his team at Carleton are investigating the division of language systems into discrete modules, and the interfaces between such modules. The resulting advances in linguistic theory could improve the ability of computers to understand natural language and could reduce barriers to global communication.

Design of nanoscale aptamer films for the triggered delivery of fertilizers
Helping farmers reduce fertilizer use
Lead researcher: Dr. Maria Cynthia DeRosa
Number of researchers benefiting: 5

At Carleton University, Dr. Maria Cynthia DeRosa is conducting research that could help farmers synchronize the release of fertilizers with the readiness of their crops. She is developing nanoscale coatings that would enable signals from a crop to trigger the release of fertilizers. This could mean farmers could use less fertilizer, cut costs and reduce their farms’ environmental impact.

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Improving the design and analysis of clinical trials
Improving the way researchers analyze the results of clinical trials
Lead researcher: Dr. Timothy Owen Ramsay
Number of researchers benefiting: 3

Randomized clinical trials provide the highest quality evidence about effective medical treatment. Dr. Timothy Owen Ramsay of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is looking for ways to get even better information out of these trials, which would help researchers better evaluate different treatments.

University of Ottawa

Using light to study synapse function
Learning more about our nervous system in health and disease
Lead researcher: Dr. Jean-Claude Béïque
Number of researchers benefiting: 2

Our brain’s ability to change the strength of our synapses – the tiny spaces across which our nerves send impulses to other cells – underlies our ability to learn and remember. Dr. Jean-Claude Béïque at the University of Ottawa is investigating the basic functioning of these synapses. His findings will help us understand how our brain controls the strength of our synapses, both when we are healthy and when we are sick.

Tapping the genomes of uncultivatable bacteria for antibiotic and anticancer drug discovery
Making new drugs out of natural products produced by bacteria
Lead researcher: Dr. Christopher Noyce Boddy
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

Many of our best medications are natural drugs that come from cultured bacteria. Dr. Christopher Noyce Boddy at the University of Ottawa plans to access the vast reservoir of natural products produced by the bacteria. His findings will help researchers find new natural product drug candidates.

Random matrices and their applications to quantum information theory
Studying quantum channels to build large quantum computers
Lead researcher: Dr. Benoit V.P. Collins
Number of researchers benefiting: 7

Dr. Benoit V.P. Collins at the University of Ottawa is studying the communication protocols of quantum computers – computers that can process large amounts of data. He is using techniques inspired by an advanced mathematical theory known as Random Matrix Theory. His findings could ultimately lead to the development of large quantum computers, which would be able to process even larger amounts of data.

Biochemical studies of proteins related to leukemic disorders
Seeking new molecules to treat leukemia
Lead researcher: Dr. Jean-Francois Couture
Number of researchers benefiting: 3

Epigenetic markers have been associated with various cancers. Dr. Jean-Francois Couture at the University of Ottawa is studying epigenetic markers with the goal of establishing a molecular basis for controlling leukemia and a structural framework that will help medical researchers develop new molecules to treat this disease.

Defining factors involved in the immune resistance to retroviruses
Strengthening our immune system to fight off retroviruses
Lead researcher: Dr. Marc-André Langlois
Number of researchers benefiting: 5

Our bodies use APOBEC3 proteins to inhibit the infection of retroviruses of human and animal origin. Dr. Marc-André Langlois at the University of Ottawa is investigating how these proteins work and are regulated, as well as how some retroviruses (like HIV) manage to resist control. His findings will help us understand how our immune systems prevent infection and may lead to treatments that will strengthen our immune systems. 

The governance of major sporting events: stakeholder coordination and knowledge transfer
Making effective use of public funds in organized events  
Lead researcher: Dr. Milena Madeleine Parent
Number of researchers benefiting: 3

Dr. Milena Madeleine Parent at the University of Ottawa is investigating how stakeholders who support major sporting events, such as governments, the community, sponsors, media, and sport organizations, use and share lessons learned from past experiences. Future organizing committees will benefit from these findings by understanding how to maximize the use of public funds when organizing events.

Cellular responses to the micro-environment
Refining techniques to grow cells in large quantities for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering
Lead researcher: Dr. Andrew Edward Pelling
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

Dr. Andrew Edward Pelling at the University of Ottawa is creating new micro-environments in which to culture cells. His goal is to create a material that allows regenerative medicine and tissue engineering researchers to grow large numbers of specific cell types on a large scale.

How do cells coordinate their growth and division?
Learning more about a regulator that helps cells maintain their normal size
Lead researcher: Dr. Adam Daniel Rudner
Number of researchers benefiting: 2

Our bodies require a key regulator named Wee1 to coordinate the growth and division of our cells. Dr. Adam Daniel Rudner at the University of Ottawa is studying how Wee1 monitors cell growth and regulates cell division. His findings will help us learn more about why cell growth and division is mis-regulated in many human cancers.