Canada Leads on Brain Repair
Head injuries, strokes, and tumors often lead to long-term brain damage, which can result in neuronal loss and a wide range of disabilities, such as reduced mobility, memory loss, or impaired reasoning. A recently launched project initiated by the National Research Council Canada’s Institute for Biological Sciences (NRC-IBS) is seeking to develop brain repair methods that can confront these all-too common problems head on.
“Injury, stroke, and tumor excision all leave behind a cavity in the brain,” explains Dr. Mahmud Bani, a researcher at the Institute and an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine. “The larger the cavity, the greater the number of neurons affected.”
Ten weeks after receiving a neuro-scaffold, a mouse brain (right) shows more tissue regeneration than a brain that did not receive the implant. The neuro-scaffold was designed by Dr. Abdellah Ajji of the NRC Industrial Materials Institute in Montreal.
The human brain can reorganize itself in response to an injury by mobilizing neural stem cells toward the damaged site to fill the gap, but the brain’s capacity for self-repair is limited. As a result, researchers around the world are looking for ways to further activate the brain’s own stem cells or implant stem cells from external sources to repair brain damage.
In the NRC-IBS project, which was initiated by Dr. Marianna Sikorska and led by Dr. Bani, the NRC team is developing brain repair methods involving “neuro-scaffolds.” These are bio-compatible, bio-degradable polymers, which can be seeded with stem cells and then implanted into the injured part of the brain.
“Why not inject stem cells directly into the brain?” asks Dr. Bani. “It’s because injected cells rarely develop a functional connection with the damaged host tissue or facilitate tissue reconstruction.” But with the help of a neuro-scaffold, he says, stem cell-derived neurons can be held in place until they grow and attach to the surrounding brain tissue.
So far, the research team has successfully implanted neuro-scaffolds containing neural stem and progenitor cells from mouse embryos into adult mice, and has seen “very nice neural regeneration.” However, Dr. Bani and his colleagues would prefer to repair brain injuries using a more accessible source of human stem cells, one that lacks major ethical concerns, such as amniotic fluid. “The benefit of amniotic fluid cells is you can deliver proteins called ‘neurotrophic’ factors to the brain,” he says. “You can also genetically program amniotic fluid cells and utilize them to deliver a range of beneficial factors to the brain.”
Toward this goal, the team has implanted neuro-scaffolds containing human amniotic fluid cells into brain-injured mice, with some success. “We are making progress at protecting injured brain cells from dying as well as enhancing motor recovery,” says Dr. Bani. “However, in terms of regenerating neurons in the damaged region, our research is ongoing. We’re still trying to fine-tune our methods.”
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Dr. Dmitrii Perepichka.
Organic Nanoelectronics a Step Closer
McGill University Researchers Use Metal Crystal to Organize Organic Materials, Overcoming Key Stumbling Block
Although they can revolutionize a wide range of high-tech products such as computer displays or solar cells, organic materials do not have the same ordered chemical composition as inorganic materials, preventing scientists from using them to their full potential. But an international team of researchers led by Dr. Dmitrii Perepichka at Montreal’s McGill University and Dr. Federico Rosei at Quebec City’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique have published research that shows how to solve this decades-old chemical conundrum. The team has effectively discovered a way to order the molecules in PEDOT, a conducting polymer with huge potential for commercial and industrial applications.
Although Dr. Perepichka is quick to point out that the research is not directly applicable to products currently in the market, he gives the example of a possible use for the findings in computer chips. “It’s a well-known principle that the number of transistors in a computer chip doubles every two years,” he said, “but we are now reaching the physical limit. By using molecular materials instead of silicon semiconductor, we could one day build transistors that are ten times smaller than what currently exists.” The chips would in fact be only one molecule thick.
The technique sounds deceptively simple. The team used an inorganic material – a crystal of copper – as a template. When molecules are dropped onto the crystal, the crystal provokes a chemical reaction and creates a conducting polymer. By using a scanning probe microscope that enables them to see surfaces with atomic resolution, the researchers discovered that the polymers had imitated the order of the crystal surface. The team is currently only able to produce the reaction in one dimension, i.e. to make a string or line of molecules. The next step will be to add a second dimension in order to make continuous sheets (“organic graphite”) or electronic circuits.
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Photo of a supernova from the Hubble space telescope. Source: Wikimedia Commons/NASA.
Astronomers Discover “Defiant” New Supernova
An international team of astronomers, which includes representation from the University of Toronto’s Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, has uncovered a supernova whose origin cannot be explained by any previously known mechanism and which promises exciting new insights into stellar explosions.
SN2005E was first spotted on January 13, 2005, in the nearby galaxy NGC1032. Since then, scientists have carried out various observations of it using different telescopes, including the Keck, the world’s largest, at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Analysis of the collected data, theoretical modeling, and interpretation led to the conclusion that SN2005E was not a typical supernova.
Supernovae result from the collapse of very massive stars or by thermonuclear detonation on the surface of white dwarf stars composed mainly of carbon and oxygen.
“But this one, although it appears to be from a white dwarf system, is devoid of carbon and oxygen. Instead it’s rich in helium. It’s surprisingly different,” said the University of Toronto’s Dae-Sik Moon, a member of the team.
“The supernova explosion is the most energetic and brilliant event that happens in the universe,” says Dr. Moon. “It is rich with information, not only about how stars die, but [that helps understand] the origin of life and the expansion of the universe.” Most heavy elements are believed to be created in stars and spread through supernova explosions. Also, scientists use the brightness of supernovae to make estimates of the acceleration of the universe.
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Nature’s Crops International will build a biorefinery on PEI to process the oil from seed crops such as crambe.
PEI Biorefinery Could Help with Crop Rotation and Crop Waste
Farmers on Prince Edward Island are growing a new crop this season that could bring higher profits than the oats, barley, and other rotation crops grown in recent years. Last season, Nature’s Crops International (NCI) contracted about 30 farmers to grow crambe (pronounced cram-bee), a crop whose seeds produce an oil that’s in demand for cosmetics, polyesters, and plastics.
For NCI, growing crambe is the first step in a larger vision, which includes building a biorefinery on PEI to extract the oils from the crops, and working with the National Research Council Canada and its research partners to develop new products for health and wellness. The company’s presence could mean steady income for farmers, new jobs for Islanders, and a new source of health products such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
Several factors attracted the North Carolina-based company to PEI, including a cool, humid growing season that’s well suited to oilseed crops. Another essential component was the unique combination of nutrisciences expertise available from the NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health (NRC-INH), the University of Prince Edward Island, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
With $2.7 million in support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Atlantic Innovation Fund, researchers at the three organizations will help NCI find bioactive compounds in the material left over after the oil is removed. These compounds hold the promise of benefits ranging from heart health to neuroprotection and are expected to derive a new source of revenue for the company from what was previously considered a waste product.
“We’ve had nothing but really positive support from all the stakeholders to help deliver our plan, which isn’t just about growing crops, but also about relocating and constructing a refinery here,” says Andrew Hebard, President of NCI’s parent company Technology Crops International. “This is a real plus point for PEI in that there is strong cohesion among all the stakeholders to deliver the needs of a business like ours.”
To that end, crambe is just one of the crops the company plans to grow on PEI – others include calendula and borage. Calendula oil provides a non-toxic alternative to the volatile compounds found in paint, while borage oil is used as a nutraceutical and in cosmetics.
Although he doesn’t expect these crops to replace potatoes as a PEI staple, NCI’s General Manager Steve Howatt says they are ideal as rotational crops. “For growers who haven’t been able to make reasonable profits from wheat, barley, or oats, this gives them another option that can provide real value to the farm,” he says. Oilseed crops tend to be low users of fertilizers and pesticides and add diversity to a farm’s crop cycle, as well as economic stability. “If we don’t have a buyer for a product, we don’t contract out to grow it.”
For a 2009 pilot project, farmers grew more than 1,000 acres of crambe for NCI. “We hope to be up to several thousand acres of crops [in 2010],” says Howatt.
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Aquaman Move Over: “Aquabot” Shows its Six-Legged Stuff at the G20
The world’s attention was on Toronto for the G20 summit last month, offering an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Canadian achievements. To underscore Canada’s high-tech economy, a select group of innovators, including a McGill University robotics team led by Gregory Dudek, was invited to participate.
Accompanied by doctoral students Junaed Sattar and Anqi Xu, Dr. Dudek demonstrated the talents of the AQUA2 robot, the only one of its kind in the world.
The six-legged AQUA2 can do what no other robot can do: it can walk on land, swim, and walk on the bottom of a body of water. Where other robots use thrusters, this robot swims by using its legs. A variety of sensors allow it to estimate its position and navigate.
AQUA2 has gone through several versions, each one more compact and versatile than the last. Custom electronics enable it to gather and transmit data at high speeds.
“I was thrilled to have this opportunity to tell the world’s journalists about my work,” said Dr. Dudek. “Our robot has multiple uses in growth areas, such as environmental protection, infrastructure management, and even security.”
In addition to the development of amphibious and underwater robots, Dr. Dudek’s research focuses on sensing for robots, including looking for solutions to the complex problem of creating a robot capable of knowing where it is, accurately navigating around obstacles, and detecting interesting objects.
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Canada Foundation for Innovation Practises Called World’s Best
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure, is the most successful research funding organization of its kind in the world, according to an internationally renowned panel of experts, who made their findings known last spring.
“The panel is unanimously of the view that the CFI’s record of achievement to date is outstanding,” said panel Chair Arthur May, who is also President Emeritus and Vice-Chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland. “The CFI is widely admired internationally and, indeed, is a model that has been and will be emulated elsewhere.”
KPMG conducted an overall performance evaluation and value-for-money audit of the CFI, which was founded in 1997, and an international panel of seven experts in global research and research funding reviewed the findings and produced an independent report. The KPMG evaluation focused on the achievements of the CFI against its national objectives and addressed global questions regarding relevance, results, and design and delivery. The audit looked at the CFI’s management practices and processes and how they have been carried out with regard to economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Highlights of the international review panel report:
* “Uncompromising commitment to excellence:”
Canada’s cutting-edge labs, equipment, and facilities are attracting researchers from around the globe, as well as retaining Canadian talent. The CFI has been driven by a commitment to excellence, an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaborations, and strategic thinking in funding this infrastructure. And in doing so, it has played a catalytic role in revitalizing and transforming the research enterprise in Canada and making it world-class.
* “World’s best practice:”
The CFI’s foundation model gives it the autonomy and flexibility it needs to promote excellence through rigorous funding competitions. The Government of Canada’s continued support for this model has allowed the CFI to adjust its programs to meet Canada’s research-infrastructure needs while safeguarding the public interest. The CFI’s programs and processes involve world’s best practices that are worthy of emulation.
* “Strong advantage for Canada:”
For more than a decade, the CFI has been a key player in rebuilding Canada’s status as a destination of choice for research talent and collaboration. In today’s global knowledge-based economy, where research is increasingly important to a country’s economic prosperity, the CFI’s achievements are relevant to Canada’s needs and national interests.
The overall performance evaluation and value-for-money audit of the CFI were required under CFI’s Funding Agreement with the Government of Canada. The international review panel members brought not only extensive international experience in relation to research and research funding, but also direct experience with the CFI’s project approval processes and the Canadian research landscape.
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Cows Inspire Clean Energy Breakthrough
Methane is nasty smelling and toxic greenhouse gas – 20 times more polluting than carbon dioxide – and a natural by-product of decomposing waste. For years, it’s been known that methane gas could be used for energy production, much like natural gas. The problem: landfill methane typically isn’t pure enough for energy use. Purifying methane gas would involve removing any carbon dioxide present, but the technical know-how to make that happen has evaded researchers.
Until now.
Canadian scientists are perfecting a new technology that purifies methane captured from plant, wood, and other composted waste, allowing that purified methane to be turned into renewable energy.
Breathable hollow membrane fibers are being designed to produce enriched methane, which could be used in place of natural gas.
The unlikely inspiration for the technology, also known as an anaerobic digester, is an animal renowned for its own unique brand of gassy emissions: the cow. It turns out the inside of a cow’s stomach is replete with microorganisms skilled in producing more methane than carbon dioxide. In other words, cows are methane purification machines.
“We’re trying to recreate what occurs naturally in the stomachs of cows in our anaerobic digester,” says Edith Labelle, a project manager for the National Bioproducts Program (NBP) — a joint initiative of the National Research Council Canada (NRC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Natural Resources Canada.
One challenge in this initiative that needs to be overcome is that microorganisms are fussy creatures: they don’t like it too cold, but they die when it gets too hot. So the researchers have been using electrodes to create the temperatures and conditions that will allow the microorganisms to do the best methane purifying job they can. Of course, all the methane gas in the world is no good if it isn’t captured when it exits the digester.
The next step involves creating a special membrane that would allow small amounts of carbon dioxide in the digester to pass through, and capture the methane. At the same time, NRC scientists are developing membrane “ropes” that would feed the methane energy source efficiently through, say, a factory production line to produce energy.
The benefits of this research could go a long way to helping Canada reduce its environmental footprint, says Ms. Labelle. “Incentives for alternative energy are increasing – we’re helping pave the way for an important new source.”
What’s more, local processing facilities for the collection and processing of biomass could create high-paying jobs in rural communities. The NBP research is good news for industry too – giving businesses the ability to produce third generation biofuels sustainably and efficiently.
When it comes to improving the environment and building the green economy, then, it’s best to avoid turning up one’s nose at any renewable energy source – no matter the smell.
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A map showing the scope of Northern Passage 2010, which should be completed by early October.
Canada Lends an Interstellar Hand on the Northern Passage 2010
On June 23, a team of marine explorers led by Norwegians Borge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleifsson sailed from Oslo, Norway, in a daring attempt to navigate through the Northwest and Northeast passages of the Arctic. These modern-day navigators won't be on their own during their expedition: they will get assistance from up above – Canadian satellites RADARSAT-1 and 2 will provide radar images of the Arctic to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The Institute will then produce ice charts, which will be shared with the sailors to guide them securely through their travels.
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