Ontario: A home of many scientific firsts

Proud to be an Ontarionian! (Is there such a word?)

Can you identify the Bio-Rad products in this video?

Weekend Health File

Health officials have managed to contain C. difficile in two of the 10 Ontario hospitals dealing with outbreaks of the infection.

A spokeswoman for the minister of health said the outbreaks have ended at Toronto East General Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences.

Neala Barton said it isn’t rare for the number of outbreaks in the province to fluctuate day to day, or week to week.

But she said news the outbreak has been contained at two hospitals is “a positive sign.”

Outbreaks of the dangerous bug — which causes severe diarrhea — have been linked to 17 deaths in Ontario since late May.

Hospitals in Guelph, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Napanee, Welland, Orangeville and Mississauga are still struggling to contain outbreaks of the infection.

Source: The Canadian Press

Biotechnology News and Info from Canadian Universities and Colleges

This video highlights the outstanding Biotechnology program offered through Canadore College in North Bay Ontario, Canada. The program provides an excellent path for any student wishing to enter the field of science. If you are interested and would like more information contact the registars office at 1-888-892-2228 or call the department directly (long distance) at 1-705-474-7600 ext. 5821.

Biotechnology and Forestry in Ontario

From Great Lakes Forestry, posted to YouTube March 25, 2010

Note: Natural Resources Canada and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources have a long standing partnership on developing the application of science and engineering for the use of living organisms. Natural Resources Canada and the MNR highlight how they are working on biotechnology and why it’s important for forestry in Ontario and Canada.

Other references:

Canadian forestry links: http://www.magma.ca/~evb/forest.html

Petawawa National Forestry Institute: http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/glfc_petawawa/petawawa-research-forest

Ontario Forestry Association: http://www.oforest.ca/

NEW Sunday Special: The Health File

On youTube: Ticks that carry Lyme Disease are in Ontario. Ontario’s Official “Bug Guy” tells you what to do if you get bit.

Research projects in Ontario get $94M funding boost

The Ontario government has begun announcing the successful recipients of $94 million in funding that will support 31 research projects and 300 researchers across the province. Successful projects at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa were recently identified:

Ontario Regional Biotherapeutics Program (ORBiT)
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr John Bell
Number of Researchers Affected: 14
Provincial Funding: $10,074,953
Funding Program: Ontario Institute of Cancer Research
Biotherapeutics describes therapies based on biological materials, including cells, genes and viruses, which are potentially much more powerful than traditional pharmaceutical therapies.
Key private sector partners: Jennerex Biotherapeutics

Novel Strategies for Enhancing Oncolytic Virus-Mediated Cancer Therapy
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr Michael McBurney
Number of Researchers Affected: 9
Provincial Funding: $4,188,814
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
An oncolytic virus infects and breaks down cancer cells but not normal cells. It is a type of targeted therapy. Ottawa Health Research Institute’s Program in Cancer Therapeutics (PCT) plans to use its expertise and its industrial partners’ experience to discover better oncolytic virus genotypes and virus and drug combinations to improve human cancer treatment.
Key private sector partners: Jennerex Biotherapeutics, Matrix Advanced Solutions, Atreus Pharmaceutical

The Next Crucial Step in Genome Research – Mapping Gene Circuit Boards
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr Michael Rudnicki Number of Researchers Affected: 66
Provincial Funding: $3,828,498
Funding Program: Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence
Launched in 2004, the Ottawa Health Research Institute’s International Regulome Consortium (IRC) is an ambitious, Canadian-led international research effort. It brings together over 66 investigators from 34 institutions in 12 countries. Its focus is mapping gene regulatory circuit boards (similar to electrical circuits) – the next crucial step in genome research. The findings will help to identify targets for drug development and new therapies for currently untreatable disease.
Key private sector partners: Invitrogen Corporation

National Biorepository for the Partnership for Tomorrow Cohort and the Ontario Health Study
Lead Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Lead Researcher: Dr Brent Zanke
Number of Researchers Affected: 3
Provincial Funding: $426,000
Funding Program: OICR Equipment Grants program
The Ontario Health Study, developed as a collaboration with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Cancer Care Ontario and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, is a prospective epidemiological study of lifestyle and behavioural risk factors and their correlation to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes and cancer. The study will recruit 150,000 people in Ontario age 35-69 and follow them for 20 years. The aim of the multidisciplinary team leading the study is to ultimately improve prevention and early detection of a wide range of illnesses.
Key partners: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Cancer Care Ontario and Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

The BioTechnologist2.0 Blog will be interviewing these labs in July. Stay tuned! If you would like to bring some attention to your work or lab contact us and we would be happy to present you to the CBT2.0 community via this blog.