PROVINCE FUNDS BIOMATERIALS RESEARCH AT U OF S
Posted January 27, 2003
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 27, 2003 2003 01-17-OTHER
Prepared jointly by Saskatchewan Industry and Resources and University of
Saskatchewan Research Communications.
PROVINCE FUNDS BIOMATERIALS RESEARCH AT U OF S
Provincial funding of more than $145,000 will help the University of
Saskatchewan set up a special biomaterials program to advance medical
research.
The provincial investment in this $412,000 project will enable the
university's Department of Chemistry to buy research equipment to produce
and analyse new biomaterials and nanomaterials (structures smaller than
one-billionth of a metre). These materials have many potential applications
including the treatment of artificial heart valves and other medical
implants to ensure they are compatible with the body and resistant to
infection.
Provincial support comes from the Innovation and Science Fund (ISF) and
matches the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) contribution under a
program to assist new faculty members acquire the infrastructure needed to
conduct world-class research.
"Researching biomaterials will result in exciting discoveries and intensify
competitive opportunities for Saskatchewan firms," Industry and Resources
Minister Eldon Lautermilch said. "Saskatchewan will also be making important
contributions to new solutions for environmental and biomedical problems
shared globally. This funding reinforces the university's important role in
keeping us at the forefront of a highly competitive, knowledge-based
marketplace."
An estimated 17 million people in the U.S. and Canada have benefited from
biomaterials technology, generating a $40 billion per year medical device
industry. The University of Saskatchewan's innovative research will focus on
a class of new and versatile biomaterials, which can be tailored to suit
specific needs.
"This facility will bring together some of Saskatchewan's top researchers in
the field of nanotechnology," President and CEO of the CFI David Strangway
said. "Its equipment is of the cutting-edge quality required to truly
bolster Canada's innovation capacity."
"The design of new materials, biomaterials in particular, is a high research
priority for the university and for Canada," Acting U of S Vice-President of
Research Bryan Harvey said. "This state-of-the-art equipment will also
complement facilities at the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, the
Facilities for Biomolecular Research, and the Canadian Light Source."
The research will be led by Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz, associate professor of
chemistry, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Biomaterials.
The ISF provides support to Saskatchewan universities, colleges, and
research institutes on projects receiving approval and funding from the
Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs, the Canadian
Health Services Research Foundation, and the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research.
The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the
Government of Canada in 1997 to strengthen the capacity for innovation in
Canadian universities and research institutions.
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Industry and Resources
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-8277
Email: rellis@ir.gov.sk.ca
Suzanne Quinn
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Ottawa
Phone: (613) 996-3160
Email: julie.carl@innovation.ca
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon
Phone: (306) 966-2506
Email: wardenk@duke.usask.ca
