August 13, 2007

ONTARIO RESEARCH FUND – RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

The McGuinty government is helping researchers obtain the tools they need to stay on the forefront of innovation, including lab space, equipment and computer software through the Research Infrastructure program of the Ontario Research Fund. This round of funding under the program will provide $10,650,812 to support 55 world-class projects in the GTA.

Ryerson University

Infrastructure for Chair in Design and Evaluation of Health Interventions
Designing treatment programs that patients will actually follow

Lead researcher: Souraya Sidani
Total project cost: $454,580
Provincial funding: $125,000

One of the ways to improve the effectiveness of medical treatments is to design treatment programs that patients find acceptable and can adjust to quickly. Dr. Souraya is leading a team of researchers at Ryerson University that is investigating different strategies to help integrate patient preferences into the design of medical interventions. The ultimate goal is to develop interventions that are theoretically sound yet consistent with patients’ preferences.

Abrasive Jet Technology and Particle Impact Infrastructure
Refining a novel machining technique

Lead researcher: Marcello Papini
Total project cost: $334,626
Provincial funding: $133,850

Many industries shape metal surfaces, clean parts, or remove paint with a high-speed stream of abrasive particles. This widely used approach could also be applied to tasks of microscopic proportions, machining intricate components for the electronics or biotechnology industry. Ryerson University engineer Marcello Papini, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Abrasive Jet Technology, is considering how this method might also be used in place of the traditional dentist’s drill or as a way of repairing bone damage caused by an artificial knee or hip. Working with this technology in a laboratory setting, he and his team will be looking at how the accuracy and precision of these jets could be enhanced to meet the demands of such applications.

The Digital Cinema Laboratory at Ryerson University
Framing a new release for movie technology

Lead researcher: Abby Goodrum
Total project cost: $2,962,115
Provincial funding: $242,309

The future of motion pictures will still be on the big screen, but not the projection of film-based images. Instead, digital technology is expected to replace all aspects of current cinematic processes, from recording and editing to displaying the finished product at your neighbourhood theatre.  In the future, motion pictures will also be delivered to viewers’ homes, laptops and mobile devices.  Abby Goodrum, a member of Ryerson University’s Digital Cinema Laboratory, is establishing a laboratory to explore the entire life cycle of this new technology. She and her team are assembling the equipment necessary to work with digital movies, as well as assessing the response of viewers to those movies, based on factors such as eye movement, brain waves, or heart rate. In this way, the work will maintain Canada’s longstanding position on the leading edge of cinematic technology.

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Electrochemical Materials Research Lab
Seeking the building blocks of fuel cell technology

Lead researcher: E. Bradley Easton
Total project cost: $125,669
Provincial funding: $39,442

If fuel cells are to become an economically viable alternative to existing power supplies, new materials will have to be found that reduce their cost and improve their long-term performance. Brad Easton, a researcher with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, has established a facility dedicated to searching for such materials. By characterizing the electrochemical properties of innovative combinations of organic and inorganic compounds, he and his team intend to identify the most promising candidates for the electrodes that make up the heart of fuel cell technology. In addition to promoting the prospects of this promising new technology, the research will also ensure the feasibility of a key source of sustainable energy for Ontario’s economy.

Laboratory for Advanced User Interfaces and Virtual Reality
Going beyond the graphical user interface

Lead researcher: Mark Green
Total project cost: $209,401
Provincial funding: $59,607

Despite the undeniable commercial success of the Graphical User Interface, a familiar combination of icons and pointers found on computer monitors around the world, this method of managing information technology is not always the best choice. Surgeons manipulating a robotic operating instrument, for example, may prefer an interface based on touch, similar to some of the most advanced gaming systems. Researcher Mark Green is developing a facility at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to explore these kinds of alternative interfaces. This work will especially consider the role of high quality video projection, which could allow a user to manipulate features without the need for cumbersome visual aids like goggles. Such innovations could eventually lay the foundation for new Ontario-based enterprises leading the marketplace in the development of these distinctive interfaces.

Advanced Wireless Communications and Networking Research Laboratory
Building the next generation of information systems

Lead researchers: Shahram Shahbazpanahi and Ramiro Liscano
Total project cost: $232,419
Provincial funding: $85,460

Technologies such as wireless and mobile communications have been essential to the economic and social development of Ontario’s large, varied landscape. The next phase of this development should see wireless communications acquire bandwidth efficient networking capabilities that are currently associated only with wired systems such as the Internet. Researchers Shahram Shahbazpanahi and Ramiro Liscano, engineers at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, will be developing a laboratory to conduct effective theoretical and applied research in wireless communications, networking and signal processing through creating a large scale and mobile sensor network . They are looking at the ways in which such sensors could collaboratively communicate with each other or could be effectively deployed in environment monitoring in vineyards as well as in the monitoring of patients at home or at long term care facilities.

Health Informatics Laboratory
Using technology for critical care

Lead researcher: Carolyn McGregor
Total project cost: $361,000
Provincial funding: $97,310

In more remote parts of Canada, specialists are not always on-hand to work in demanding medical facilities such as intensive care units (ICU). Communications technology can make it possible to obtain the necessary advice, providing access to essential expertise and knowledge as it is needed. Carolyn McGregor, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, will create a laboratory to model this kind of decision support system. She and her team are looking specifically at how Neonatal ICUs can take advantage of the latest technology, yielding general insights that could not only improve the survival rates of premature infants, but more generally reduce the costs of care and improve patient management.

Research Centre for Mobile Health care Service Assurance and Privacy
Combining privacy, portability, and power in health care

Lead researcher: Patrick Hung
Total project cost: $150,319
Provincial funding: $54,459

Handheld information technology equipment can find powerful applications in medical settings like hospitals, where individuals can efficiently transfer and update the details of patient care from anywhere on site. However, ensuring the privacy and security of that same information has proven to be a challenge. Patrick Hung, a member of the Faculty of Business and Information Technology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, is looking for ways of helping the health-care industry meet that challenge. He and his team have created a research facility that is determining the optimal design for a computer network serving mobile users, ensuring that the exchange of information complies with key Canadian legislation safeguarding the confidentiality of personal records. By helping the industry meet these requirements, this research can simultaneously improve the quality and reduce the cost of delivering health care in Ontario.

University of Toronto

Creation of a Laboratory to Study Crosstalk Between Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and Estrogen Receptor Signalling Pathways
New studies focus on the health impact of dioxins

Lead researcher: Jason Matthews
Total project cost: $496,721
Provincial funding: $198,500

Dioxins have long been recognized as environmental pollutants that are highly toxic and that accumulate within the body. New research equipment is making it possible for researchers at the University of Toronto, led by Dr. Jason Matthews, to study at the molecular, genomic and proteomic levels how dioxins disrupt estrogen signalling and how this process influences the development of diseases. This innovative research, a collaboration with scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, will provide new insights that could lead to more effective treatments for diseases such as breast cancer.

Infrastructure for Metabolic and Nutritional Epidemiologic Studies of Diabetes and Related Disorders
Exploring why certain groups are at higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Lead researcher: Anthony Hanley
Total project cost: $315,131
Provincial funding: $125,000

Diabetes and its complications cost Canadians approximately $5 billion annually, most of which is paid by provincial health care systems. Aboriginal-, African- and Hispanic-Canadian populations develop a disproportionately high level of Type 2 diabetes, yet very little information is available to explain why. Researchers at the University of Toronto under the leadership of Dr. Anthony Hanley will help fill that knowledge gap through an extensive study of people from high-risk groups. Their findings will point the way to new prevention programs and effective tools for clinical research and practice.

Systematic Mapping and Modulation of Biological Networks
Charting a new path to drug discovery

Lead researcher: Michael Tyers
Total project cost: $1,044,388
Provincial funding: $417,755

The behaviour of the cell—be it yeast or human, normal or diseased—is governed by an elaborate network of protein interactions. To increase our understanding of how and why mutations in these interactions can lead to cancer and other diseases, Dr. Michael Tyers and a team of scientists at the University of Toronto are using next-generation mass spectrometers and robotics to map biochemical, genetic and drug interactions at an unprecedented level of detail. The study data will be shared with the international biomedical community through the BioGRID open access interaction database and lead to the development of a new, more efficient and effective drug discovery paradigm.

Equipment for the Integrated Study of Environmental Fluid Dynamics in the Laboratory and Field
Understanding the changing water currents within the Great Lakes

Lead researcher: Mathew Wells
Total project cost: $250,000
Provincial funding: $100,000

A better understanding of the ebbs and flows of water currents within the Great Lakes would improve our ability to track pollutants, protect fish spawning grounds and more effectively manage this incredibly important ecosystem. A new, state-of-the-art fluid dynamics laboratory at the University of Toronto is enabling Dr. Mathew Wells to undertake innovative research studies focusing on the horizontal and vertical mixing processes within the lakes and how this affects the distribution of both pollutants and nutrients. The results of Dr. Wells’ study will have applications for both inland and coastal waterways and will help us better prepare for the effects of climate change.   

Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration After Traumatic CNS Injury and Stroke
Reversing the damage of brain injuries and strokes

Lead researcher: Paulo Koeberle
Total project cost: $430,970
Provincial funding: $120,458

More than 600,000 Canadians are living with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries, many of them under the age of 20, and another 50,000 Canadians per year are hospitalized because of stroke, many of whom are left with post-stroke disabilities. Research now suggests that, in some cases, central nervous system (CNS) degeneration can be reversed. At the University of Toronto, Dr. Paulo D. Koeberle has launched a remarkable research project aimed at uncovering the molecular mechanisms that underlie CNS degeneration and developing new therapies to promote nerve regeneration and functional recovery. The results of this leading-edge research could lead to effective new treatments for brain injury, stroke and neuropathic pain.

Electron cryomicroscopy of macromolecular assemblies
More effective treatments targeted by new imaging equipment

Lead researcher: John Rubinstein
Total project cost: $1,648,305
Provincial funding: $659,322

New, state-of-the-art imaging equipment is enabling some of Canada’s top biomedical researchers to improve the effectiveness of drugs targeting cancer, bacterial infections and inherited diseases. Dr. John Rubinstein of The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute is collaborating with scientists from the University of Toronto and the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute on leading-edge structural biology research projects using the new electron cryomicroscope. With this new equipment, scientists can bring together many of Toronto’s biomedical research strengths to focus on finding better treatments for high-priority diseases.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Motor Control in the Normal Striatum and in Parkinson’s Disease
Innovative search for more effective treatments

Lead researcher: Joanne Nash
Total project cost: $220,969
Provincial funding: $88,000

Within the next 25 years, the economic burden of Parkinson’s disease on Canada is predicted to increase from $613 million to over $1.2 billion, with most of that cost driven by long-term disability care requirements. Pioneering research now underway at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus may radically change that prediction. Dr. Joanne Nash is collaborating with Canadian, U.K. and U.S. scientists on groundbreaking multi-disciplinary research that links studies in neurobiology with behavioural studies to investigate movement disorders. Their goal is to develop effective new treatments, which will prevent patients from becoming disabled by the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and enable them to enjoy a higher quality of life.

Genetic Network Robotics Platform: BioMatrix High-Throughput Carousel and Imaging Systems with Control Software
Robotics system used to study genetic functions

Lead researcher: Charles Boone
Total project cost: $340,559
Provincial funding: $136,224

Yeast is a fascinating organism for researchers because its cells function in ways similar to those of humans. Genetic researchers led by Dr. Charles Boone at the University of Toronto are using yeast to generate the first global genetic interaction network for any organism. With the assistance of a new, custom-designed robotics system, the team will use synthetic genetic array (SGA) analysis to study gene function and derive data more efficiently and accurately than ever before. This project has already generated one spin-off: the development of the Ontario-based S & P Robotics Inc.

Laboratory Facilities for the Production of Proteins and Peptides for Solid State NMR-based Structural Studies
State-of-the-art equipment reveals unprecedented details

Lead researcher: Simon Sharpe
Total project cost: $300,535
Provincial funding: $120,214

Roughly 80 per cent of potential drug targets for important diseases are membrane proteins, including those from viruses such as HIV-1, Hepatitis C and SARS, but we have had problems studying them because it has been difficult to get accurate, high-resolution structural data. New state-of-the-art research equipment is now allowing scientists working under the direction of Dr. Simon Sharpe at the University of Toronto to study the biological activities of proteins in unprecedented detail. The goal is to discover key structural information about membrane proteins and protein folding disorders that could accelerate the development of new treatments for life-threatening diseases.

Laboratory for the Integrative Study of Plant Evolutionary Genomics and Systematics
Expanding our understanding of vital plant processes

Lead researcher: Sasa Stefanovic
Total project cost: $248,815
Provincial funding: $99,526

As plants grow and reproduce, they display molecular, genomic, ecological, and evolutionary properties that have traditionally been studied separately. John Stinchcombe, researcher and a member of the University of Toronto’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is establishing a laboratory to integrate these studies and link them with a diverse array of scientific disciplines. In addition to serving as a training ground for a new generation of environmental researchers with a much broader perspective on their subject matter, this facility will also provide specific insights into the genetic mechanisms employed by invasive species, as well as those of plants adapting to changing climates. This aspect of the work will pertain especially to the implications of climate change in Ontario, revealing what new plant species might arrive in Ontario with warmer seasonal temperatures.

Imaging and Proteomic Analysis of Matrix Signalling Pathways
Exploring new treatments for arthritis and heart disease

Lead researcher: Christopher McCulloch
Total project cost: $319,650
Provincial funding: $127,860

Many Ontarians suffer from diseases of connective tissues such as: arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and periodontal diseases. Researchers at the University of Toronto under the leadership of Dr. Christopher McCulloch have launched a new program to study the fundamental mechanisms that regulate diseases involving connective tissue. Their goal is to pave the way for the development of effective new therapies for a wide range of tissue diseases.

Fibre-based Ultrafast Photonics and Quantum Communication Laboratory
Ontario scientists push the frontiers of photonic technologies

Lead researcher: Li Qian
Total project cost: $537,220
Provincial funding: $213,974

Photonic technologies and advanced communication systems are the cornerstone of Canada’s high-tech strength. Scientists at the University of Toronto, led by Dr. Li Qian, are exploring innovative ways of using light to perform signal processing at a speed unmatchable by any electronics. Another highly promising application is in the field of absolutely secure quantum communication, a capability that is impossible with current communications systems. The research will lay the groundwork for technical breakthroughs, which could be brought to markets by Ontario’s globally competitive information and communications companies.

Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory
Researchers combat the effects of aging on memory

Lead researcher: Jennifer Ryan
Total project cost: $312,500
Provincial funding: $125,000

Memory loss affects one in four Canadians over the age of 65, a number that is steadily increasing as our population ages. A new research program led by the University of Toronto’s Dr. Jennifer Ryan is examining multiple memory systems in the brain to better understand how these functions become impaired due to aging, disease or brain damage. Armed with new, leading-edge monitoring systems, the team will investigate the nature of memory performance and develop techniques to modulate memory deficits. Advances made by this team will help reduce the impact of memory loss through aging in Ontario and worldwide.

Infrastructure to Support a Molecular Mucosal Immunology Facility
Scientists working to uncover a new microbicide to fight HIV

Lead researcher: Rupert Kaul
Total project cost: $259,936
Provincial funding: $103,975

HIV currently infects over forty million people. Approximately five million more are infected every year. Rates continue to increase, particularly in women. Women now represent the majority of new infections in Canada. Dr. Rupert Kaul and his team at the University of Toronto will utilize a new “mucosal molecular immunology facility” to study how HIV is transmitted in the gential tract during sex and how herpes and other infections enhance transmission. The goal of this work is the development of HIV vaccines and microbicides, topical substances that could prevent the sexual transmission of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections.

Molecular Characterization of the Oxygen-sensing Pathway
Researchers study how oxygen combats heart disease and cancer

Lead researcher: Michael Ohh
Total project cost: $311,653
Provincial funding: $123,639

Maintaining a proper balance of cellular oxygen is vital to protect our bodies against cardiovascular and chronic pulmonary diseases and cancer, the leading causes of death in the developed world. University of Toronto scientists led by Dr. Michael Ohh will use a state-of-art Hypoxia-Imaging facility to study the oxygen-sensing pathways in the body. Their research will provide insight into disease processes and cancer biology, as well as basic cellular and organismal functions dependent on oxygen. This knowledge will aid in generating better treatments to combat cardiovascular and chronic pulmonary diseases, as well as cancer.

Extending the Research Capabilities of the Integrated Nanotechnology/Biomedical Sciences Laboratory
Nanotechnology are exploited to increase survival rates of cancer patients

Lead researcher: Warren Chan
Total project cost: $249,619
Provincial funding: $99,848

Early diagnosis is key to improved survival of cancer patients. By combining nanotechnology with biology and medicine, researchers under the direction of Dr. Warren C.W. Chan are using nanotechnology to identify molecular changes to develop new means of diagnosing cancer earlier and improve treatments. This new and improved state-of-the-art bionanotechnology research facility at the University of Toronto allows scientists to purify and isolate biomedically important nanostructures for biomedical detection.

An Integrated Systems Biology Approach to Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Combined Proteomic, Transcriptomic and Bioinformatic Strategy
Searching for critical early warning signs of ovarian cancer

Lead researcher: Thomas Kislinger
Total project cost: $659,212
Provincial funding: $215,608

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancer in North American women, partially because early detection is so difficult. To help reduce the devastating toll of this cancer, a University of Toronto research team under the direction of Dr. Thomas Kislinger will use cutting-edge proteomics investigation strategies to detect and quantify the proteins present in cancerous and normal ovarian tissue. A new, highly specialized mass spectrometer will enable scientists to identify indicators of the early stages of EOC, which will lead to earlier diagnoses and increase the likelihood of successful treatments.

Development of a Scaleable Web-based Data Entry and Management System for Large Scale Blood-based Epidemiological Studies
Massive new study measures risk factors for heart disease worldwide

Lead researcher: Prabhat Jha
Total project cost: $310,236
Provincial funding: $124,094

Heart disease is the number one killer of adults in Ontario, as it is around the world. Dr. Prabhat Jha at the University of Toronto is leading a large-scale international blood-based study to evaluate the environmental and genetic causes of premature cardiovascular-related adult mortality. To conduct the research, which will eventually include two to three million people, scientists will develop an innovative, scaleable web-based data entry and management system that will measure the role of various risk factors affecting cardiovascular disease. This state-of-the-art data management system —the first of its kind in Canada – will have future applications in population-based research in Ontario and to expand collaborations with cities in the U.K., India, China and elsewhere.

 Infrastructure for Large-scale Analysis of DNA-protein Interactions
Accelerating our understanding of the link between DNA and diseases

Lead researcher: Timothy R. Hughes
Total project cost: $312,394
Provincial funding: $124,971

There is a global race to discover how human DNA works and unravel its role in disease and aging. Dr. Timothy R. Hughes and his team of scientists at the University of Toronto are using powerful new microarray technology to dramatically reduce research time and enable DNA to be read more rapidly in the same way the cell reads it. The team’s goal is to gain greater understanding of how genes are regulated, a key step in the development of new treatments for many diseases.

Molecular Analysis of Cell Division
Cancer scientists use new image enhancement systems to track cell division

Lead researcher: Andrew Wilde
Total project cost: $231,860
Provincial funding: $92,744

Successful cell division requires the careful coordination of many cellular processes.  Problems in these processes can lead to cell death or the formation of misregulated cells that can go on to form tumours.  Our understanding of the dynamics of cell division is still poor, but sophisticated microscopy facilities at the University of Toronto will enable researchers led by Dr. Andrew Wilde to capture and track these processes more accurately and in more detail without damaging the cell.  A greater understanding of the dynamics of cell division using non invasive approaches will answer fundamental questions in biomedical science and pave the way to new cancer-fighting strategies.

Integrative Computational Biology: Towards Intelligent Molecular Medicine
Computers speed up data processing and imaging for cancer research

Lead researcher: Igor Jurisica
Total project cost: $700,646
Provincial funding: $259,392

Leading-edge cancer research involves processing massive amounts of data, which calls for high-performance computers and sophisticated analytical software. New top-of-the-line computers and workstations will enable University of Toronto researchers working under the direction of Dr. Igor Jurisica to reduce months of computation to days. Their groundbreaking research is designed to take cancer research to the next level, to move it from data generation and data mining to translational research, and then to decision-support in individualized medicine. Dr. Jurisica’s research at the Ontario Cancer Institute will open the door for significant advances in the quality and cost of cancer care, as well as generating economic spin-offs from patentable data mining and visualization software.

New Aspects of the Host Response to Bacterial Peptidoglycan
Studying how invading microbes penetrate our immune system

Lead researcher: Stephen E. Girardin
Total project cost: $320,080
Provincial funding: $124,931

Infectious diseases are somehow able to reduce the immune system’s ability to fight off unfriendly bacteria. Dr. Stephen E. Girardin is leading researchers at the University of Toronto in a new project to study how some disease-carrying microbes overcome our innate immunity. With the assistance of specialized new equipment, including a top-level fluorescence microscope, they will be able to monitor changes that occur within the cells, which allow the bacteria to invade. This research will be instrumental in generating groundbreaking discoveries in the field of infectious disease treatment in Ontario and Canada.

Genetic Epidemiology of Complex Diseases
New study focuses on genetic risk factors for common diseases

Lead researcher: France Gagnon
Total project cost: $308,604
Provincial funding: $123,442

While we now recognize that genetics plays a fundamental role in the development of heart disease and other common illnesses, our knowledge of the exact genetic factors involved remains limited. At the University of Toronto, a research team led by Dr. France Gagnon is using high-performance computers to speed the analysis of complex genetic diseases among different populations to improve the statistical accuracy of risk predictions. This research will allow Ontario’s health care practitioners to better identify and treat individuals at risk of developing conditions such as heart disease.

Facility to Investigate the Physiology of the Developing Cerebral Cortex
Researching new treatments for abnormal brain development

Lead researcher: Evelyn K. Lambe
Total project cost: $427,075
Provincial funding: $170,830

Developmental brain disorders, including schizophrenia, epilepsy and autism, afflict some eight per cent of Ontarians. An innovative new research program at the University of Toronto under the direction of Dr. Evelyn K. Lambe is exploring the development of the brain’s circuitry to identify novel therapies to treat these disorders. The new lab equipment will enable scientists to explore how persistent brain network activity is triggered, maintained and modulated. This unique facility—the first of its kind in Canada—will attract top international researchers to Ontario, increase our understanding of adult brain development and lead to the development of effective new therapeutic approaches.

Laboratory for Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics
Taking a multidisciplinary approach to plants

Lead researcher: John Stinchcombe
Total project cost: $300,000
Provincial funding: $120,000
 
As plants grow and reproduce, they display molecular, genomic, ecological, and evolutionary properties that have traditionally been studied separately. John Stinchcombe, researcher and a member of the University of Toronto’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is establishing a laboratory to integrate these studies and link them with a diverse array of scientific disciplines. In addition to serving as a training ground for a new generation of environmental researchers with a much broader perspective on their subject matter, this facility will also provide specific insights into the genetic mechanisms employed by invasive species, as well as those of plants adapting to colder climates. This aspect of the work will pertain especially to the implications of climate change in Ontario, revealing what new plant species might arrive in Ontario with warmer seasonal temperatures.

Tools for the investigation of lipids and membranes in drug delivery and drug therapy
Investigating medicinal compounds in key locations

Lead researcher: Heiko Heerklotz
Total project cost: $506,330
Provincial funding: $202,532

Virtually all drugs have to interact with cell membranes to become therapeutically active; some act on membranes or membrane-attached receptors directly while others have to cross the membrane barrier to reach their targets inside the cell. A better understanding of how these membranes function would therefore help to refine or improve the action of such compounds. Furthermore liposomes, nanometer-sized artificial membrane mimetic particles, are becoming increasingly important for carrying drugs and targeting them to specific (e.g. cancer) tissues.

Heiko Heerklotz, a researcher with the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, is exploring the basic rules and models of drug-membrane interaction for the more rational design of drugs and drug carriers. By shedding new light on this fundamental aspect of how drugs work in the body, he and his team will address larger questions of the efficacy, stability, shelf life, cost and side effects of many drugs.

Establishment of a Molecular Biology and Proteomics Laboratory for Research into Signal Transduction and Cell Death in Ischemia
Understanding the impacts of stroke

Lead researcher: Michelle M. Aarts
Total project cost: $557,772
Provincial funding: $223,107

The interruption in blood flow caused by a blood clot leads to major damage in tissues such as the brain and heart, but the specific cellular mechanisms responsible for that damage are not well understood. University of Toronto scientist Michelle Aarts is establishing a laboratory to study the biochemical signals transmitted by key proteins that cause cells to die under these conditions. By comparing how such signaling takes place under normal physiological circumstances, Dr. Aarts will seek new ways to neutralize the negative effects of stroke and heart attack. The introduction of such a therapeutic strategy would represent a significant contribution to lowering the toll of cardiovascular disease.

Shp2/Ras Pathway in Human Disease
Understanding a significant genetic mutation

Lead researcher: Benjamin G. Neel
Total project cost: $1,026,165
Provincial funding: $410,466

When an individual’s genes include a mutated version of a particular protein known as Shp2, various health problems can occur, including congenital heart defects and particular forms of leukemia. Benjamin Neel, an investigator with the Ontario Cancer Institute, is establishing a laboratory to study the role of this protein in detail. He and his team will determine the specific biochemical actions caused by this genetic mutation, as well as therapies that might be able to block the effect of those actions. In this way, such progress could address the country’s most common cause of inherited heart disease, as well as the starting point for a form of cancer responsible for almost a third of all cancer-related deaths in Canadians under 20.

Infrastructure of Enable Flexible Organic-based Photovoltaics to Achieve Broad Spectral Absorption and High Efficiency
Bringing solar power generation to the marketplace

Lead researcher: Timothy P. Bender
Total project cost: $586,710
Provincial funding: $234,694

As much as many of us would like to consider producing electricity directly from solar panels, the cost of doing so is higher than other alternative or conventional sources of energy.  University of Toronto engineer and chemist Dr. Timothy Bender and his team are examining the potential of new materials that could make solar power much less expensive to own and operate for the average Ontarian. This research is assembling the equipment necessary to analyze different types of organic compounds that could be employed to convert sunlight into electricity far more efficiently, setting the stage for a new generation of flexible solar panels that would cost just a fraction of those available today. And the laboratory leading this work is setting new standards for an industry that is expected to become increasingly prominent in the decades to come.

Facility for Integrative Neurobiology of Sleep and Respiratory Regulation in Health and Disease
Learning how patients breathe through the night

Lead researcher: Richard L. Horner
Total project cost: $312,500
Provincial funding: $125,000

At least four per cent of adults in Ontario experience breathing problems during sleep, a disorder that can leave these people so tired that they cannot safely perform tasks like driving.  Lack of sleep also increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Richard Horner, a sleep researcher and respirologist with the University of Toronto, is establishing a facility to examine the brain and muscle control mechanisms that lead to this hazardous condition. This work will include measurements of the relationship between oxygen levels and key chemicals in the body .  The findings will provide a better understanding of possible ways to treat this problem, which could dramatically reduce the health care costs incurred by such sleeping difficulties.

Infrastructure for the study of Multinuclear Transition Metal Compounds
Identifying materials to fuel the future

Lead researcher: Datong Song
Total project cost: $662,504
Provincial funding: $240,000

Thanks to its abundance, hydrogen could become the primary future energy source of modern society, eventually displacing fossil fuels such as natural gas or petroleum. University of Toronto researcher Datong Song is looking at ways of facilitating both of these trends, through a new laboratory outfitted to analyse the behaviour of a wide range of compounds with organic and metallic constituents. One part of this research will create molecules related to photosynthesis, with the goal of looking for an efficient means of generating hydrogen as a resource. Another aspect of the project will explore new types of chemical agents that can be used to manipulate resources such as petroleum or natural gas to yield products such as plastics.

Next-Generation Astronomical Instrumentation and Experimental Astrophysics in the Infared and Optical Wavebands
Becoming engineers to the stars

Lead researcher: Dae-Sik Moon
Total project cost: $1,000,000
Provincial funding: $400,000

The sophisticated instruments employed by the world’s leading astronomers tend to be designed and tested at a handful of elite institutions. Dae-Sik Moon, a member of the University of Toronto’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, would like to secure a place for his university in that group. He and his team are establishing a facility to construct specialized astronomical equipment, beginning with a spectrograph that will make possible new types of observations on distant phenomena such as supernovae. In addition to enhancing Ontario’s presence in international scientific circles, the engineering expertise and technology brought to this project could lead to new commercial applications such as medical imaging devices or night vision instruments.

Facilities For Integrative Study of CNS Neuroplasticity
Revealing the nervous system’s remarkable capacities

Lead researcher: Michael Salter
Total project cost: $1,996,729
Provincial funding: $798,691

Our ability to learn, remember, and move — free from pain — depends on a property of the nervous system called neuroplasticity, an ability of cells to adapt to new demands or needs. That ability can be drastically impaired by the onset of disorders affecting our brain and spinal cord, which can compromise cognitive abilities and lead to severe, unremitting pain. Researchers Michael Salter, Sheena Josselyn, and Zhengping Jia at The Hospital for Sick Children, are establishing a comprehensive research facility dedicated to understanding the nature of neuroplasticity. By examining this subject from the perspective of cell biology, genetics and behaviour this work will open up a new frontier in neuroscience along with the prospect discovering new approaches to such widespread health problems as stroke or Alzheimer’s Disease.

Facility for Integrative Drosophila Biology and the Mitochondrial Cell Death Machine
Understanding disease at the cellular level

Lead researcher: G. Angus McQuibbian
Total project cost: $275,000
Provincial funding: $100,000

Mitochondria, structures found within most living cells, generate high levels of energy that is used in the body. Any malfunctions in this energy process can lead to disorders caused by large numbers of cells that die prematurely. University of Toronto researcher G. Angus McQuibban is studying this kind of breakdown in the mitochondria of fruit flies.  By outfitting a laboratory to analyse cells collected from these insects, he and his team will explore the important role of this basic feature of cell dynamics, knowledge that lays the foundation for new therapeutic procedures.

Genetics and Imaging in Nervous System Development
Taking a better look at cells at work

Lead researcher: Joseph Culotti, Jim Dennis and Mei Zhen
Total project cost: $987,964
Provincial funding: $395,186

Our understanding of diseases such as cancer and neural degeneration is continually growing as new technologies allow us to better study cell interaction. Reseachers Joe Culotti, Jim Dennis, and Mei Zhen of the University of Toronto’s Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology, are using powerful imaging tools to study intricate cellular processes involved in nervous system regeneration and in cancer. With more detailed information about how these activities unfold in healthy cells, the research will enable a better understanding of what causes cells to mutate or die prematurely.

A Precision Laboratory System for High- Resolution Environmental Analysis
Turning to ancient sea creatures for answers about tomorrow’s weather

Lead researcher: Jorg Bollmann
Total project cost: $978,354
Provincial funding: $333,912

To understand the future of the earth’s climate, scientists are looking back to changes that took place during the distant past. Some of the best indicators can be found in the biochemical makeup of microplankton, creatures that fossilized into ocean sediments tens of millions of years ago. Extracting these microscopic specimens from rock requires highly specialized equipment – equipment that will soon be available at as part of a new research project at the University of Toronto. Led by researcher Jörg Bollmann, the project will provide valuable fundamental data to understand major climatic events such as El Niño.

Coping with Stigma: The Neural, Physiological, and Behavioural Consequences of Prejudice
Bettering attitudes, lives, and society

Lead researcher: Michael Inzlicht
Total project cost: $124,973
Provincial funding: $49,995

Peace and order in our society depends on how successfully we manage negative attitudes directed toward groups such as ethnic minorities. Techniques developed in neuroscience and psychophysiology, such as the measurement of brain waves or heartbeats during intense emotions, can also reveal the effects of social rejection on individuals who have been the target of stereotyping or outright hatred. University of Toronto psychologist Michael Inzlicht is establishing a facility packed with state-of-the-art equipment to explore those effects, which can inhibit people’s sense of self-worth, their capacity for self-control, and above all, their educational attainment. This laboratory, which will be matched by few others in the world, would thereby offer a technical basis for public policy enhancing the ability of immigrants to make the most of themselves and their new home.

Establishment of a Proteomic Platform at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Toronto
Seeking the biochemical signals of cancer

Lead researcher: Stephane Angers
Total project cost: $679,471
Provincial funding: $217,180

Proteomics, studying the large array of proteins our bodies use on a day-to-day basis, promises to shed new light on how those proteins keep us alive and healthy, as well as how they sometimes make us fatally ill. Stephane Angers, an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Pharmacy, is establishing a research facility to investigate key proteins associated with two major forms of cancer in Ontario. By determining how these proteins function normally, and what kinds of malfunctions give rise to this disease, his work could point the way to methods for treating the development of cancer.

York University

The Cities Research Laboratory [CRL] for Multimedia Projects on World Cities and Globalization
New multimedia facility captures city life

Lead researcher: Peer Zumbansen
Total project cost: $686,879
Provincial funding: $264,808

With nearly 80 per cent of Canadians now living in urban areas, there is a need to better understand how cities function today as places to live and work so we can better manage their future. A team of researchers led by Drs. Peer Zumbansen, Patricia Wood and Brenda Longfellow are launching the Cities Research Laboratory at York University to develop new insights into those functional issues. Using high-end text and image-processing equipment, they are creating innovative studies of urban living, the tension between urban and rural populations, the power balance between the city and the province and similar experiences of other global cities. The goal is provide Ontarians with a centralized collection of perspectives on the political economy of Toronto, the GTA and the province, which will lead to better growth management strategies. 

Comparative Perspectives Database: Understanding Gendered Labour Market Insecurity
Precarious employment to be focus of new study

Lead researcher: Leah F. Vosko
Total project cost: $457,441
Provincial funding: $159,114

The rise of precarious employment – or forms of work often involving atypical contracts, low income, lack of control of the labour process, and limited access to regulatory protection – is creating public policy and regulatory challenges for Canada and other industrialized nations. Dr. Leah F. Vosko at York University is leading a new program to develop tools, equipment and technical services to help conceptualize, understand and measure precarious employment. T he research will address the issues of working hours, location and duration of work, citizenship status, and the presence or absence of an employment relationship. The results will help shape new public policy in Ontario, provide data for further studies and train young researchers to continue building our understanding of this emerging issue.  

The Role of the Cell Cycle in Skeletal Muscle Development and Disease
New muscle stem cell study seeks new treatments for muscular dystrophy

Lead researcher: Michael Connor
Total project cost: $457,131
Provincial funding: $182,853

Unraveling the events that underlie skeletal muscle development could potentially
play a major role in the treatment of diseases such as muscular dystrophy and age-associated muscle wasting. To explore this potential and discover exactly how and why fully mature skeletal muscle forms, Dr. Michael Connor of York University has launched a unique, multi-disciplinary research program. Utilizing new cell culture equipment, the research team will be able to assess the role of proteins involved in controlling cell growth during the development of mature skeletal muscle. These new insights will help shape new treatments for Ontarians suffering nerve and muscle injuries related to disease and aging.

Future Cinema Lab: New Stories for New Screens in the Digital Age
Cutting edge technologies inspire new story telling techniques

Lead researcher: John Greyson
Total project cost: $999,974
Provincial funding: $399,971

New screen technologies are emerging everywhere from bus stops and streetscapes to our cell phones, transforming our relationship to information, entertainment and culture. Researchers John Greyson, Caitlin Fisher and Janine Marchessault at York University are establishing a state-of-the-art Future Cinema Lab to develop content that reflects this new media. The team will investigate how innovative screen formats, from handhelds and cell phones to video curtains and fog-screens, trigger new approaches to story-production. The lab will provide Ontario’s artists and researchers with access to the latest content-creation technologies to enable them to create new stories for a broad spectrum of digital screen formats.

New Media Collaboration Centre: Canadian Arts Content Management System and Centre for Digital Policy and Cultural Rights Initiatives
New study develops means for encouraging fair dealing and protecting cultural creativity online

Lead researcher: Rosemary Coombe
Total project cost: $481,873
Provincial funding: $192,749

Easy digital access to music, films and other art forms challenges Canada’s legal and cultural sectors to find new approaches to safeguarding artistic properties while encouraging the new forms of creativity that new technologies afford. Rosemary Coombe and Christopher Innes at York University along with Darren Wershler-Henry at Wilfred Laurier University are leading a new program to establish a Digital Archives of Canadian Culture and the associated Canadian Digital Policy and Cultural Rights Initiative to develop an open-source Arts Content Management System that integrates public licensing systems and innovative digital interfaces for the purposes of fostering fair dealing practices in the management of intellectual property in Canadian culture online.

Understanding the Development and Consequences of Racial Stereotyping: A Social-cognitive Approach
Helping free Ontario’s children from racial stereotyping

Lead researcher: Jennifer Steele
Total project cost: $394,826
Provincial funding: $157,930

As our communities become more racially diverse, we need to develop effective approaches to overcoming racial stereotyping. Dr. Jennifer Steele is leading a research program at York University to study the development and consequences of racial stereotyping among minority children. The team will explore how children make use of race-related facial cues when forming impressions of others and evaluate how various forms of stereotyping affect minority children’s academic orientation and performance. The program will provide vital data to principals, teachers and families who can help ensure that Ontario’s children reach their full potential without the destructive impact of racial stereotyping.

Face and Scene Processing: Behaviour and Neural Correlates
Understanding visual recognition to aid brain-damaged patients

Lead researcher: Jennifer Steeves
Total project cost: $527,914
Provincial funding: $211,165

Knowing how our brains use basic visual cues to recognize objects, people and places and which parts of the brain perform these functions holds valuable information for the treatment of brain-damaged patients. Dr. Jennifer Steeves of York University is leading a new study into how the brain processes visual images and which parts of the brain are responsible for these functions. The data will help clinicians understand the effects of damage to specific areas of the brain and develop new treatments that will improve the quality of life of Ontarians living with brain damage.

Upgrades to Visual-motor Laboratory for Experimental, Computational, and Applied Neurophsysiology
Linking sight to action

Lead researcher: John D. Crawford
Total project cost: $508,960
Provincial funding: $203,584

The way we use vision to initiate and guide physical movement is among the most important abilities we possess, presenting a significant problem when an accident or disease compromises this part of our nervous system’s function. York University researcher John Douglas Crawford is investigating this critical aspect of our brain function, developing a detailed understanding with computation models, behavioural testing, and imaging the brain. By revealing precisely how disorders such as stroke, trauma, or Parkinson’s disease affect nervous system function, this project will help improve our approach to preventing and treating these conditions.

The Orthopaedic Neuromechanics Laboratory (ONMLab)
Improving the assessment of aging joints

Lead researcher: William Gage
Total project cost: $510,723
Provincial funding: $95,131

A growing proportion of our population is over the age 50, and at least a third of those people will experience potentially crippling conditions brought on by osteoarthritis. In order to improve the quality of life for these individuals, as well as reducing the associated costs to the economy, York University kinesiology professor William Gage is establishing a laboratory for the analysis of how such ailments affect the everyday use of joints such as the knee and hip. Outfitted with cameras for recording the detailed motions of walking or standing, as well as an innovative device for measuring the efficiency of strides, he and his team will establish a better understanding of the neuromuscular and biomechanical factors that enable us to be stable on our feet. More importantly, they will shed light on how osteoarthritis changes those factors, and how we might confront those changes to retain that stability and comfort.

Ontario Research Fund

The McGuinty government is investing $527 million over five years through the Ontario Research Fund. The fund is a key part of the government’s plan to promote scientific excellence by supporting research that can be developed into innovative goods and services that will boost Ontario’s economy. The fund also helps researchers move new ideas from Ontario’s labs to the global marketplace.

The fund provides one window for research funding. Proposals for funding are evaluated through a competitive, peer-review process.

The province matches funding commitments made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the Research Infrastructure program. Project funding is shared among the Canada Foundation for Innovation (up to 40 per cent), the province (up to 40 per cent), and the research institutions and industry partners (at least 20 per cent).

For more information about the Ontario Research Fund, please visit www.ontario.ca/innovation.