This internationally recognized research centre studies the social and psychological aspects of aging and population health and health services delivery. Unit funding will assist researchers to focus in three areas: the role of social-psychological, environmental and structural factors in promoting health and preventing illness as people age, with special attention to vulnerable populations; assessing informal and self-care approaches to health, particularly for those with poor health or disability; and assessing formal delivery of care, including specific programs and systems of care.
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A finite element model of the spinal cord
The way spinal cord tissue responds to different forces is not well understood. Carolyn Greaves is designing a specialized computer model of the spinal cord and its surrounding structures to measure the impact of different types of injury. This type of model of the spinal cord, called a finite element model, has never been developed before. The model will provide detailed measurements of spinal cord response to internal stresses, strains, and pressure changes in spinal fluid, as well as the impact on blood vessels, grey matter (nerve cell bodies) and white matter (nerve fibres). This information will broaden understanding of spinal cord injuries and be used to evaluate potential treatments. As well, neurological changes-such as swelling-occur following a spinal cord injury and can lead to secondary injuries. Carolyn’s model may lead the development of other models that could provide better understanding of these secondary injuries and how to treat them.
The neuromuscular and sensorimotor basis of balance recovery
Falls and related injuries cause loss of independence, reduce quality of life, and increase mortality among elderly people. Fall-related injuries cost Canadians $3.6 billion in 1995. Consequently, reducing the incidence and severity of falls is an important health priority. Dawn Mackey is comparing young and elderly study participants to measure the variables that govern our ability to recover balance following unexpected movements. Maintaining a stable upright posture is essential to daily activities such as walking, turning and rising. However, postural stability declines as we age. Dawn will assess whether balance recovery depends on the strength and speed of muscle response, simultaneous contraction of front and back ankle muscles, where someone’s mental attention is focused, and the intactness and speed of sight and hearing. She hopes the research can be used to design exercise and rehabilitation programs to prevent falls among elderly people.
RNA expression profiles of ABC transporters in fetal liver and acute myeloid leukemia side population stem cells
Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into different types of tissue cells in the human body, and are often involved in the onset of cancer, especially leukemia. Like other cells in the body, stem cells activate a diverse family of proteins that pump different substances in and out of cells, called ABC transporters. In normal cells, these proteins pump toxic substances out and useful ones in. But some of these proteins also pump anti-cancer drugs out of cancer cells, causing the treatment to fail. Maria Ho is researching how ABC transporters in stem cells can cause drug resistance in leukemia. Maria is measuring the level of ABC transporters in chemo-refractory and responsive leukemic stem cells to determine which transporters are required for normal functions and which ones are related to cancer. This research will help explain the course of the disease and lead to more effective cancer treatments to target the transporters involved in leukemia.
The influence of Lipid Transfer Protein I on the binding and transfer of Cyclosporine A between lipoproteins
Mona Kwong’s research focuses on gaining a better understanding of how the body responds to drugs whose molecular structure is similar to that of lipids (fatty, waxy or oily compounds that are major structural components of living cells). Mona is studying cyclosporine, a drug with a lipid-like structure that is used primarily to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. One of the major potential complications of cyclosporine is that it can behave differently from one patient to the next. For example, a dosage that works for one person may cause toxicity in another. Previous studies have shown a link between patients’ cholesterol levels and their toxicity with the use of cyclosporine. Mona hopes to determine whether lipid transfer protein I and a protein that transports lipids such as cholesterol and is also involved in binding and transporting cyclosporine. A better understanding of this mechanism and the factors that affect it will help provide an explanation for the differences and inconsistencies seen in patients taking cyclosporine. Clinicians could then measure different cholesterol levels in patients, predict the level of cyclosporine that would cause toxicity, and adjust the dosage to prevent adverse side effects
Insights into the molecular interaction within the Hepatitis C virus heterodimeric serine protease: A prime target for therapeutic intervention
An estimated quarter million Canadians are infected with the hepatitis C virus, a chronic disease that inflames and damages the liver and, in some people, can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. There is currently no effective therapy to treat hepatitis C, nor any vaccine to prevent its transmission. Morgan Martin is studying the function of the HCV NS3 protease, an enzyme required for the hepatitis C virus to make copies of itself inside a cell. Morgan hopes to better understand how this interaction works, so she can identify potential ways to interfere with its functioning. This approach, known as protease inhibition, has already proven useful in drug treatment for HIV infection and may lead to new, effective interventions for hepatitis C.
The role of the integrin-linked kinase in intestinal inflammation
Affecting roughly one in 1,000 people in western populations, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions cause chronic inflammation of the large and small bowel and ultimately lead to severe tissue damage. Current therapies can relieve and treat symptoms, but neither a cause nor a cure has been established for these disorders. It is believed that integrin-linked kinase, an enzyme that is known to be responsible for a number of different cellular functions, may play a key role in IBD. Kuljit Parhar is investigating the role of integrin-linked kinase in regulating the chronically activated inflammatory response found in IBD. Learning about how the inflammatory response is regulated could lead to more effective treatments for IBD.
Identification and characterization of proteins that interact with the androgen receptor to modulate its activity
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. Advanced prostate cancer is often treated with androgen withdrawal therapy, which blocks the growth-promoting effects of androgens (such as testosterone). Unfortunately, while this treatment is initially effective in reducing prostate growth, the usual outcome is an untreatable, androgen-independent form of cancer, where the prostate gland grows without androgens. Latif Wafa is investigating how this change to androgen-independent growth occurs. He is focusing on the process in which androgen binds to a receptor that is essential to prostate growth and death. The receptor is believed to continue to have a role in prostate growth even when androgens are blocked. Latif is looking for possible genetic alterations to the receptors, as well as potential changes to other proteins that also interact with the receptors. Ultimately, he hopes to identify new molecular targets to block prostate growth in advanced cancer.
Pharmacogenetics of codeine metabolism to morphine in pediatric dental patients
Pharmacogenetics-the study of how genetic makeup affects an individual’s response to drugs-fascinates Evan Kwong. The field addresses the underlying causes of why drugs may affect people differently, bringing the study of genetics into a practical, clinical setting. In the future, having access to a patient’s genetic profile could help clinicians more quickly and accurately select the right therapy. Evan’s research focuses on the common painkiller codeine, which produces pain relief as it is metabolized into morphine by a liver enzyme. A genetic variation in 25 to 40 per cent of people of Chinese descent appears to be associated with decreased function of this liver enzyme. Evan hopes to determine whether people who carry this genetic variation metabolize codeine less effectively. With that knowledge, clinicians could offer other drugs that will be effective.
Effect of a training program on postural reflexes in individuals with chronic stroke: A randomized controlled study
Stroke is the number one cause of neurological disability in Canada. Following a stroke, people may experience paralysis, or loss of motor function, in the muscles controlling one side of the body. As a result, people with stroke can have difficulty maintaining balance when standing or walking. In fact, the incidence of falls among people who have had a stroke has been reported as high as 73 per cent within a six-month period following the stroke. Daniel Marigold is conducting the first study to assess whether an exercise program can improve the reflexes that control balance in people with chronic stroke. He will measure postural reflexes before and after a 10-week training program to see if they improve. Study participants will stand on a large platform, which suddenly moves under their feet. A harness will prevent people from falling and electrodes will measure muscle activity. If this study shows improvement in postural reflexes with training, an exercise program could be implemented in the community to help people with chronic stroke.