The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) have awarded a pair of Western research groups with Collaborative Health Research Projects operating grants. Those projects include:
Tremor motion suppression
GARLAND
Tremor, one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, significantly affects the lives of patients. Traditional medicines are often ineffective and surgery is highly invasive and risky. With traditional medicines often ineffective and surgery highly invasive and risky, a new approach to managing tremor includes using devices that involve either mechanical suppression or electrical suppression.
Research led by Engineering professor Ana Luisa Trejos, above, and Health Sciences professor Jayne Garland, along with Evan Friedman of Intronix Technologies, looks to develop a unique device to suppress tremor motion by combining both mechanical suppression and electrical stimulation.
The group received a $414,492 grant (plus $8,446 for equipment) over three years.
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Skin-wound closure
In normal individuals, most skin wounds close within a few days. However, in patients with diabetes, or vascular problems, skin wounds can stay open longer, leading to the development of what’s called a chronic or non-healing wound.
While such wounds commonly cause tremendous psychological and physical suffering for the patient, and often result in limb amputation or even death, a research group led by Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Douglas Hamilton, right, and Schulich/Engineering professor Amin Rizkalla, along with David Bagley of Advanced BioMatrix Inc., look to use a sponge-like scaffold to introduce missing proteins into the body and close the wounds in diabetic patients, perhaps five-to-10 times faster.
The group received a $697,970 grant over three years.
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