Backgrounder
September 18, 2008
ADVANCED HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES AND PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH
Carleton University
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Dr. Matthew Holahan, Dr. Alfonso Abizaid
Uncovering how childhood obesity affects brain function later in life
Provincial Funding: $250,000
How does childhood obesity affect brain function later in life? That’s the question Drs. Matthew Holahan and Alfonso Abizaid at Carleton University hope to answer by inducing obesity in mice early in life and then looking at the effects on adult rodent brain function. They will also examine whether or not early exposure to a high fat diet is reversible during adulthood. This research will provide important clues for the prevention and treatment of degenerative human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which have been linked to childhood obesity. This is a pressing issue, given the increasing number of overweight and obese children—and the growing costs of treating patients with Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Michel Dumontier
Positioning Ontario as a leader in proteomics
Provincial Funding: $114,627
Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique that’s used to identify unknown compounds, to quantify known compounds, and to explain the structure and chemical properties of molecules. It has provided enormous insights into proteomics, the study of proteins, which promises to lead to an improved understanding of the chemistry of diseases. But there are critical limitations to today’s mass spectrometry. Overcoming some of them is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Michel Dumontier and Dr. James Green at the Laboratory for Hardware Accelerated Protein Identification for Mass Spectrometry at Carleton University. Dr. Dumontier and Dr. Green are concentrating on developing real-time mass spectrometry-based protein identification, which, if successful, will greatly increase the speed of protein identification and put Ontario at the leading-edge of proteomics research.
Dr. Hymie Anisman
Stress and well-being
Provincial funding: $81,634
People who claim “the stress is killing me” may be closer to the mark than they think. Stress has been linked conclusively to a host of serious mental and physical conditions. The social and economic costs of these illness is enormous – and as the population ages, they will increase, which is why Dr. Hymie Anisman at Carleton University is redoubling his efforts to provide new relief. The world-renowned neuroscientist and leading researcher on the causes of stress-induced illness is focused on finding ways to counteract the changes brought on by stress. His research will lead to the development of new treatments to reduce the incidence and/or recurrence of stress-induced illness.
University of Ottawa
Dr. Leanne Ward
Developing therapies to ensure good bone health in children and adolescents
Provincial Funding: $100,000
Good bone development in childhood and adolescence is essential for bone health throughout life. But many children suffer from serious chronic illnesses such as cancer and inflammatory bowel disease that compromise bone development – and others are spending more and more time in front of television and computer screens, activities that will have lifelong implications for their bone health. Dr. Leanne Ward at the University of Ottawa is investigating the mechanisms of compromised bone development during childhood with the goal of developing novel therapies to complement medical interventions for treatment.
Dr. Michael Jonz
Advancing our knowledge of how animals survive environmental change
Provincial Funding: $99,885
Peripheral chemoreceptors are specialized cells that “sense” changes in environmental or blood oxygen levels and lead to adaptive cardiorespiratory responses, including hyperventilation and changes in heart rate. While blood oxygen sensing in mammals is well understood, very little is known about how it works in other vertebrates such as fish and amphibians. That’s the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Michael Jonz at the University of Ottawa. His work will help to further our understanding of how animals survive environmental change.
Dr. Duncan Stewart
Developing new therapies to treat cardiopulmonary disease
Provincial funding: $294,000
Developing new therapies for cardiopulmonary diseases is the focus of research being done by Dr. Duncan Stewart at the Ottawa Health Research Institute. One of the world’s foremost experts in blood vessel biology, Dr. Stewart aims to build on new knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms underlying vascular disease. His research takes a “bench to bedside” approach, with research projects directed at all levels, from discovery to clinical trails, targeting a variety of vascular diseases. His goal is to develop treatments for vascular repair and regeneration for patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension, and cardiac and lung injury.
Dr. Norbert Hübner
Advancing treatment for coronary artery disease
Provincial Funding: $345,000
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the narrowing of the heart arteries. It’s the most common form of heart disease and the number one killer of both men and women in Ontario. A major obstacle in diagnosing CAD is that cardiac events such as heart attack are difficult to predict. At the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Dr. Norbert Hübner is leading a team of researchers whose goal is to develop earlier detection, preventions and treatments for CAD.
Dr. Isabelle Catelas
Devising new approaches to increase the life of hip and knee replacements
Provincial Funding: $129,384
More than 25,000 total hip replacements and 33,000 total knee replacements are done annually in Canada, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Already among the most common surgical procedures, the demand for these replacements will grow as our population ages, as will the need to improve their longevity. At a new orthopaedic bioengineering laboratory at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Isabelle Catelas heads a team of researchers investigating new therapeutic and tissue engineering approaches to prolong implant longevity and to offer a treatment option for patients suffering from bone loss.
Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt
Investigating the cause(s) of bullying
Provincial Funding: $99,720
Bullying is a pervasive problem that affects an estimated 10 per cent of Canadian children on a daily basis. What makes some children bully others? And what can be done about it? Those are questions Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt is working to answer at the new multidisciplinary Brain and Behaviour Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. Her work is helping to make Canada a world leader in the study of peer victimization and will lead to ways to reduce violence in schools and communities.
Dr. Jean-Francois Couture
Identifying the molecular determinants that trigger disease
Provincial funding: $390,807
While scientists have determined that the misregulation of biological macromolecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids is correlated to the development of cancer and other diseases, they’re still not certain just how it happens. Dr. Jean-Francois Couture hopes to unravel the mystery in a new lab at the University of Ottawa by using x-ray crystallography. This unique approach uses x-rays to draw a picture at the molecular level of the most intricate and detailed structural features of macromolecules, which will identify the molecular determinants that trigger cancer and other diseases. Dr. Couture’s work will lead to the identification of therapeutic molecule identification and development – and eventually to new treatments.
Dr. Alexandre Blais
Treating muscle diseases at the cellular level
Provincial Funding: $105,178
How muscles develop is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Alexandre Blais at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Blais will study the interactions that occur during the formation of muscle cells to identify the key molecular players and their function in this complex process. The ultimate goal of his research is to develop cell-based therapies for treating debilitating muscle diseases like muscular dystrophy, fibromyalgia and polymyositis.
Dr. Kumanan Wilson
Promoting public health policy
Provincial funding: $40,477
Most improvements in our general health and life expectancy have come about as the result of effective public health programs such as immunization and clean water. When problems occur in public health programs – as with the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto – the consequences can be devastating. As the new Canada Research Chair in Public Health Policy, the University of Ottawa’s Dr. Kumanan Wilson will conduct research that will guide the development of public health policy with the view of helping policy makers at all levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal and international) anticipate problems before they occur – and work together to develop effective policy remedies for them.
Dr. Anthony Bella
Understanding peripheral nerve damage to develop drugs to promote nerve regeneration
Provincial funding: $66,666
Every year thousands of Canadians have surgery for prostate, bladder and colorectal cancer. Despite improvements in surgical technique, an all-too-common side effect is damage to cavernous nerves which results in urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. There are currently no treatments available to help these nerves recover. At the Ottawa Health Research Institute, Dr. Anthony Bella is concentrating on identifying the mechanisms that affect this type of nerve damage, which he hopes will lead to new and better strategies to promote nerve regeneration and recovery following surgery. What Dr. Bella learns may also apply to recovery from damage of other peripheral nerves at times of trauma or surgery or diseases such as diabetes.
Dr. Daniel Benoit
Developing better detection and rehabilitation strategies for balance and mobility problems
Provincial funding: $297,871
Balance and mobility problems impair the quality of life for those afflicted and cost the health care system untold millions of dollars a year. Already common in Ontario, these problems will only increase as our population ages, making it important to develop earlier detection methods and better rehabilitation strategies. At a new Neuromuscular and Rehabilitation Research Unit (NRRU) at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Daniel Benoit is focused on doing just that by using new technologies to better understand the neuro-physiological mechanisms and biomechanics underlying normal and impaired control of muscle activations as they relate to balance and movement. He will then integrate virtual reality and motion platforms to optimize rehabilitation.
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Dr. Jeff Mielke, Dr. Marc Brunelle
Discovering how language develops
Provincial funding: $107,933
How humans use language and how language develops is the focus of research being conducted at a new state-of-the-art Sound Patterns Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. Drs. Jeff Mielke and Marc Brunelle are using advanced articulatory, acoustic and perceptual equipment to explore the complex nature of sound patterns. Their goal is to produce readily available, detailed information about how the speech sounds found in various languages are produced, transmitted and perceived. The result will be a valuable resource to anyone who works in speech, whether their interest is research, education or clinical.
Dr. Mary Cheng
Exploring the basis of dysfunctional biological “clocks”
Provincial funding: $310,000
Millions of Canadians suffer from some form of sleep disturbance. As well as affecting quality of life, interpersonal relationships and even jobs, sleep disturbance can increase susceptibility to serious illnesses, including cancer and bipolar disorder. Why do some people suffer from a dysfunctional biological “clock” and others don’t and how does that dysfunction contribute to disease? Those are questions Dr. Mary Cheng at the University of Ottawa hopes to answer. Using multiple approaches with mice, including live-cell microscopy, tissue culture and behaviour assays, she’s exploring biological “clocks” to determine how they’re regulated under normal physiological conditions with the goal of discovering how dysfunction can lead to disease.
See also:
- News Release:
Making Health Research Work For Patients - Backgrounder:
Ontario Research Fund - Backgrounder:
Inventing The Future Of Health Care - Backgrounder:
Lifes Sciences, Advanced Health Technologies And Pharmaceutical Research Projects - Recipients
