Backgrounder

November 20, 2009

Projects Funded In Ottawa

Today, through the Ontario Research Fund–Research Infrastructure program, Ontario is investing more than $15 million at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to support 28 research projects and more than 150 researchers.  

Carleton University

Micro-Cogeneration Research Facility
Reducing energy consumption and green house gas emissions using micro-cogeneration
Lead Researcher: Beausoleil-Morrison, Ian
Provincial Funding: $75,000
Researchers Affected: 1

Reducing energy consumption and green house gas emissions associated with providing energy in residential buildings is the goal of research at Carleton University by Dr. Ian Beausoleil-Morrison. Dr. Beausoleil-Morrision is focused on maximizing the benefits of micro-cogeneration (micro combined heat and power systems). With energy demand rising worldwide, his research could help to save billions of dollars in new infrastructure investments – and make a significant contribution to slowing climate change.

Neuroinflammatory Models of Environmental Toxin and Stressor Induced Pathology
Identifying “targets” for new therapies to treat neurodegenerative and psychiatric illnesses
Lead Researcher: Hayley, Shawn
Provincial Funding: $100,000
Researchers Affected: 8

Millions of Canadians are affected by neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s or psychiatric illnesses like depression and anxiety attacks. The toll on health, as well as the economic and social cost of these illness, is enormous – and will only increase as our population ages. At Carleton University, Dr. Shawn Hayley is investigating the role the immune system plays in the development of these diseases and the environmental toxins and stressors that can affect it. His goal? To identify “targets” for new therapies to treat these debilitating conditions.

Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience: Language and Brain (CCN.LaB)
Exploring how humans process language
Lead Researcher: Hirotani, Masako
Provincial Funding: $137,792
Researchers Affected: 1

How we process language is still not well understood. At the new Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience: Language and Brain, Carleton University researcher Dr. Masako Hirotani aims to advance knowledge of how we decode and interpret language. She will use experimental techniques, together with input from interdisciplinary areas such as linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience. It’s research that has practical applications in speech audiology and pathology, teaching, and computer science.

Determining the Causes and Consequences of Problematic Gambling
Differentiating healthy and unhealthy gambling
Lead Researcher: Wohl, Michael J. A.
Provincial Funding: $138,374
Researchers Affected: 1

As gambling has grown in Ontario over the last two decades, numerous negative outcomes have emerged, like impaired control, delinquency and financial problems. Problematic gambling rates exceed the number of people affected by schizophrenia and obsessive compulsory disorder combined, and may contribute to a substantial number of instances of depression. Youth gambling rates are especially troublesome. Dr. Michael Wohl will seek answers to basic questions aimed at differentiating healthy and unhealthy gambling, and the causes and consequences of each. The research findings will increase understanding about gambling and be used to design problem gambling prevention and intervention initiatives.

Positron Emission Object Tracking and Dynamic Dual-Energy X-Ray Imaging Research Facility for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy And Interventional Procedures
Improving radiation therapy for lung cancer patients
Lead Researcher: Xu, Tong
Provincial Funding: $120,000
Researchers Affected: 1

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Ontario. One reason it remains so deadly is because radiation therapy isn’t as precise as it should be.  At Carleton University, Dr. Tong Xu is developing a new “positron emission object tracking” system – PeTrack – that will record the location of tumours in real-time. This system promises not only to improve the accuracy of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients; it may also lead to the development of new image-guided surgery techniques.

Advanced Laboratory for Heterogeneous Communication
Facilitating communication network communication
Lead Researcher: Yu, F. Richard
Provincial Funding: $150,000
Researchers Affected: 11

Developing next generation communication networks is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Richard Yu at Carleton University. Dr. Yu is working on breaking down the barriers between communication networks, allowing different wired and wireless networks to work together. His research will help boost productivity, lower business costs, broaden access to information, promote environmentally friendly practices – and provide Ontario’s information technology sector with a leg-up in an area of strategic and growing importance.

University of Ottawa

Synthesis And Characterization Tools To Support Catalysis Studies For Energy Applications
Making better use of our energy resources and developing new sources
Lead Researcher: Baker, Tom R.
Provincial Funding: $192,538
Researchers Affected: 1

With emerging economies like China, India and Brazil competing for energy, it’s clear that the world’s oil and gas producers can’t keep pace with the growing demand indefinitely. We need to make better use of our existing resources – and develop new ones. That’s the goal of research being conducted by Dr. Tom Baker at the University of Ottawa. Using cutting-edge catalysis methods, Dr. Baker is developing next generation biofuels and hydrogen storage for long-haul transportation. He’s also looking at ways to make fossil fuels more efficient. They’re initiatives that will help Ontario meet its energy goals.

Laboratory for Natural Product Biotechnology
Developing new drugs using bacteria
Lead Researcher: Boddy, Christopher
Provincial Funding: $130,347
Researchers Affected: 1

Using bacteria to develop new drugs and nutritional supplements is a growing field. Dr. Chrisopher Boddy has already made a number of major discoveries in the field. At his new laboratory at the University of Ottawa, he’s poised to make many more by expanding the scope of bacterial fermentation. His work will provide seed technologies for new start-up biotech companies.

Musical Education, Reading and Writing Laboratory
Exploring how learning music can help with learning written language
Lead Researcher: Bolduc, Jonathan
Provincial Funding: $92,500
Researchers Affected: 4

An estimated three in ten school-age children in Ontario have difficulty acquiring written language, but research being done at the University of Ottawa may help to change that. At a new Musical Education, Reading and Writing Laboratory, Dr. Jonathan Bolduc is looking at whether complementary education approaches, including musical education, can help Ontario students learn to read and write more effectively. It’s research that could make the difference between these students succeeding or failing at school – and at life.

Canadian Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Facility
Advancing isotope research
Lead Researcher: Clark, Ian
Provincial Funding: $8,033,983
Researchers Affected: 20

Groundwater is a vital resource and protecting its health is essential. The movement and contamination of groundwater is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Ian Clark at the University of Ottawa – and the earth sciences professor has a new tool to help him. It’s called accelerator mass spectrometry, and it analyzes environmental isotopes. Found in nature, environmental isotopes are tracers of water, solutes and gases, and they can tell researchers like Dr. Clark a great deal about what shape our groundwater is in. The new facility will also be used for research into the development of safe disposal of radioactive waste, mineral exploration, and drug discovery.

Sub-Wavelength Science
Advancing photonics
Lead Researcher: Corkum, Paul
Provincial Funding: $4,296,167
Researchers Affected: 18

Dr. Paul Korkum is a modern day cartographer. The map he’s focused on ‘drawing’ is a molecular map of the cell and the tool he’s using is light. The University of Ottawa physicist is uniquely qualified for the task. Known as the father of attosecond science, one of the major advances in optical science in the 21st century, Dr. Corkum pioneered the attosecond laser pulse. It was an advancement that allowed him to capture the first picture of an electron orbiting a molecule. By extending the limits of attosecond science, Dr. Korkum will open up new vistas in photonics, with applications that range from smaller, more powerful transistors, to nanosensors with enhanced sensitivity.

Developing a Health Benefit-Risk Assessment Model for Off-The-Land Diets in North Western Ontario First Nations Communities
Developing A Health Benefit-Risk Assessment Model For Off-The-Land Diets In North Western Ontario First Nations Communities
Lead Researcher: Haman, François
Provincial Funding: $75,000
Researchers Affected: 3

The Government of Canada has identified the issue of Aboriginal health as a critical national concern as health standards fall abysmally below national averages. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Dr. François Haman, a human physiologist, will undertake a community-based research program to develop a health benefit-risk assessment model for traditional off-the-land diets in northern First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario. The research findings will seek to gain an understanding of dietary re-adaptation and adherence with the cultural and environmental complexities of each region. In turn, these findings will be used to determine how reemphasizing traditional lifestyle patterns will enable a viable and sustainable traditional health model for local and other First Nation communities.

Infrastructure for Bioinformatics Research Concerning Gene Regulation
Understanding how genes control cell structure and function
Lead Researcher: Ioschikhes, Ilya
Provincial Funding: $115,916
Researchers Affected: 3

Gene regulation – when, where and how much genes are turned on – is what gives a cell control over structure and function. Not yet well understood, it is the focus of much research worldwide. At the University of Ottawa, computational biologist Dr. Ilya Ioschikhes is applying the techniques of bioinformatics, statistics, applied mathematics, and computing to study the mechanisms of gene regulation. His work has practical implications in biomedicine and drug development.

Developing New Materials for the Canadian Aerospace and Energy Industries
Developing better materials coatings
Lead Researcher: Jodoin, Bertand
Provincial Funding: $180,000
Researchers Affected: 10

The effectiveness of material coatings can greatly affect performance in demanding applications (e.g., gas and aircraft turbine engines, military and civilian armour systems, wind turbine blades). Dr. B. Jodoin, Dr. M. Nganbe and Dr. F. Robitaille will focus on developing new materials for targeted aerospace and energy applications, starting with those where their previous work has identified that immediate and tangible benefits can be achieved. They anticipate tangible results within months of commissioning the requested infrastructure. The research benefits will be increased competitiveness and economic activity for Ontario’s aerospace, nuclear, and mining industries.

Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit
Developing strategies to protect workers and vulnerable populations from heat stress
Lead Researcher: Kenny, Glen
Provincial Funding: $338,763
Researchers Affected: 2

Assessing the potential impact of extreme climate events and heat exposure on the health and well-being of Canadians, and in particular the Canadian workforce, is a new and growing challenge. At the new Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Glen Kenny is conducting unique calorimeter-based research, aimed at discovering new information on the impacts of heat stress. His work will lead to better guidelines on heat exposure limits and better strategies to protect workers and vulnerable populations such as older individuals and patients with common chronic disease.

Protein-Protein Interactions In Cardiovascular Disease
Developing new cholesterol-lowering drugs to combat cardiovascular disease
Lead Researcher: Lagace, Thomas
Provincial Funding: $107,974
Researchers Affected: 5

Elevated blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. At the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Dr. Thomas Lagace is determining how a circulating blood protein called PCSK9 affects cholesterol levels. The goal of his research is to identify new strategies for the design of cholesterol-lowering drugs, and reduce the rate of cardiovascular disease, which remains the number one killer of Canadians.

Population Health Impact Assessment Data Centre
Developing tools to help health care providers assess interventions
Lead Researcher: Manuel, Doug
Provincial Funding: $81,800
Researchers Affected: 12

Diabetes is recognized as a growing health problem in Ontario and around the world. But how effective are current preventative measures and treatments for diabetes? That’s the question Dr. Douglas Manuel wants to answer at a new Population Health Impact Assessment Data Centre at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Manuel is developing sophisticated tools to assess the health impacts of various interventions on the treatment of diabetes. It’s research that will help health care providers better plan for the future, as diabetes rates increase.

High-pressure High-temperature Gas-solid Fluidization Laboratory
Improving gas-solid fluidized bed technology
Lead Researcher: Mehrani, Poupak
Provincial Funding: $66,975
Researchers Affected: 4

Gas-solid fluidized beds are used in many industries, including the chemical, pharmaceutical, and petroleum industries. In some applications, such as petrochemical, problems can arise in fluidized bed reactors that would result in reactor clean-ups. This can cause serious problems including plant shut downs, reducing plant efficiency and increasing operating costs. At a new lab at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Poupak Mehrani is building a custom-made plant-scale pilot gas-solid fluidization system. He will investigate the reasons behind reactor failure due to particle-wall fouling and agglomeration, and conduct research that will lead to ways to prevent them.

Molecular Genetics and Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory
Developing new therapies for heart repair and regeneration
Lead Researcher: Nemer, Mona
Provincial Funding: $388,634
Researchers Affected: 1

Research at the University of Ottawa by renowned geneticist and cardiac researcher Dr. Mona Nemer promises to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death globally.  Dr. Nemer’s research focuses on identifying the mechanisms that control the formation and function of the heart. Her work will help Ontario’s biotech sector develop new cardiac repair and regeneration therapies for the millions of people who suffer from heart disease worldwide.

Neural and Metabolic Correlates Of Emotional Processing In Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Combining Fmri And MRS With Pharmacological Intervention
Developing early detection and treatment strategies for mental illness
Lead Researcher: Northoff, Georg
Provincial Funding: $94,524
Researchers Affected: 15

One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. It’s a sobering number and the cost to individuals and to society as a whole is staggering. With little in the way of accurate detection and treatment, mental illness is an area that continues to challenge the health-care profession. At the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Mental Health Research, Dr. Georg Northoff is combining different functional imaging techniques to link emotional symptoms to changes in brain metabolism. The goal is to develop symptom-oriented early detection and treatment strategies for schizophrenia and depression.

Legal Diversity and Aboriginal Peoples Lab
Bridging the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal law
Lead Researcher: Otis, Ghislain
Provincial Funding: $47,719
Researchers Affected: 10

The concept of law – and what is legal – often differs between Canadian Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. At a new Legal Diversity and Aboriginal Peoples Lab at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Ghislain Otis is studying the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal legal systems in Canada and elsewhere in the world. He is also investigating ways of coordinating these systems to ensure social and economic governance that’s not only effective, but which respects the legal identities of Aboriginal peoples. Dr. Otis’s research will help to find ways of overcoming current tensions and conflicts, while respecting the legal identities of Aboriginal peoples within the modern state.

Acquisition of Instruments to Monitor Changes In Lake And River Ice
Determining the impact of ice on hydroelectric generation and wastewater treatments
Lead Researcher: Ousmane, Seidou
Provincial Funding: $50,060
Researchers Affected: 1

When most of us see ice-covered lakes or rivers, we think how beautiful they look. When hydrologist Seidou Ousmane sees them, his thoughts are of the potential damage they can cause to infrastructures when they thaw. One of Dr. Seidou’s research areas is the river ice cycle, from freeze-up to break-up, the typical and unusual phenomena that occur, and how that affects the ecosystem. Using sonar devices and acoustic Doppler current profilers, the University of Ottawa researcher is developing models for simulating the river ice cycle and how climate change is affecting it. His research will lead to better strategies for adapting to these changes, and help reduce their economic toll.

Understanding How Cells Sense and Transmit Mechanical Forces to One Another
Understanding the links between cells and human diseases
Lead Researcher: Pelling, Andrew
Provincial Funding: $250,000
Researchers Affected: 1

Nanomedicine is the application of nanoscale science (the design, engineering and control of tiny structures, devices and particles) to prevent and treat disease (e.g., glucose monitoring, needleless injections, cancer detection). In 2006, the market for nanotechnology applications was estimated at $1 billion. Dr. Andrew Pelling will focus on increasing the currently limited knowledge of the nanomechanics of the body’s cells in sensing and transmitting forces (e.g., muscle contractions, heart beating, breathing) to one another. Dr. Pelling will use a unique interdisciplinary approach to take significant steps to understand the links between fundamental cell mechanics and human diseases. He envisions three areas of potential benefits to Ontario, Canada and international organizations: detection (five to 10 years), activation (10 to 20 years) and treatments (long term > 20 years), plus training a generation of interdisciplinary scientists.

Plant-Pollinator Interactions and Angiosperm Evolution Laboratory
Devising strategies to protect flowering plants
Lead Researcher: Sargent, Risa
Provincial Funding: $64,292
Researchers Affected: 1

Over a relatively short period of evolutionary history, flowering plants have achieved amazing diversity and ecological significance. There are more than 230,000 recorded species, and they are found in most of earth's ecosystems – from deserts, to oceans, to mountain meadows. What factors influenced the rapid radiation of flowering plants? What role have pollinators played in this radiation? Given the agricultural importance of plant-pollinator interactions, these are urgent questions that University of Ottawa biologist Dr. Risa Sargent hopes to answer, using a combination of greenhouse and field experiments, comparative methods, and mathematical modeling.

Combined Cell Biology and Proteomics Strategy for Analyzing The Regulation Of Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) In Mammalian Cells
Developing new strategies for treating life-threatening diseases
Lead Researcher: Trinkle-Mulcahy, Laura
Provincial Funding: $210,700
Researchers Affected: 5

Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is an enzyme that regulates a wide variety of cellular functions, and it’s the focus of research being done by Dr. Laura Trinkle-Mulchahy at the University of Ottawa. Using advanced technologies, including fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry, Dr. Trinkle-Mulchahy aims to study PP1 in detail in living human cells. The work that will contribute to the development of new strategies for life-threatening diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Developing and Testing Spinal Cord Repair Strategies
Exploring new therapies for spinal cord injuries
Lead Researcher: Tsai, Eve
Provincial Funding: $60,000
Researchers Affected: 10

There are currently no widely accepted therapies for the repair of spinal cord injury, yet the high survival rate and victim’s life-long dependency make this disease one of the most costly of neurological disorders: direct costs of care for patients exceed $10 billion per year in North America alone. Dr. Eve Tsai, a neurosurgeon and scientist, will develop and test spinal cord repair strategies aimed at maximizing potential neurological recovery after acute or chronic spinal cord injury. Expected benefits include a successful therapy for spinal cord injury and the potential development of therapies for other central nervous system abnormalities (e.g., traumatic head injury, stroke, tumours, etc.) The developed technology’s beneficiaries and users will include people with neural injury and disease and the engineering and scientific communities. Dr. Tsai is also affiliated with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Improving the Safety and Performance of Geotechnical Infrastructures
Enhancing geotechnical infrastructure design innovations
Lead Researcher: Vanapalli, Sai
Provincial Funding: $65,000
Researchers Affected: 9

Geotechnical infrastructures are made of materials that exist in the ground. Most geotechnical infrastructure which is constructed with soils or placed on soils (e.g., foundations, retaining walls, tunnels) is designed assuming saturated conditions (i.e., no more water can be absorbed). From a practical perspective, soils are more commonly unsaturated. Understanding saturated and undersaturated conditions is particularly important given Ontario’s wet-dry/freeze-thaw cycle conditions. Dr. Sai Vanapalli will undertake to achieve a better understanding of the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils. He is convinced that this will make geotechnical infrastructure design innovations possible in Ontario and elsewhere. The research findings will be valuable for improving the performance of geotechnical structures and their safety under different scenarios, including earthquakes.

The Transcriptional Control Of Skeletal Muscle Differentiation and Regeneration: A Role For C/Ebpbeta
Exploring why humans lose muscle mass and strength with age
Lead Researcher: Wiper-Bergeron, Nadine
Provincial Funding: $58,120
Researchers Affected: 1

Seniors may be living longer and better thanks to research being conducted at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Nadine Wiper-Bergeron is focused on understanding how the human body regulates the formation of fat, muscle, and bone as we age. Her work will lead to ways of preserving and regenerating muscle mass. This could result in fewer injuries and a reduction of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It also promises to have a major impact on the socio-economic burden of a growing aging population.

The Ontario Innovation Agenda

Research at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa are examples of Ontario leading the world in the quest for knowledge and discovery. Support for this kind of work is part of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda, the province’s $3.2-billion strategy to make innovation a driving force of Ontario’s economy.  By targeting investments toward areas where Ontario already is, or is poised to become a global leader, and by building on our greatest strength – the talent and ingenuity of our people – Ontario is harnessing innovation to ensure ours is one of the winning economies of the 21st century. 

Support from the Ontario Research Fund–Research Infrastructure program

Part of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda, the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) is key to the province’s plan to move world-class research from the lab to the global marketplace. The role of the ORF is to help ensure that Ontario researchers have the tools they need to lead the world, or lead international collaborations, in their respective fields.