Ras proteins act as molecular switches that control functions including growth and movement of all cells. They also play a role in causing almost one-third of human cancers. Several families of proteins, including smgGDS, regulate Ras activity. Genetic changes leading to the production of an abnormal form of smgGDS are a characteristic of certain leukeumias. As well, too much smgGDS in cells leads to their transformation into cancer cells. Dr. Peter Schubert is determining the detailed structure of smgGDS and identifying parts of the protein that activate Ras proteins. The research should provide basic information necessary for designing drugs to block the action of smgGDS in leukemia.
Year: 2001
Development and testing of a client specific wheelchair mobility outcome measure
Wheelchairs that don’t fit properly can cause discomfort, medical complications and limit people from getting around. Despite the fact that more than 150,000 Canadians rely on wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility, research in this area is often overlooked. While working as an occupational therapist in a long-term care facility, Dr. Bill Miller recognized the lack of tools for assessing and measuring people’s ability to function in wheelchairs, and is now developing a specific tool for this purpose. He hopes the tool will ultimately improve quality of life for wheelchair users. In the longer term his goal is to be a leader in mobility disability research, with a special focus on issues pertaining to older adults who use wheelchairs.
Domestic violence victims’ appraisals of future risk: The Impact of trauma symptoms on the accuracy of risk appraisals and safety planning
Research suggests spouse abuse victims, particularly those experiencing severe psychological trauma, may underestimate their risk for future violence from their partners and, therefore, be less likely to engage in safety planning. Dr. Tonia Nicholls is advancing that research by examining how psychological, social and environmental factors impact women's appraisals of risk of future abuse and ultimately, their willingness to seek help. Nicholls will contrast the subjective risk appraisals of battered women with objective risk appraisals made with structured risk assessment measures. The goal is to increase awareness among service providers about the factors related to victims' minimization of risk and improve risk management with former batterers at risk for relapsing into abusive behaviour. She also hopes the research will result in effective methods for educating women about their partners' level of risk and encourage victims to engage in safety planning and/or treatment.
Developing an effective and efficient health care delivery system for Canadians at the end-of-life
In the mid-eighties, while working as a palliative care nurse, Dr. Kelli Stajduhar cared for a young man dying from AIDS. A few years later, her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and died. Both received less than optimal care at the end of their lives. Stajduhar was profoundly affected by those experiences, which gave her a strong desire to examine ways to improve care and support for people at the end-of-life. Stajduhar’s PhD research focused on the provision of home-based care for people who are dying, and its impact on family caregivers. Her postdoctoral work aims to identify the elements needed for an effective, efficient, comprehensive and coordinated system of health care for Canadians who have come to that point in their lives. Ultimately, Stajduhar would like to advance health policy on end-of-life care.
The effects of Sexualized Images and Stress on Body Image and Dieting: An Evolutionary Perspective
Why are so many women preoccupied with being thin? And why does this pre-occupation lead to eating disorders in certain women? Dr. Catherine Salmon is addressing these questions in her research by exploring the theory that pre-occupation for thinness and dieting could be part of an ancestral practice of exercising control over reproduction. Research has shown that females facing social or ecological conditions that are unfavourable for childbearing can sometimes delay reproduction until the situation improves. One way of doing this has been by reducing body fat to suppress ovulation. Salmon is exploring the notion that in modern society, women continuously experience cues indicating a poor environment for reproduction, such as high levels of competition between females and stressful sexual attention. Salmon hopes that learning more about these factors underlying body image and dieting will lead to more appropriate interventions for eating disorders.
First Nations Metaphors of Health and Trauma
Drawing from decade-long work experience as a pediatric nurse with children and adolescents in crisis, and academic work in developmental psychology, comparative literature and analysis of narratives, Dr. Ulrich Teucher is studying cross-cultural differences in young people’s sense of identity and concepts of health. Teucher hopes the research, which involves visiting remote First Nations communities, will improve understanding of these differences and provide a clearer view of what good health means to First Nations youth. This may provide new insights into reasons for the high rate of suicide and among First Nations youth and contribute to better methods of assisting those at high-risk for this behaviour.
Mechanisms and functions of activin/nodal signaling in early embryogenesis
We all start as a single cell, which divides and eventually forms the body. A great deal of cell communication goes into making decisions about this body plan. My research examines how cells communicate with one another during embryonic development. The body plan is set up by organizing centres, or groups of cells that dictate signals to other parts of the early embryo. Two centres have been identified in mammals: the anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) coordinates the development of the head, and the node arranges the trunk into front, back, left and right. The way these organizing centres control growth of the embryo, and the cell-to-cell signalling involved in the process, are poorly understood. The same signalling systems used in creating an embryo break down during cancer. Ultimately, if we can identify what happens under normal circumstances, we can better understand what goes wrong with signalling pathways during the development of cancer or congenital defects. The results of my research also have implications for stem cell research. Stem cells have the potential to differentiate into various types of cells. If we can determine the signals that cause particular cells to become liver, brain or kidney cells during embryonic development, researchers should be able to cue stem cells to differentiate into specific cell types.
Prevention of falls and hip fractures in the elderly through biomechanics
Falls are the number one cause of injury-related deaths and hospitalizations in Canada. Among the elderly, falls account for 84 per cent of all injuries and about 23,000 hip fractures annually. Reducing the frequency and severity of these injuries is a critical national health priority, and one that my research team is approaching from several angles. In one approach, we are using laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling to study age-related changes in posture and balance along with strategies for avoiding injury in the event of a fall. In another approach, we are determining how movement patterns and risk for falls are affected by physiological factors, such as muscle strength and vision, and by behavioural factors, such as risk-taking tendencies. On the applied side, the team is working to develop devices such as hip pads, compliant floors and exercise programs to help prevent fractures. This combination of basic and applied efforts should lead to the development of innovative and effective techniques to prevent falls and fall-related fractures in the elderly.
Brain and behaviour: mechanisms of human attention in patient and healthy populations
Attention problems are a major source of disability associated with a wide range of disorders, including autism, stroke and schizophrenia. In British Columbia alone, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year by the health system for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with disorders of attention. And this does not take into account the additional costs for the education system or the toll on patients and families. I am studying the brain mechanisms underlying our attention processes and comparing how these processes affect perception and action in healthy children and adults, and those who have attention disorders. My research team is using behavioural and neuropsychological assessments, combined with advanced imaging technologies, to reveal brain processes involved in different attention tasks and behaviours. New knowledge about how the brain works in these activities will help in understanding and possibly developing better treatment and rehabilitation options for people with attention disorders.
Family influence in pediatric chronic pain and disability
Up to 15 per cent of school-aged children and adolescents suffer from chronic pain conditions such as recurrent headaches and abdominal pain. Children with chronic pain frequently miss considerable amounts of school, do not participate in athletic and social activities, and suffer depression or anxiety. The family plays an important role in influencing how children learn to deal with pain, but little is known about how this learning occurs. My research will identify how families influence children’s responses to pain. I will compare studies of children between the ages of eight and 15 with chronic pain and disability with pain-free children and their parents. The research will examine how families interpret pain symptoms, how parents make decisions about their children’s complaints of pain, parents’ thoughts about their children’s pain, and parent-child behaviour during pain episodes. In addition, I am studying how health care providers and parents assess pain in children and the tools that we use with children to measure pain. My research will also explore the relationship between sleep disturbances and chronic pain in children, an area of research that has been overlooked until now. The results of these research studies will help family members and health care providers better manage children’s pain, and will help improve treatment and prevention of disabling pain in children.