UNews - Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:03:15 +0000

Summer time usually gives high school students a break from learning, but six local students have spent most of their summer getting educated about research instead.

The Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) program, funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), gives students in Grade 11 the chance to spend six weeks participating in health-related scientific research labs and research centres at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Grace Forster, who will be entering Grade 12 at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in September, is one of six HYRS students at the U of L this summer. She applied to the HYRS program because she enjoys the sciences and thought the program would help her find out if she enjoys laboratory work and whether she wants to study science after high school.

She began working in Dr. Gerlinde Metz’s lab on July 8, analyzing data from a research study into the effects of travel stress on mice.

“We do a lot of stress research in the Metz lab. One of the things that isn’t typically controlled very well is shipment stress,” says Forster. “Almost every laboratory gets animals shipped because most don’t have the capacity to maintain breeding colonies that will be big enough. We’re essentially looking at how shipment stress affects basic motor function in adult mice.”

To gauge motor function, Forster took measurements of stride length, distance between the hind feet and rotation of the feet in a sample of travel-stressed mice. These measurements were compared to those gathered from a sample of mice bred in house. Forster spent the first three or four weeks completing the data set, which involved a lot of painstaking hand measurements.

“We found that the shipment-stressed animals had significantly shorter stride lengths, which indicates they would have less postural stability and slower walking speeds,” says Forster. “They would respond differently to the behaviour and motor tests.”

The results show that findings from research studies could be skewed if both in-house mice and shipment-stressed mice are used in the same project. Forster says the results point to a need to use only one kind of mouse in a research project to ensure consistency.

During the HYRS program, Forster helped out with a variety of other projects, too. She learned how to handle mice, weigh pups and mothers and measure their body circumference. In addition, the HYRS students took part in educational tours, attended brown bag lunches with panels and presentations, and heard from university professors and university students about their scientific careers.

“We had the opportunity to visit the gross anatomy lab in Calgary (the cadaver lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary medical school), which was very interesting,” she says. “That was one of the coolest experiences.”

The HYRS students also had some fun — Forster’s favourite activity was The Great Escape, a live-action, escape-the-room adventure.

She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HYRS program to other high school students.

“I don’t think there’s anything else like this program that can give high school students the type of experience in the sciences that can make an impact on their university education or their careers,” she says.

Other HYRS students at the U of L include Eyram Asem, a Winston Churchill High School (WCHS) student, who worked in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s lab and Kai Bailey, from Chinook High School, who worked in Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab. Kate Chua, from Catholic Central High School (CCHS), spent time in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab and Anileen Pageni, a WCHS student, worked in Dr. Ute Kothe’s lab. Daniel Rocca, a student from CCHS, worked in Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab.

U of L researcher to investigate tinnitus through funding from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

caroline.zentner — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 20:02:27 +0000

Dr. Michael Kyweriga, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Majid Mohajerani’s lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, will be able to build understanding of tinnitus thanks to a postgraduate fellowship from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

Tinnitus, a condition in which a person hears constant ringing, buzzing or hissing noises, often occurs as a result of hearing loss or from prolonged exposure to loud noises such as gunfire, sirens or loud music. Approximately three per cent of the population has chronic tinnitus although that’s expected to increase as more people listen to loud music and videos on their personal devices. Kyweriga became interested in tinnitus during his time in the United States Navy.

“One of my jobs as a hospital corpsman was to give marines hearing tests,” he says. “I noticed a lot of them complained about ringing in their ears, or tinnitus, and hearing loss, especially those who were five or 10 years into their service.”

Kyweriga, who was born in Winnipeg into a military family, joined the U.S. Navy a couple of years after finishing high school. At the time, his father, a member of the Canadian Air Force, decided to retire in Montana. Green card in hand, Kyweriga enlisted for five years beginning in 1997. He trained to become a hospital corpsman, a job that entails providing emergency treatment for combat injuries. In the process of his training, he became fascinated by the brain-body connection.

“Even before I was honourably discharged from the Navy, I knew I wanted to go to college and be a neuroscientist some day,” he says.

Given the frequency with which military personnel were affected by tinnitus, Kyweriga thought it would be a fruitful topic of research. The American Tinnitus Association indicates tinnitus is the leading cause of disability of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, with more than $1 billion paid out in claims in 2009. Tinnitus is also one of the top reasons for disability pension claims by current and former male RCMP members.

“Hearing loss and tinnitus, especially, are major health issues and the costs are expected to keep increasing,” he says.

People with tinnitus can have difficulty concentrating to the point it interferes with their job and other daily activities. Playing other sounds to mask the ringing seems to be the only way to get a measure of relief.

“There’s no cure or effective treatment right now. Antidepressants, white noise, reduce your stress — those are really the only things you can do for tinnitus,” he says. “We don’t understand fully how it works and that’s where I want to go with my research.”

In tinnitus, the brain perceives a sound where none has been created. The brain’s auditory cortex is laid out much like a keyboard. When a particular frequency is damaged, the neighbouring regions remap the cortex, which is likely why, when the two-kilohertz (kHz) region is damaged for example, the three-kHz region remaps over it and one hears a sound at three kHz. Researchers suspect remapping is why the ringing sounds are a half-octave above the damaged frequency but Kyweriga plans to test this hypothesis.

After completing his doctorate at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oregon, Kyweriga searched for a fellowship position. Impressed by scientists like Mohajerani, Drs. Bruce McNaughton and Bryan Kolb, the tools and techniques available at the U of L and the multicultural, collaborative working environment he’d be joining, Kyweriga came to the U of L last year. He was elated to learn he’d been granted an award from Alberta Innovates worth $50,000 over three years, along with a $5,000 stipend per year for equipment and travel to conferences.

Given researchers know exposure to loud noises causes changes in the auditory cortex of the brain, Kyweriga will be working with mice to see if the changes cause tinnitus and whether the changed areas can be manipulated to alleviate tinnitus.

“I really think this is going to lead to a better understanding of what’s going on in the mouse brain, and the results may translate to the general public,” he says, adding he hopes his research will ultimately lead to medical treatments and interventions that will alleviate tinnitus for people and especially those who go into harm’s way. “I really want to thank our men and women in uniform by helping to reduce their suffering.”

High school students get a jump on research at the U of L

caroline.zentner — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:52:40 +0000

Six local high school students have been learning their way around ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research labs this summer through the Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) program.

Sally Xu uses a pipette in Dr. Ute Kothe's lab as part of her work in the HYRS program.

The HYRS program gives high school students who are entering Grade 12 an intensive six-week experience conducting scientific research in a university lab. Along with the U of L, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary participate in the program.

For Sally Xu, who will be entering her senior year at Winston Churchill High School this fall, the HYRS program came highly recommended by her older sister.

“I really like biology and chemistry and I thought it would be a great learning experience,” she says.

Xu has been working on a project that involves an enzyme called TrmA.

“It is seen in breast cancer and in future applications we want to see if there’s any effect of the TrmA enzyme in breast cancer and if we can find any connections,” says Xu.

“The HYRS program is really fabulous because it’s not only a research experience, the program really provides a lot of resources behind the scenes,” says Dr. Ute Kothe, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “They get the research experience from us but they also get overall science experience and see the facilities, talk to researchers and get career advice. From my perspective it’s just wonderful to have these young students in the lab because it really shows you that motivation is everything.”

The students also become ambassadors for the program and help demystify the work that’s being done in research labs.

The HYRS program gave Tiffany Dang, another student entering Grade 12 at Winston Churchill High School, the chance to get back into the lab after being part of the Lethbridge high school iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team.

“I love the HYRS program because it allows me to get such great lab experience and I’m with a wonderful group of people. It’s just a great environment to be in,” says Dang.

Dang explains her project in this video, Sixty Second Science, by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

She’s working in Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab in the chemistry and biochemistry department. Her project involves testing a group of enzymes called GTPases. These enzymes regulate many cell processes and Dang wants to see how they affect cell fitness in stress conditions.

“We have participated in HYRS for at least five years. It’s a great opportunity to get lab experience in a real lab setting,” says Wieden. “We have had students significantly contributing to the research activity.”

Another four HYRS students are getting experience in neuroscience labs. Emily Milder (Catholic Central High School) is working in Dr. Ian Whishaw’s lab, Shannon Healy (Lethbridge Collegiate Institute) is working in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab, Lindsay Amatto (Catholic Central High School) is working in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s lab and Nathaniel Bly (Lethbridge Collegiate Institute) is getting experience in Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab.

The students will be illustrating their work over the summer at an open house and poster presentation on Friday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. in Markin Hall.

The HYRS program is funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, with additional funding from the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Students must have at least an 85 per cent average in biology 20 and mathematics 20, and 85 per cent in one additional science. Of the 211 students who applied, 50 were selected to participate. In addition to hands-on research in the lab, the students attend guest lectures and professional development sessions as part of the HYRS program.

Currie sees change on the horizon

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 15:56:43 +0000

Dr. Cheryl Currie awaited the release of the 2014 United Nations report on the human rights situation of Indigenous peoples in Canada with tremendous interest. An assistant professor of public health at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the recently appointed Translational Health Chair in Aboriginal Health and Wellness with Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), the findings of the UN study were significant for Currie in a way that only someone who has dedicated her professional life to partnering with Aboriginal people to improve health can appreciate.

The U of L's Translational Health Chair in Aboriginal Health and Wellness, Dr. Cheryl Currie, is determined to help narrow the well-being gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

The contents of the report weren’t a surprise. Currie is aware the well-being gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada is not narrowing. Yet despite the UN’s findings (or perhaps partly because of them) Currie is convinced that the lives of Canada’s Indigenous people are on the precipice of change – that the climate for collaboration between all interested parties is highly favourable, and that research and education in the area of Aboriginal health and well-being are set to take off in an impactful way.

Currie herself is determined to help make change happen.

As the Translational Health Chair with AIHS, Currie will work side-by-side with Indigenous Canadians to understand issues surrounding Aboriginal wellness, and develop evidence-based interventions that address community-identified areas in both rural and urban environments.

“If we’re going to adequately address issues of health and well-being, we need to first know where to focus our attention,” says Currie. “Where are the gaps in knowledge? Where are the gaps in service? The UN report clearly states we are not making the strides we should be toward improving the well-being of Indigenous Canadians. In my new position I will be working to address these gaps.”

Currie’s research for AIHS will focus on three main areas: 1) developing evidence-based interventions that address mental health, substance use, suicide and other issues identified by communities, 2) developing a more robust understanding of the determinant of Aboriginal health, and 3) emphasizing interventions that promote the strengths of Aboriginal peoples and communities.

Currie says the key to more effective solution finding is to change our perception of the problem.

“It’s as though the non-Aboriginal population has been holding a mirror up and telling Indigenous populations to look at themselves and make changes. What we need to do at this point is turn the mirror around. What are non-Aboriginal people doing to perpetuate the problems and obstacles that Aboriginal people continue to face? What can Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians do together to improve the situation?”

Currie’s passion for Indigenous wellness was ignited while working with urban and rural Aboriginal communities in both Manitoba and Ontario during her training at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba. She went on to earn a PhD in public health at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, focused on protective and resilience factors for health within urban-based Aboriginal populations. Currie became an assistant professor at the U of L in 2012, and was awarded the AIHS Chair position in 2014.

Currie says that the U of L is exactly where she wants to be because the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s commitment to Aboriginal initiatives has been stalwart from the start.

“The U of L has a strong interest and focus on Indigenous peoples and communities, both currently and historically,” says Currie. She’s thrilled about the new Aboriginal health degree program that will launch in the Faculty of Health Sciences in September 2015, and believes the U of L can play a key role in building partnerships and strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities nationwide.

Two published studies by Currie indicate that there’s a long way to go toward equalizing opportunities and overall wellness for Aboriginal people. Her research highlights the protective impacts of Aboriginal cultural continuity on health. Her research also indicates that discrimination directed toward Indigenous people in Canada is extremely high, and that the trauma of these ongoing experiences impacts mental health and results in considerable psychological distress. Still, Currie believes that change is possible and the climate in Canada is now ripe for it.

“It’s time to start looking at factors that contribute to Aboriginal wellness; to take the “risk factor” approach we’ve utilized in the past, flip it around and highlight things that actually have a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous people,” says Currie. “This is an exciting time. The stage is set for change, and I’m ready to go to work.”

Wieden named Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures Bioengineering Chair

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 20:48:46 +0000

Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF) has named Dr. Hans Joachim Wieden as the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE) Chair of Bioengineering.

AITF’s $2-million investment, over five years, further enables Wieden’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research team to study how biological systems can be engineered to achieve breakthroughs in materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, health and nanoscience.

“We are proud that world-class research will be done in Lethbridge, and excited about the opportunities that it will create for Alberta students, companies and the economy,” says Deputy Premier and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Thomas Lukaszuk. “Support for this work is a great example of the government’s commitment to post-secondary research.”

The potential for discovery in the study of synthetic biology is virtually limitless.

Dr. HJ Wieden and his research team continue to push forward, advancing the study of biomolecular engineering and synthetic biology.

“The range of societal and commercial issues we can address through the advancement of biomolecular engineering and synthetic biology will only continue to expand as we go further,” says Wieden, the newly appointed Chair and current director of the Alberta RNA (Ribonucleic acid) Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) at the U of L.

Synthetic biologists focus on how biological systems can be engineered to achieve a new desired outcome.

“The U of L has identified RNA-based research as an emerging program of emphasis due to the work of several of our researchers,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice-President (Research), Dr. Dan Weeks.

Wieden’s team, for example, recently focused its research on the development of new antibiotics that may help to battle the growing resistance of disease-producing pathogens against currently used antibiotics.

The Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures funding is complemented by the recent introduction of research initiatives such as the Campus Alberta Innovation Program and the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions program, which have added to the breadth of research inquiry at the U of L.

“The ongoing potential of Dr. Wieden’s applied research supports our goal to grow the province’s research and innovation environment, and expand opportunities for economic diversification,” says Randy Goebel, Vice-President of iCORE and the Alberta Innovates Academy. “We look forward to continuing our support of Alberta’s leadership in bioengineering.”

Wieden's students have also benefitted from the support of geekStarter, another AITF-funded program. geekStarter helps student teams in nanotechnology, information and communications technology and omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and regulomics) achieve breakthroughs in research and innovation.

With the support of geekStarter, some of Wieden’s student teams have participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. They have since gone on to enter the workforce and, in at least one instance, become entrepreneurs in a related field.

“These students have developed a new way of detecting hormones and are patenting their technology for use in agricultural and medical research,” says Wieden. “The importance of creating teaching opportunities through basic and applied research programs cannot be overstated.”

About Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF)

Part of Alberta’s research and innovation system, Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures is helping build healthy, sustainable businesses in the province. Through a suite of programs and services for entrepreneurs, companies, researchers, post-secondary institutions and investors, Tech Futures provides technical services and funding support to facilitate the commercialization of technologies, to develop new knowledge-based industry clusters and help encourage an entrepreneurial culture in Alberta. Through the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE), Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures attracts top talent to Alberta to create multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams building research capabilities.

Exercise physiologists hold conference

trevor.kenney — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:44:51 +0000

Undergraduate and graduate students, along with some of the top exercise physiologists in western Canada, are at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge this week for the 6^th Annual Exercise Physiologists of Western Canada (EPOWC) conference.

Delving into issues such as the prevention of osteoporosis and optimizing physical capacity in obese adults, the conference is a student-focused event that invites undergraduate and graduate students from universities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to present their research work in a supportive and constructive environment. It also serves to expose students to the work of leading researchers in exercise physiology and allows opportunities for networking and the development of collaborative relationships.

The two-day event begins Thursday, Aug. 9 with a pair of talks that are open to the general public and feature two of the top exercise physiologists in western Canada.

Dr. Phil Chilibeck of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan presents Exercise and Nutritional Strategies for Prevention of Osteoporosis at 4 p.m. in Markin Hall (M1040). His talk will focus on the best exercises to build bone during growth and throughout the lifespan, based on biomechanical, physiological and clinical evidence. The talk will also cover the best types of exercises for building bone, preventing falls and preventing fracture in people who already have osteoporosis.

Dr. Danielle Bouchard of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba follows with a presentation titled Increasing Physical Capacity in Obese Older adults: Is Weight Loss the Solution? The talk begins at 5 p.m. in M1040.

The second day of the conference, Friday, Aug. 10, features the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Tom Hazell as he discusses Time Effective Training: How Far Can Short Bouts of Intense Exercise Go in Improving Fitness? His talk, at 2:30 p.m. in M1040, will focus on the acute and chronic effects of sprint-interval training on metabolism and body composition.

Also featured is Dr. Michael Koehle of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia, who will present High Altitude Research from the Field to the Laboratory at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.

The keynote presentations are sponsored by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

For a full look at the EPOWC conference, access the website at http://www.uleth.ca/artsci/kinesiology/exercise-physiologists-western-canada

Grad students honoured

trevor.kenney — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:00:59 +0000

When the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research Services handed out their Research Excellence awards recently, there were no trophies, only cold hard cash to the tune of more than $700,000, which was shared by 36 student recipients of graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies awards.

The investment in research funding directed toward candidates in masters and doctoral programs is critical to help grow the U of L's research programs and its place as a comprehensive research university.

"These creative and highly intelligent people are the researchers of tomorrow. They are already working on world-class projects right here in Lethbridge, and this competitive funding shows that our graduate-level candidates are very successful in obtaining scarce research dollars at a national level," says Dr. Robert Wood, the Interim Head of the School of Graduate Studies.

The research funding was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Alberta-based agencies Alberta Ingenuity Fund, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, the Alberta Cancer Foundation, and the Alberta government-funded Ralph Steinhauer Awards of Distinction.

There were also several new awards, including an Alberta Award for the Study of Human Rights and Multiculturalism won by Health Sciences master's candidate Ruksana Rashid. As well, more than $50,000 was received from three separate funds by chemistry and biochemistry candidate Cassandra Churchill.

A complete listing of all recipients can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website: www.uleth.ca/sgs

Grad students honoured

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:09:52 +0000

A complete listing of all recipients can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website: www.uleth.ca/sgs

UNews - Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

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