Canada Foundation for Innovation Invests in U of G Research, Innovation

GUELPH, Ontario September 01, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Researchers at the University of Guelph who are striving to find solutions for some of today’s pressing global issues — biodiversity conservation, clean water, physical and mental health ailments — have received nearly $700,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The investment, announced today by Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science and technology), and CFI president and CEO Gilles Patry, will support scientists using DNA barcoding technology to better understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and human impacts on the arctic, tropical and temperate environments.

It will also assist psychology professors examining how the Internet influences teens who engage in self-injury, engineers developing new wastewater treatments, and food scientists creating products to improve human health.

“University of Guelph researchers are setting the bar when it comes to innovations and discoveries that will help fill knowledge gaps, which are adversely affecting human and environmental health,” said Kevin Hall, vice-president (research).

“Not only will these projects result in significant advancements in the fields of ecology, food science, engineering and psychology, but they will also link research outcomes to practical applications, improving everyday life for Canadians.”

The funding comes from CFI’s Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), intended to allow Canadian universities to attract and retain leading faculty and researchers. LOF recipients apply for matching funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Integrative biology professors Sarah Adamowicz, Mehrdad Hajibabaei and Alex Smith received $375,000 to purchase state-of-the art equipment to support their collaborative research program in biodiversity science.

Using genetic tools, the trio is surveying biodiversity and conducting ecological and evolutionary research in the Canadian Arctic, in Algonquin Provincial Park, Wood Buffalo National Park and other Canadian parks, and in the Area de Conservacion in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The goal is to quantify the extent, structure, interactions and future of biodiversity in all of the regions, and compare patterns across groups and locations. The new knowledge gained will enhance technology development and help protect the arctic, forest and tropical ecosystems.

“Our research is a combination of classical and next-generation biodiversity science,” Smith said. “We are all honoured to receive this support from CFI and the Canadian and Ontario governments.”

Hajibabaei added:

“The infrastructure provided for in this grant is a critical part of maintaining research readiness for the influx of students, collaborators and projects that we are growing and sponsoring at U of G. It will be key to maintaining our position at the forefront of the field of biodiversity science.”

All three professors are connected to the Guelph-based Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), which is the scientific hub for the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) project. It involves 200 researchers from 26 countries creating a barcode reference library for all life and developing new technologies to access and applying DNA barcoding.

Psychology professor Stephen Lewis will use his nearly $65,000 grant to support his research into non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among teenagers. He’s looking at the nature and impact of NSSI material online and is creating a research program to help youth who engage in this activity and those with other mental health issues.

Prof. Sheng Chang received more than $124,000 to build a process lab in the School of Engineering. He’s working to develop advanced membrane bioreactor technologies for biological wastewater treatment, water reclamation and energy recovery.

Food science professor Lisa Duizer will use her $124,000 grant for equipment in her sensory evaluation laboratory. Here she studies flavours and tastes of food products to better understanding the effects of ingredient manipulation and substitution on sensory quality. This includes creating and testing new health products.

CAMH launches first Research Laboratory on wheels dedicated to mental health and addictions

TORONTO, February 22, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) launched Canada's first mobile research laboratory to study mental health and addictions in communities across Ontario. The mobile lab will allow CAMH researchers to reach underserved populations in rural, remote and First Nations communities to help improve prevention and treatment services in these communities, and beyond.

"The mobile research lab fills a gap by bringing world-class research by epidemiologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists and social scientists to communities that are far from research centres," says Dr. Bruce G. Pollock, CAMH's Vice-President of Research. "The results will be shared with local health and social service agencies, enabling them to improve service delivery."

CAMH scientists will embark on the lab's first research program this spring. Researchers are targeting Ontario communities that are less advantaged due to higher unemployment or poverty rates, among other factors. Among the series of studies planned, one line of research will tease out the complex interactions between a person's genes and problems in the community, which may put people at risk for mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and violence.

The lab will be used to conduct interviews and surveys, run focus groups, and take hair, saliva or blood samples to measure stress or obtain genetic information. This information will produce knowledge about communities that is often not available from large-scale telephone surveys. Over time, as information is gathered from across the province, CAMH researchers will create a powerful database that will advance our collective knowledge of mental illness, addictions and violence.

"The research lab is a major milestone of CAMH's Research Renaissance Project, which is our largest ever scientific endeavour," notes Dr. Pollock. "The lab reflects the project's vision of working from the neuron to the neighbourhood level to advance our understanding, treatment and prevention of mental illness."

The mobile research laboratory received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The first research program, Researching Health in Ontario Communities, was supported by a team grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

"This mobile research lab will have a real and positive impact on the Ontario communities who need it most," said The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the CFI.

"CIHR is pleased to support this unique project that will facilitate a partnership between individuals in rural communities and a renowned team of health researchers at CAMH committed to improving brain health through innovative research," said Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. "We hope that the mobile research laboratory approach will increase our knowledge of mental health and addiction among rural and remote communities."

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.net.

Created by the Government of Canada in 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) strives to build our nation's capacity to undertake world-class research and technology development to benefit Canadians. Thanks to CFI investment in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions are attracting and retaining the world's top talent, training the next generation of researchers, supporting private-sector innovation and creating high-quality jobs that strengthen Canada's position in today's knowledge economy.

For the past 10 years, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has supported better health and healthcare for Canadians. As the Government of Canada's health research investment agency, CIHR enables the creation of evidence-based knowledge and its transformation into improved treatments, prevention and diagnoses, new products and services, and a stronger, patient-oriented healthcare system. Composed of 13 internationally-recognized institutes, CIHR supports more than 13,600 health researchers and trainees across Canada.