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SASKATOON听鈥撎鼵reating artificial听substitutes for听human听tissue and听organs,听discovering the best diet to听help听bacteria听break down听oil spills, and听using high-powered computing to develop听next-generation听materials听are听some of the听University of Saskatchewan听(USask)听projects made possible by new research infrastructure funded by听the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).听
Seven听USask research teams听have been awarded听more than $1.2 million from the CFI听John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)听for听labs and equipment听used in听leading-edge research.听
鈥淭his听major听federal funding听will听advance exciting discoveries our researchers are making in areas ranging from agriculture to quantum physics,鈥澨齭aid Vice-President Research Karen Chad.听鈥淭his investment in our research capacity will pay long-term dividends for Canadians and help us retain and attract outstanding researchers.鈥澨�
More than half the funding will support research into听environmental听sustainability听and听agriculture:听
路听听听听听听听听 Improving crop productivity by using isotopes to analyze soil.听USask听agriculture researchers Bobbi Helgason, Melissa Arcand and Kate Congreves will use stable isotopes (naturally occurring forms of elements) to study how plants exchange carbon and nutrients with microbes and the soil. This research will help producers use fertilizers more efficiently and soil more sustainably, leading to more productive and profitable farms and improved environmental health.听听
路听听听听听听听听 Enriching microbe diets to better digest oil spills. USask soil science researchers Steven Siciliano and Leon Kochian will identify the fatty acids and phosphorous compounds best suited to stimulate soil microbes for munching up hydrocarbons and minimize the amount of petroleum remaining in soil after spills. Siciliano鈥檚 previous work eliminated more than 90 per cent of gasoline and diesel at six polluted sites.听
路听听听听听听听听 Creating alternative methods of insect management. Using new specialized, highly controlled insect research facilities, USask entomologist Sean Prager will examine how plants, insects, and microbes interact. By examining species not native or common to Canada that threaten Canadian crops, Prager will develop new methods of pest management and resistant plant varieties in advance of any need.听
Other projects will support research into human health and听developing new materials:听
路听听听听听听听听 Using super computers to simulate new materials.听USask听mathematics researcher Steven Rayan will use high-performance computing to simulate materials which have not yet been discovered in nature鈥斺�渜uantum鈥� materials.听The results will lead to new quantum computing solutions for data security, drug design, and medical imaging.听
路听听听听听听听听 Printing scaffolds with living cells to repair tissue/organs injuries.听USask听engineering researcher鈥疍aniel Chen鈥痑nd his collaborators will use living cells to create scaffolds鈥攁rtificial substitutes for tissue and organs. The scaffolds could be used to treat injuries such as heart attacks, cartilage injuries, and tooth and bone defects, instead of relying on organ and tissue donors.听
路听听听听听听听听 Imaging inflammatory bowel disease with novel ultrasound microbubbles. USask biomedical researcher鈥疭teven Machtaler鈥痺ill develop non-invasive and inexpensive imaging tools to more effectively detect and treat inflammatory bowel disease using molecular imaging鈥攁 specialized technique鈥痺hich can be used to visualize specific proteins involved in the immune response.鈥疢icrobubbles,听about one-twentieth听the width of a human hair, are an ultrasound contrast agent鈥痶hat can be modified to stick to markers of inflammation.鈥疌anada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease in the world鈥攐ne in 150 people are affected鈥攁nd currently available tools cannot always accurately identify and monitor disease location and severity.听
路听听听听听听听听 Using new, automated molecular techniques to identify toxic chemicals and understand cannabinoid drugs.听听USask听toxicology researcher Michael Wu and pharmacologist Robert Laprairie will use the same new highly specialized automated microscopy equipment for entirely separate projects: to understand how certain chemicals are toxic to humans and animals (Wu) and to analyze how cannabinoid drugs act at the molecular level (Laprairie).听The results could have major implications for potential health effects of a broad range of environmental chemicals (with direct biomedical and regulatory impacts), and lead to novel drugs for conditions such as pain and epilepsy.听
The CFI funds 40 per cent of the total $3 million in costs for the seven projects.听The remaining 60 per cent is being sought from other public and private sources. The name of this CFI fund pays tribute to the outstanding contributions of John Evans, the first chair of the CFI鈥檚 board of directors and Order of Canada recipient.听
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