Innovation Saskatchewan awards $1M to USask research projects
Developing new therapies for the HIV virus, creating artificial substitutes for human tissue and organs, and predicting cyberattacks are some of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) research projects made possible through Innovation Saskatchewan’s Innovation and Science Fund (ISF).
By USASK RESEARCH PROFILE and IMPACT AND INNOVATION SASKATCHEWANNine USask projects have been awarded a total of more than $1 million through the ISF, which promotes excellence in research at Saskatchewan’s post-secondary institutions and associated non-profit research institutes, leverages federal funding, and fosters economic growth and quality of life through innovation.
“Each of the projects selected has the potential to benefit people across our province,” said Innovation Saskatchewan Minister Tina Beaudry Mellor in a Government of Saskatchewan news release.
“Our investment helps provincial institutions leverage additional project funding from other sources. In this case, that means an additional $3.4 million, bringing the total project investment over the next two years to nearly $5.2 million.”
The federal funding partner for the USask research and development projects is the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
“The innovative ideas put forward by our outstanding researchers and their teams are world class,” said USask Vice-President Research Karen Chad. “It is impressive to see the creativity that is necessary, not only to compete for funding at the national level, but to find solutions for what are very complex scientific and societal problems the world faces.”
The USask projects awarded funding are:
Biofabrication lab for tissue engineering innovation
Project Leader: Dr. Daniel Chen (PhD), Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering.
The research will focus on tissue engineering, which means fabricating tissue and organ substitutes that can be implanted into patients to treat and repair tissue and organ injuries. Potential benefits include: treatment for heart attacks, cartilage injuries, tooth defects and bone defects.
Designing ultrasound microbubbles to image and treat inflammatory bowel disease
Project Leader: Dr. Steven Machtaler (PhD), Department of Medical Imaging, College of Medicine.
Genetic and environmental factors can disrupt the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in inflammation and disease. In humans this results in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a life‑long ailment that affects one in 150 Canadians. Potential benefits of this research include the design of new, non-invasive, imaging contrast agents for detecting inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and for potential treatments.
Using automated molecular techniques to identify toxic chemicals and understand cannabinoid drugs
Project Leader: Dr. Michael Wu (PhD), Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Robert Laprairie (PhD), College of Pharmacy and Nutrition.
Provides equipment to study the toxicity of environmental chemicals, such as pesticides, and search for therapeutic compounds/drugs that can enhance biological resistance towards chemicals. This includes research into the biological effects of cannabis and development of future cannabinoid-based medicines.
Developing new therapies for HIV-1
Project Leader: Dr. Linda Chelico (PhD), Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine.
The research will focus on how human and HIV virus proteins interact with each other, using equipment to help design and develop new ways to treat this disease. The research is unique because this will lead to a therapeutic compound that can use the body’s own defences—a key goal in the medical field.
For more USask projects, visit the university's news site.