In Canada, there are over 50,000 new strokes reported every year. The prevalence and severity of subsequent upper limb disability is increasing and the prospect of complete recovery is poor. Stroke survivors who lack early indicators of a good prognosis, such as movement at the shoulder or wrist, are considered unlikely to regain much arm function through rehabilitation. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that untapped recovery potential may be better assessed from brain scans.
This project will create a data set that sheds light on 'who recovers' and 'who does not recover' by examining how the severely damaged brain changes over the first year post stroke. A series of brain scans and clinical tests of motor recovery will be performed for fifty adults with severe upper limb impairment after their first stroke. Their upper limb use during training and real world settings will also be documented.
This research will support the development of personalized training approaches that maximize functional recovery following stroke.
A primary and often fatal consequence of stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other brain insults is edema: an increase in brain tissue water content. Cytotoxic edema is a component of this process and occurs when excess ions and water enter across the neuronal plasma membrane -the semi-permeable barrier separating the intra- and extracellular space. This increase in cell volume causes membrane swelling and ultimately results in cell death. 
Malnutrition in early life underlies almost half of all child deaths globally and has long-term negative effects on education and productivity. HIV infection further compounds these effects in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily use of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole (CTX) to prevent infections in HIV-infected children. In addition to reducing deaths from infections, CTX also improves growth, possibly by changing the population of "good" microbes in the intestines.
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research/The Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease with fatal outcomes usually within a few years following diagnosis. The progressive degeneration of the nerve cells responsible for muscle movement leads to muscle wasting and paralysis, and eventually restricts breathing. The cause of ALS is unknown and probably includes a number of external factors.
Tobacco, alcohol and other substance use disorders (SUD) are among the most important risk factors for the global burden of disease, with a 38 percent increase in global burden of the disease from substance use in the 20 years between 1990 and 2010, mainly driven by increased drug use (57 percent) and alcohol use (32 percent). The tobacco consumption is also worrisome considering the highest incidence of smoking is among men in low and middle income countries (LMIC), and that in the poorest LMIC households, 10 percent of the total income is spent on tobacco, to the detriment of consumption of healthy food and other essential elements for the health of the whole family.
Reptiles replace their teeth continuously throughout life, as did early mammals, whereas modern mammals do not. If the ability for continual tooth renewal is latent in the mammalian genome, there is potential for the ability to regenerate and replace human dental tissues or whole teeth. This project will use an animal model (the leopard gecko) to seek the triggers that recruit the stem cells that are presumed to initiate replacement teeth.
Long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTRR) are the relics of parasitic DNA sequences that are present in the genomes of all mammals, making up about 8 percent of the human genome. They are usually inactive due to chemical modification of their DNA or of the proteins that bind to them. However, certain LTRR are active in specific tissue types and are thought to influence the activity of nearby gene sequences. LTRR are particularly active in the cells that give rise to eggs and sperm and in the early embryo, as well as in cancer cells.
This work will investigate three aspects of the role that the immune cells of the brain (microglia) play in stroke — a disease affecting more than 50,000 Canadians every year. First, it will characterize the acute reaction of microglia to low oxygen levels. Second, it will analyze the molecular mechanism by which microglia extend filopodia, thin actin-rich protrusions essential for their role in sensing brain damage. Third, it will examine how microglia, unlike other types of brain cells, can retain their highly dynamic function for several hours in the complete absence of glucose, widely considered as essential for brain energy.