December 22, 2003
University of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region Partner in New Primary Health Centre on West-side
Posted December 22, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 22, 2003 2003-12-10-ME
University of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region
Partner in New Primary Health Centre on West-side
The University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and Saskatoon Health
Region (SHR) confirmed today that a new Primary Health Centre will be
established in the former Union Centre on Fairlight Drive. The centre will
enhance the training of family medicine residents and help to improve
accessibility to health services for residents of west-side neighbourhoods.
The University purchased, and will renovate, the building at a cost of $4.5
million. Saskatchewan Health is investing $500,000 to assist with the
relocation as well as providing ongoing operational funding.
Saskatoon Health Region will lease a portion of the building and jointly
operate the facility.
The Department of Family Medicine at the University's College of Medicine
has been looking to relocate to a community setting for some time, a move
which is crucial for ongoing accreditation of the program. Medical students
and Family Medicine residents will receive education within this integrated
primary health care setting when the centre opens in 2004. In the future,
other health science students will also visit the site.
Bill Albritton, Dean of the College of Medicine, said: "The new centre will
model a truly integrated partnership between the University of Saskatchewan
and Saskatoon Health Region. It will significantly enhance family physician
education, teaching and research and be a model site for interdisciplinary
primary care."
Keith Ogle, Acting Head of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan
said: "The move will allow us to focus on educating our future family
physicians in the environment in which they will eventually practice.
Increasingly, primary care is provided in the community rather than in
hospitals."
"Our government's Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care calls for
expanding the number of primary care teams across the province and creating
other advances in front-line care. This partnership will result in improved
access to care to better meet the needs of the people of West Saskatoon and
is a great example of the new team approach driving innovation in primary
health care," said Minister of Health John Nilson."
The Primary Health Centre is a partnership in programming between the U of
S, College of Medicine and SHR and will result in a new fully integrated
service, teaching and research team. Other members of the primary health
care team will include a primary health nurse and could include public
health, home care, mental health and addictions workers.
"This new primary health centre is an excellent example of what can be
achieved when organizations work together with a common purpose and vision
to improve the health of the community," said Bob Bundon, Chair of the
Saskatoon Regional Health Authority.
"Saskatoon Health Region is excited about this newest primary health
initiative, and looks forward to working with the residents of the
surrounding neighbourhoods to determine the kinds of services they need,"
said Shan Landry, Vice-President of Primary Health. "Community partnerships
in developing the programming and use of the facility will be integral to
success."
As identified by recent U of S and SHR studies, the west side of Saskatoon
is one of the least well-serviced areas from a health needs perspective.
This centre will improve health service accessibility for residents of
west-side neighbourhoods.
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For more information, contact:
Dr. Keith Ogle
Physician and Acting Department Head
Family Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 655-6835, 655-6802
Judy Yungwirth
Director
Corporate Administration
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-8781
Joy Adams Bauer
Adviser
Corporate and Public Affairs
Saskatoon Health Region
Tel: (306) 655-8410
December 18, 2003
U of S Discoveries Ranked in Discover's 2003 Top 100 Science Stories
Posted December 18, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 18, 2003 2003-12-09-OTHER
U of S Discoveries Ranked in Discover's 2003 Top 100 Science Stories
Two of the Top 100 Science Stories of 2003 selected by Discover magazine
involve University of Saskatchewan (U of S) research.
The U of S is cited for the 35th-ranked scientific story of the year - a
discovery about the ovulation process by Professor Roger Pierson and his
team that could help explain why some women ovulate while taking birth
control.
The magazine quotes Pierson as saying, "We are literally going to have to
rewrite medical textbooks."
The ninth-ranked scientific story of the year involved U of S particle
physicist Chary Rangacharyulu who is part of an international team that has
discovered a new sub-atomic particle -- one that may change our
understanding of physics and the very early universe. The discovery was made
at the SPring-8 synchrotron in Osaka, Japan.
"We're very proud that these two accomplishments by some of our outstanding
researchers have been recognized in this listing of the top science stories
around the world," said Steven Franklin, U of S Vice-President Research.
"The fact that one of the year's top discoveries involved a synchrotron is a
sign of exciting things to come when the Canadian Light Source starts
operations on campus next year."
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the
ground-breaking ovulation research also involved Angela Baerwald, the lead
author on the article who recently received her Ph.D. in clinical
reproductive biology from the U of S, and Gregg Adams, a professor with the
Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the U of S.
The new knowledge published last July may lead to the design of new, safer
and more effective contraception and may change the way infertility is
treated. More information is available at:
http://www.usask.ca/events/news/articles/20030708-1.html
"This is certainly exciting news," said Pierson, who directs the U of S
Reproductive Biology Research Unit. "It's the culmination of 20 years of
work going back to when Gregg Adams and I discovered the follicular wave
process in animals, and it's great to see it all coming together like this.
It's also terrific that this discovery was part of a graduate student's
thesis work."
Pierson said cross-campus collaboration was key to the research success.
"It's quite unusual to have a medical college and vet college on the same
campus and even more unusual to have two people from those colleges working
together," he said.
He also praised "the spirit of volunteerism" amongst patients. "Without the
many volunteers that participate in our studies, this wouldn't haven't been
possible and we're very grateful to them," he added.
Rangacharyulu was the only Canadian on a team led by Takashi Nakano of Osaka
University who reported in July that his team had detected a pentaquark, a
bizarre subatomic particle built from five quarks. Quarks are the building
blocks of protons and neutrons, which in turn make up the nucleus of atoms.
Physicists were aware of two- and three-quark particles, but had searched in
vain for five-quark particles for more than three decades.
"Further research on the pentaquark is likely to revise our conception of
physics," said Rangacharyulu. He notes that the pentaquark may have been
common in the very early universe and could affect theories of how the
universe began. More information is available at:
http://www.usask.ca/events/news/articles/20030905-1.html
Rangacharyulu has spent the last seven years working on the project and his
summer students and a postdoctoral assistant participated in preparing the
experiments at the SPring-8 synchrotron.
The discovery, picked up by such publications as Nature, New Scientist and
The New York Times, is also cited a one of the three top physics stories of
2003 by the American Institute of Physics.
U of S is among four Canadian universities cited on Discover's Top 100
Science Story list.
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For more information, contact:
Professor Roger Pierson
College of Medicine
U of S Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
(306) 966-4458
Professor Chary Rangacharyulu
U of S Physics and Engineering Physics
(306) 966-6412
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
(306) 966-2506
www.usask.ca/research
www.lightsource.ca/
December 17, 2003
U of S Graduates Excel in National Accounting Exam
Posted December 17, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 17, 2003 2003-12-07-CO
U of S Graduates Excel in National Accounting Exam
Four graduates from the University of Saskatchewan Master of Professional
Accounting program (MPAcc) were among 50 outstanding students recently named
to the National Honor Role by the Canadian Institute of Chartered
Accountants (CICA).
The students, Shelby Boyd, Regan Reineke, Jennifer Ringrose, and Amy Thomas
all hold both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the U of S. Mr.
Reineke and Ms. Thomas are currently working in Saskatoon at CA firms.
Each year, U of S graduates from the MPAcc program write the Uniform
Evaluation (UFE) administered by CICA as part of the process of earning
their CA designation. This year, 93% of MPAcc students who wrote the exam
for the first time passed, compared to the national average of 70% for all
first time writers.
The UFE was very different in 2003 than in prior years because of a
significant redesign of the CICA's requirements for entry level CA
candidates. "MPAcc's academic and professional focus prepared students well
for the new format of the UFE," said Marg Forbes, Director of the MPAcc
program at the U of S. "The program gives students an opportunity to develop
their personal competencies or 'human skills' as well as their technical
excellence. The result is more confident, polished professionals who are
more prepared for any challenge, be it work or exams."
MPAcc was first offered at the U of S in 1998 and 17 students graduated.
Today, 121 graduates hold professional positions in CA firms and within
industry. In the past two years, the program has experienced tremendous
growth in applicants and admissions from across Canada and internationally.
More information about the program is available on its web site:
http://www.commerce.usask.ca/programs/mpacc/
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For more information, please contact:
Marg Forbes, M.Sc., C.A.
Associate Professor and Director
Master of Professional Accounting Program
College of Commerce
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2556
E-mail: forbes@commerce.usask.ca
Personal Safety on Campus
Posted December 17, 2003
Personal Safety on Campus
Update: January 13, 2004
Visit the "Stay Safe on Campus" website at http://www.usask.ca/safety/
For updates on safety resources and initiatives at the University
of
Saskatchewan, please visit the following website.
President's Advisory Committee on Personal Safety
http://adminsrv.usask.ca/hse/PACPS/
For further information, please contact:
Janice Lavoie
Department of Health, Safety and Environment
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-1957
Email: janice.lavoie@usask.ca
U of S Experts Available to Discuss Developments in the Middle East
Posted December 17, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 17, 2003
2003-12-08-OTHER
MEDIA ADVISORY
U of S Experts Available to Discuss Developments in the Middle East
In the wake of the capture of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein by U.S.
soldiers December 14, several University of Saskatchewan professors with
relevant experience are available for media interviews.
* Political Studies:
Ron Wheeler, Associate Professor of Political Studies
(306) 966-5226, wheeler@sask.usask.ca
Does Saddam's capture increase the chances that a democratic government can
be established in Iraq? Is democracy even desirable in this part of the
world? Will his capture ease the threat of terrorism both in the Middle East
and abroad?
* Law:
Martin Phillipson, Professor of Law
(306) 966-5892, martin.phillipson@usask.ca
Who should try Saddam and why? What role, if any, should the international
community play? What role should the coalition play?
* Economics:
George Tannous, Professor and Department Head
Department of Finance and Management Science
College of Commerce
(306) 966-6695, george.tannous@usask.ca
We've seen the initial effect of Saddam's capture on the markets - first a
spike, then a close in the red the same day. What should we expect in the
longer term economically? How will it affect oil markets?
For expert commentary on this or other topics, visit Mindfields, the U of S
Experts Database at www.usask.ca/mindfields.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
http://www.usask.ca/research/
Tina Merrifield
Senior Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2213
tina.merrifield@usask.ca
December 15, 2003
VIDO and UBC develop E.coli vaccine for cattle: Could help reduce human disease
Posted December 15, 2003
VIDO and UBC develop E.coli vaccine for cattle: Could help reduce human
disease
Ottawa (Dec. 15, 2003) - Canadian health researchers at the University of
Saskatchewan and the University of British
Columbia have developed a vaccine that significantly reduces the level of
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (E.coli) in cattle.
The vaccine will help to reduce the dramatic economic and healthcare costs
associated with E.coli 0157, the toxic
microbe responsible for hamburger disease, recalls of contaminated meat, and
water contamination.
To view the complete release and backgrounders, go to
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/news/19939.shtml
Agriculture Development Fund Awards $1.13 M for 13 U of S Research Projects
Posted December 15, 2003
Agriculture Development Fund Awards $1.13 M for 13 U of S Research Projects
December 15, 2003 - The Government of Saskatchewan will fund 20 new
agriculture and food research projects
through the Agriculture Development fund (ADF).
To view the complete release, go to
http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/2003/12/15-830.html
December 11, 2003
University Classes Offered to Grade 12 Students at U of S
Posted December 11, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 11, 2003 2003-12-04-EXT
University Classes Offered to Grade 12 Students at U of S
The University of Saskatchewan is pleased to announce that grade 12 students
now have the opportunity to enroll in a university-level course while
completing their high school classes.
The Extension Division, in partnership with the College of Arts and Science
and the Department of Geography, is offering Geography 111.3 to academically
talented grade 12 students. Classes begin on February 2, 2004 and the course
will wrap up with the final examination, which will be written in May 2004.
"It is very important for us to give Saskatchewan students the opportunity
to study in their home province," said Walter Archer, Dean of Extension. "We
know that students want to get a head start on their post-secondary
education and we hope that this offering will encourage them to stay here
and study."
"Students will be treated like University students, they will be expected to
spend between six and eight hours a week working on class material. If they
complete the course, they will receive University credit for it."
Geography 111.3 can be counted as a natural science course in all Arts and
Science degree programs at the U of S. It can be used as a social science or
natural science in most of the other degree programs on campus and will also
be transferable for credit at most Canadian universities and colleges.
Tuition for the course is $450 plus $100 for the course guide, lab manual
and textbook.
Students will independently view class lectures on pre-recorded VHS tapes
they can play at school or at home. They will be expected to participate in
weekly computer conferencing sessions online, and complete take home lab
assignments. There are 12 modules, each of which will take approximately one
week to complete.
Academically talented students with basic computer skills and good study
skills are encouraged to apply. As a result of the independent nature of the
study, students across Saskatchewan are eligible.
Application kits can be obtained through high school counselors or from the
Extension Division (by calling 306-966-5563 or email extcred@usask.ca).
Applicants need to include: an application for admission form, a letter of
permission from a parent/guardian, a letter from their guidance counselor or
principal indicating that the student is in Grade 12 and is capable of
completing the work in the specified time period, along with a $75
application fee. This fee will be rebated to students who successfully
complete the class (achieve a grade of 50% or more).
The coursework focuses on the earth as more than just a planet - it is a
complex and dynamic body of air, water, and rock. Students will examine many
of the earth's features including weather, climate, soils and ecosystems and
the implications humans have upon their sustainability. It is co-instructed
by Rod Johnson and Bert Weichel, two very popular instructors who teach
geography both on- and off-campus.
Deadline for applications is January 16, 2004.
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For more information, media are asked to contact:
Bev Chicoine
Director of Marketing and Communications
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-1869
Email: beverley.chicoine@usask.ca
Students requesting additional information are asked to contact their school
guidance counselor. Alternatively they can request information by contacting
Shannon Storey at:
Extension Credit Studies
300 Kirk Hall
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8
Tel: (306) 966-2085
Fax: (306) 966-5590
Email: shannon.storey@usask.ca
Website: www.extension.usask.ca
$422,500 NSERC Grant Funds U of S and NRC Research into Canola Seed Quality
Posted December 11, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 11, 2003 2003-12-05-AG
$422,500 NSERC Grant Funds U of S and NRC Research into Canola Seed Quality
University of Saskatchewan researcher Lawrence Gusta and colleague Andrew
Ross of the National Research Council Plant Biotechnology Institute
(NRC-PBI) will receive $422,500 from the federal science granting council
NSERC over the next three years to find out how environmental stress affects
seed quality in canola.
"This is an excellent example of how the Saskatoon research cluster, centred
on the U of S, fosters strong collaborative partnerships," says Steven
Franklin, U of S Vice President Research.
"NRC-PBI has been collaborating with scientists from the University of
Saskatchewan for over half a century in order to generate and advance
knowledge and create economic impact in Saskatchewan and Canada," says Kutty
Kartha, Director General of the NRC-PBI. "This current funding is an
additional testament to the quality of research that is going to be pursued
by the two organizations."
To tease out the secrets of superior seed, the researchers will use DNA
microarray technology capable of analyzing 10,000 to 18,000 genes
simultaneously. This will allow them to find out which genes are expressed
when the plant is under drought or heat stress, and which genes are
expressed when good quality seed is being produced, knowledge which may lead
to tests that can more reliably predict seed performance.
"We are among the first to go inside the seed and use some of these new
techniques like microarray analysis to try to identify seedling vigor," says
Gusta, a professor with the Crop Development Centre at the U of S College of
Agriculture.
Seed quality is now largely determined by germination tests. Unfortunately,
these tests tell producers very little about how the seed will perform in
the field. "Producers can realize a 30- to 40-per-cent yield increase with
good quality seed," Gusta says.
Ross, an associate research officer at NRC-PBI and adjunct professor with
the U of S biochemistry department, will work with Gusta, using mass
spectrometry to find out which proteins the genes are making under various
conditions.
NRC-PBI has one of the most advanced labs in the country for this type of
work, enabling researchers to see how the protein profile changes when
plants are subjected to various types of environmental stress.
"NRC-PBI's facilities and expertise in mass spectrometry are helping to
establish Saskatoon as a leading centre for proteomics, a rapidly emerging
field of science that seeks to identify and characterize the entire protein
profile of a plant or other organism," says Ross. "Our goal is to use this
approach to identify proteins that can be used as indicators of seed vigor
in canola."
The new knowledge can be used in breeding programs to produce varieties
yielding high-quality seed from strong, stress-resistant plants. Metabolic
pathways are similar from crop to crop, so the research should be applicable
to cereals and pulse crops as well.
Private partners for the project include 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. of Nisku,
Alberta, which will provide seed stock for research, seed testing expertise,
and a student intern to assist in the genomics and proteomics work. The
Canola Council of Canada has also provided a letter of support.
In keeping with NSERC's mandate to foster training of highly skilled
workers, the grant will include support for two guest researchers and two
graduate students, as well as two undergraduate summer students.
Plant breeding programs at the U of S Crop Development Centre
(www.usask.ca/agriculture/plantsci/cdc.html) have produced more than 200
crop varieties in 14 crop kinds, including Harrington barley, Derby oat, CDC
Teal wheat, Sceptre durum, Vimy flax and Laird lentil. The Centre also
maintains strong programs to study plant disease, stress physiology, crop
quality and weed control.
NRC-PBI conducts collaborative plant biotechnology research with
universities, government agencies and industry, acting as a training centre
for plant biotechnology scientists and helping to transfer research to
product development and commercialization.
The NSERC Strategic Grant program (www.nserc.ca) funds research for projects
deemed to be of national importance, focusing on early-stage research with
the potential to lead to breakthrough discoveries.
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For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
http://www.usask.ca/research/
Lisa Jategaonkar, Communications Officer
National Research Council of Canada
Plant Biotechnology Institute
(306) 975-5571
Lisa.Jategaonkar@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
http://pbi-ibp.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
"First Light" Achieved in CLS Diagnostic Beamline
Posted December 11, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 11, 2003 2003-12-06-OTHER
"First Light" Achieved in CLS Diagnostic Beamline
The diagnostic beamline at the Canadian Light Source recorded the first
visible light from the research facility last night - a milestone on the
road to full operation expected next year.
Staff scientists were able to see light captured by the first beamline - a
diagnostic beamline that will be used to monitor the performance of the
electron beam in the storage ring.
"We were absolutely elated," said Jack Bergstrom, senior scientific
consultant and a U of S professor emeritus of physics who has spent the past
three years working on the diagnostic beamline.
"When the light popped out and you could see this little spot of light, you
realized the system was performing exactly as you designed it."
Bergstrom and his three-member team transferred light from the storage ring
into the diagnostic beamline and captured the images with cameras. They were
able to record a greatly magnified image of the cross-section of the
synchrotron light, as if one were looking straight into the beam.
Bergstrom cautions that this is only the first step in a long commissioning
process for the synchrotron and for the first suite of beamlines that will
be built. Over the next several months, there will be a number of technical
milestones leading up to full operation of the facility.
"This success demonstrates that the electrons are circulating in the ring
and emitting synchrotron light down a beamline," he said.
The diagnostic beamline is "like the thermometer you use to see if the baby
is sick - its sole function is to monitor the function of the storage ring
and to determine any ill behavior of the stored electron beam," he said.
"The users are very fussy about the beam being stable because if it jiggles,
this can jeopardize their experiments. My job is to assess the performance
of the machine and to provide information needed to tune it to its ultimate
design performance," he said.
He expects that he will shortly have much better images using a super-fast,
$250,000 camera that can take stop-action pictures of the electrons in the
storage ring. "I will be able to look at each individual 'box car' of
electrons as they whirl around the storage ring," he said.
On November 18th, the electron beam was stored for one second (1.75 million
revolutions) in the storage ring. The following day the beam was "stacked"
to a current of four milli-amps and stored for 20 consecutive minutes.
On Nov. 21st, the booster ring was continuously operated for 6.5 hours, much
longer than the
couple of minutes needed to charge the storage ring when the synchrotron is
fully operational. As well, the design goals for energy (2.9 billion
electron volts) and current (20 milli-amps) were fully met, and the electron
beam was so well aligned that magnets for correcting the beam's orbit did
not have to be used, though they will be used in future to refine the
alignment.
The U of S-owned national facility is one of the largest scientific projects
in Canada and one of the most advanced synchrotrons in the world.
Synchrotron light -- millions of times brighter than sunlight -- is used to
view chemical reactions and the micro-structure of materials, paving the way
for new drugs, more powerful computer chips, better engine lubricants, more
effective medical imaging and a host of other applications for science and
industry.
CLS funding partners include the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the
Canadian government (including Western Economic Diversification, Natural
Resources Canada, the National Research Council, NSERC, and the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research), Saskatchewan Industry and Resources, Ontario
Innovation Trust, Alberta Innovation and Science, Alberta Heritage
Foundation for Medical Research, U of S, the City of Saskatoon, SaskPower,
and Boehringer Ingelheim, University of Western Ontario, and University of
Alberta. GlaxoSmithKline has also provided funding for a U of S chair in an
area of synchrotron science.
For more information on the CLS, visit: www.cls.usask.ca
Note to Editors: The image of light captured by the diagnostic beamline can
be obtained from Research Communications: (306) 966-1425.
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For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S/CLS Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506 or 966-1425
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
www.lightsource.ca
Professor Jack Bergstrom
Senior Scientific Consultant
(306) 657-3516
December 08, 2003
U of S Awarded ArtsSmarts Grant for Community Arts Program
Posted December 08, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 8, 2003 2003-12-03-EXT
U of S Awarded ArtsSmarts Grant for Community Arts Program
The Saskatoon Foundation has awarded an ArtsSmarts grant in the amount of
$6,000 to the University of Saskatchewan, Extension Division.
This grant will allow the Community Arts Program of the Extension Division
to partner with the Canadian Light Source Inc. and King George Community
School to venture in a new educational initiative. These funds will be used
to employ artist and teacher Pam Adams, who will teach science in two, grade
one classrooms at King George Community School during the 2003-04 academic
year. Adams will incorporate visual arts and dance into the traditional
science curriculum.
"This grant is important to us because it allows us to make a significant
difference in the lives of children in Saskatoon," said Kate Hobin,
Community Arts Program Director. "The University of Saskatchewan is
delighted to be able to partner with CLSI and the Saskatoon Public School
Division on this project and we know that our work will inspire these
children to further explore both arts and science."
The program starts in January and runs for 8 weeks and includes two very
special visits by the children to the CLSI to work with the staff. Learning
activities and topics are all focused on "light" which the CLSI is founded
upon, and include kaleidoscope making at CLSI, sunlight, moonlight,
starlight, and a mural project involving shadows.
The Saskatoon Foundation enhances Saskatoon's quality of life by awarding
grants to the diversity of charities serving the community. Through
ArtsSmarts, The Saskatoon Foundation encourages the development of
partnerships to engage children and youth in hands-on arts integration
activities. The national ArtsSmarts initiative was established by the J.W.
McConnell Family Foundation in 1998 and is now managed by the Canadian
Conference of the Arts.
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For more information, please contact:
Kimberly Mathews
Program Coordinator - Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-5530
kimberly.mathews@usask.ca
www.extension.usask.ca/go/arts
December 05, 2003
Canada and the University of Saskatchewan Support Rural Development Training in Mongolia
Posted December 05, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 4, 2003 2003-12-01 OTHER
Canada and the University of Saskatchewan
Support Rural Development Training in Mongolia
The University of Saskatchewan welcomed confirmation of $2.8 million from
the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for its rural
development training initiative in Mongolia. The announcement was made by
Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Works and M.P. for Wascana, on behalf of
Susan Whelan, Minister for International Cooperation.
The funding, which will be delivered over six years will support the project
"Training for Rural Development." This will be integrated into the teaching,
research and outreach programs at the University of Saskatchewan's College
of Agriculture. The U of S has had a Memorandum of Understanding with
Mongolia State University of Agriculture (MSUA) since January 2002.
Research-based educational programs are important mechanisms to enhance the
quality of life in rural Mongolia. This project will aid in the sustainable
development of Mongolia's rural economy and support the long-term goals of
improved food security, living conditions and increased incomes for rural
households.
Faculty, staff and students will work with MSUA to address the problems of
sustainable rural development in Mongolia and will contribute to a
strengthening of the national extension service of the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (MFA).
The expertise of the U of S in education and research involving dryland
agriculture and leadership in the development of sustainable farming
practices will complement the MSUA and MFA. As well, the involvement of the
U of S in Mongolia has evolved in partnership with Agriteam Canada Ltd. The
extensive Mongolian experience of Agriteam in collaboration with the U of S,
will provide the right combination of talents and institutional abilities to
ensure viability and long-term sustainability of the project.
"We share many common interests and similarities with Mongolia as well as a
special kinship that has developed between the College of Agriculture and
our Mongolian partners," said Ernie Barber, Dean of Agriculture (U of S).
"While promoting sustainable rural development in Mongolia, the project will
provide opportunities for contributions to international scholarship and
research by our students, faculty, and staff."
"The project will make an enormous contribution for the improvement of the
skills and capacity of the university and its staff for research-based
extension and technology transfer," said Norov Altansukh, President, MSUA.
"The goals of the project to improve productivity of both crop and livestock
sectors through improved technologies are in agreement with the strategies
of the Government to rehabilitate and ensure the future sustainability of
agricultural sector as a whole."
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2003 federal
budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
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For more information, please contact:
Rob Norris
Coordinator - Communications and Program Development
University of Saskatchewan International
Tel: (306) 966-2428/(306) 241-9339
Email: norris@duke.usask.ca
U of S Awarded $294,000 to Help Recruit Synchrotron Biomedical Imaging Expert
Posted December 05, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 9:30 a.m. December 5th, 2003 2003-12-02-ME
U of S Awarded $294,000 to Help Recruit Synchrotron Biomedical Imaging
Expert
The University of Saskatchewan has been awarded $294,000 from the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to help recruit an international
research star who leads the team proposing a $17-million biomedical imaging
beamline for the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron on campus.
Biophysicist Dean Chapman, one of the world's leading scientists in
biomedical applications of synchrotron radiation, was recently recruited to
the U of S Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology from the Illinois
Institute of Technology in Chicago.
"This grant recognizes both Professor Chapman's research excellence and the
unique opportunity that the synchrotron presents for a wide range of health
research," said U of S Vice-President Research Steven Franklin. "This
proposed beamline is important for health research nationally and under
Professor Chapman's experienced leadership, it will enable the U of S to
pursue an area of research for which it could lead the world."
The grant comes through the CIHR's Institutional Establishment Grant Program
which helps universities recruit outstanding health researchers to Canada
and provide a bridge to longer-term funding. The announcement was made today
by federal Health Minister Anne McLellan and CIHR President Alan Bernstein
in Ottawa.
"Canada is not content to sit on the sidelines and watch its outstanding
health researchers leave the country," said federal Health Minister Anne
McLellan. "Today's announcement is one of several steps taken by the
Government of Canada to repatriate our best and brightest and attract from
around the globe those who are truly on the leading edge of health
research."
"The development and growth of international excellence in any field of
research requires world-class mentors, men and women who have made their
mark on the world stage," said Bernstein. "The recruitment of these eminent
investigators will have a long-term positive impact on both the health of
Canadians and the development of the next generation of health researchers."
Chapman will investigate the potential of a new imaging method he helped to
develop called diffraction enhanced X-ray imaging or DEI. DEI is able to
show high contrast to reveal subtle differences in soft tissue, a major
advantage over conventional X-ray imaging.
The method holds promise as a means of improving the sensitivity of
mammography for early detection of breast cancer, and has exciting
implications for identifying and treating diseases such as coronary artery
disease and osteoarthritis.
Chapman heads a U of S proposal to the Canada Foundation for Innovation
(CFI) to build a BioMedical Imaging and Therapy (BMIT) beamline -- the most
expensive CLS beamline project proposed to date. A beamline carries
synchrotron light to workstations where scientists can conduct experiments.
A CFI decision on 40 per cent of the funding is expected next spring. The
remaining 60 per cent would come from funding partners.
The BMIT has already attracted wide support, including a total of almost $3
million from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Saskatchewan Cancer
Agency, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, Saskatoon Regional
Health Authority, Breast Cancer Society of Canada, Hospitals of Regina
Foundation, and the Regina-Qu'Appelle Health Region.
Research would be carried out at the BMIT beamline by scientists and
physicians from across Canada, including researchers at the College of
Medicine, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the Saskatoon Health
Region, and the Saskatoon Cancer Agency.
Professor Chapman's grant will be divided almost equally between equipment
and operating costs including staff, research trainees, materials, supplies
and services, and travel.
"The CLS plans to develop national research capacity in the emerging area of
using synchrotron light for imaging and potential cancer therapies," said
Bruce Waygood, University Co-ordinator of Health Research. "This grant will
help the U of S build a strong presence in this area in collaboration with
hospitals and other health agencies."
The CIHR www.cihr.ca is Canada's premier agency for funding health research.
For more information about the CLS, visit: www.lightsource.ca
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Editor's Note: A photo of Professor Chapman, a synchrotron image of his
lungs, and more information about his work is available at:
http://www.usask.ca/anatomy/people/chapman.shtml
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
http://www.usask.ca/research/
Professor Dean Chapman
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4111
dean.chapman@usask.ca
Janet Weichel McKenzie
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(613) 941-4563
December 01, 2003
Chasing after the causes of heart disease and stroke
Posted December 01, 2003
Released Monday December 1, 2003 by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of
Saskatchewan.
Chasing after the causes of heart disease and stroke
Saskatoon (Nov. 29, 2003) - The search for the underlying causes of heart
disease and stroke - and applying this knowledge to find earlier diagnoses
and better treatments - is the impetus behind the research projects of the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan. Today in Saskatoon the
Foundation announced that it has dedicated $1,037,555 during the coming year
to support research projects aimed at reducing the devastation of Canada's
leading health problem, heart disease and stroke.
Dr. Mark Evered, chair of the Foundation's Research Advisory Committee and
Associate Vice-President Academic at the University of Saskatchewan, says
this research is crucial because four out of every ten people in our
province will develop some form of heart disease or stroke over their
lifetime.
He notes that this year twelve research teams at the University of
Saskatchewan will receive funding. These projects look at such diverse
topics as Dr. Kailash Prasad's study on how the tiny flaxseed may hold the
promise of a new treatment for high cholesterol and Dr. Xia Zhang's look at
possible links between stroke and epilepsy.
"The bulk of the funding that the Heart and Stroke Foundation provides to
these research teams is called Grants-In-Aid funding. These are grants that
provide the equipment and staff needed to operate a research lab," Dr.
Evered explains. In addition to the grants-in-aid, the Saskatchewan
Foundation, along with Heart and Stroke Foundations across Canada, supports
a National Heart and Stroke Research Fund.
"The benefit of the Heart and Stroke Research Fund is that it is attracts
matching dollars from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and
other organizations, and has had success in leveraging a 4-to-1 return for
every dollar we have invested, multiplying the money available for this
research," he notes. "It has already allowed Saskatchewan researchers, such
as Saskatoon's Dr. Rui Wang, to attract funding here from outside the
province, and will ultimately lead to an even more vigorous heart and stroke
research community."
The Foundation's overall commitment to research also includes funds for
national Personnel Awards, a range of grants awarded to the top researchers
in the country. These awards enable both the top-ranked and promising new
investigators to set up their own research laboratories and frees up their
time to focus on their research and, in turn, to train other new research
protégés who will continue to build on the discoveries of
today.
"The Heart and Stroke Foundation is a major provider of medical research
funding in our province," says Dr. Evered. "This ongoing funding offers
opportunities both to attract and retain high-quality researchers and
clinicians at our province's universities."
"Many of these research projects are looking at ways of preventing heart
disease, or at ways of reducing the damage once it happens," Evered notes,
"because we know that treating people once they are ill from heart disease
or stroke is an immensely expensive process. The ultimate goal is better
prevention and better treatment at less cost to the health care system."
The benefits of Heart and Stroke Foundation research funding reach outside
the lab as well. Many of these highly rated researchers are also teachers at
the universities or doctors in clinical practice, so keeping them in
Saskatchewan makes good sense from education and patient care perspectives.
Currently heart disease and stroke cause more than 75,000 deaths in Canada
each year, however experts predict that our aging population will push that
total higher in coming years. It is the most expensive category of diseases
to treat and the leading cause of hospitalizations and adult disability.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan is a non-profit, voluntary
organization with a mandate to improve health by reducing the impact of
heart disease and stroke. For more information on the research projects call
the Foundation at 1-888-473-4636 for your copy of Research: the promise of
tomorrow, or log onto www.heartandstroke.sk.ca
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Grants-in-Aid Awards to U of S -- $755,000.
- Dr. Thomas E. Fisher 1/3 first year $56,000
Ca2+ channel composition and secretory specializations within different
cellular compartments of the magnocellular neurosecretory cells
Imagine this: a 'gate' on the wall of a cell within the heart. It opens to
let just enough calcium in to ensure that the cell can stay healthy and
carry out its very specific job of activating the body's secretion of
vasopressin, a powerful hormone that controls blood pressure and water
secretion from the kidneys. The gate (called a Ca2+ channel) is made up of
complexes of proteins. Although these channels carry out many functions, Dr.
Fisher is looking specifically at how the Ca2+ channels that evoke secretion
of vasopressin are different from other Ca2+ channels, and how Ca2+ influx
through these channels acts upon other proteins to activate hormone
secretion. The ultimate goal is a better understanding of one of the root
causes of high blood pressure.
- Dr. Luis G. Melo/Dr. Paul Lee 1/3 first year $67,500
Gene therapy for long-term myocardial protection and rescue
This study is breaking new ground by its very way of looking at heart
disease. Many current treatments, while increasingly effective in relieving
the symptoms of heart disease, are not aimed at protecting the heart from
further damage by halting the disease-causing process. A change in
perspective is significant because as the 2002 Heart and Stroke Foundation's
Report Card on heart attack survival pointed out, over the past 13 years
there has been a 21 per cent decline in heart attack deaths in Canada,
however close to half of all heart attack survivors continue to experience
heart-related problems. Drs. Melo and Lee's study proposes the feasibility
of introducing gene therapy to halt the disease-causing process, to actually
genetically engineer a damaged heart to render it resistant to further
disease. Given the growing number of people in Canada and around the world
who are living with heart disease, this study has enormous potential.
- Dr. Kailash Prasad 1/3 $67,500
Oxyradicals in hypercholesterolemic toxicity on vascular system and
secoisolariciresinol diglucoside
The tiny flaxseed may well turn out to be the source of the next generation
of treatments for high cholesterol and narrowing of the arteries
(atherosclerosis). Based on the suggested link between oxygen free radicals
and the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, Dr. Prasad's study will
look at three ways that this commonly used food source may help in the
prevention and treatment of heart attack and stroke caused by
atherosclerotic plaque buildup. Flaxseed and flaxseed oil (an unsaturated
and heart-healthy oil) contains a compound called SDG. Dr. Prasad will look
to see if and how this compound may affect the levels of oxyradicals, if it
will prevent or reduce the narrowing of the arteries and also if it will
have an effect on the health of the artery wall itself. If flaxseed turns
out to be useful in reducing this narrowing of the arteries it could lead to
an innovative way to prevent and treat heart attack and stroke.
- Dr. Xia Zhang 1/3 $62,200
Relations between ischemic stroke and epilepsy
Stroke is the fourth most common cause of death in Canada, but what may be
surprising to many is that it is also a common cause of epilepsy. Clinical
studies show that about 10 per cent of stroke victims experience one or more
seizures. What is not known, however, is why some strokes induce chronic
recurrent seizures (true epilepsy) in some but not all stroke patients. Dr.
Zhang is looking for possible links between the onset of epilepsy and
ischemic stroke (a stroke caused by a blockage of a blood vessel in the
brain) in these patients.
- Dr. J. Robert McNeill 1/3 $65,000
Hemodynamic effects of vasopressin in hypertension
High blood pressure: it is a slow but silent and relentless enemy. Dr.
Robert McNeill is focusing his study on a minute part of the body that has a
huge role in high blood pressure: the microscopically thin layer of cells
that line our blood vessels. When we are active our vessels enlarge to allow
more blood to be carried through to the organs or muscles. When we are at
rest, these vessels contract to reduce the flow. In people with high blood
pressure, however, the endothelium malfunctions. The vessel walls may become
thicker and less elastic and as a result less able to cope with this
contraction/expansion. The organs are then deprived of oxygen rich blood,
and suffer tissue damage. Over time, more and more damage occurs to the
heart, the kidneys and the brain. Dr. McNeill is examining two specific
hormones (vasopressin and angiotensin) and how they trigger the release of
endothelin, a powerful constrictor of vessels. This study will not only give
us a better understanding of high blood pressure (a major risk factor for
heart disease and stroke) but may also help in the development of new
treatments to reduce and control it.
- Dr. Linda Hiebert 3/3 $56,000
Oral Heparins
Ouch! Heart attack survivors and people at risk for stroke and heart attack
are often prescribed heparins. These powerful drugs help to prevent further
blood clots, but traditionally, this drug is administered by a painful
series of injections, making at-home treatment difficult and painful. Dr.
Hiebert's studies have challenged the accepted idea that heparins are only
effective if injected, and she is studying how well the body uses heparin
when it is given orally. Her project may lead to new (and much less painful
and less costly to the health care system) way of providing a known,
effective drug treatment and may lead to applications where extended
long-term use of this drug is required.
- Dr. Deborah Saucier 2/2 $59,100
Age and environment effects on hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.
Although stroke is most commonly thought of in the elderly, a surprising
fact is that stroke affects newborns too - especially those born prematurely
(approximately 20 to 30 per cent of infants born four or more weeks early).
These infants are severely affected by stroke - and yet possible treatments
(and their impact) are largely unexplored. Dr. Saucier is focusing how age
affects the degree of brain injury and the effectiveness of therapies.
- Dr. Rajendra K. Sharma 3/3 $69,600
Calmodulin Regulated Proteins in the Heart
Living cells rely on an intracellular communications system - a sort of
'human body internet' - to monitor changes in their environment. Dr. Sharma
is looking at two crucial interrelated second messengers (cAMP and Ca2+) in
this complex system, to see how they relay information between cells within
the heart and provide the information these cells need to make their
constant and important adjustments in response to external changes.
- Dr. Wolfgang Walz 2/3 $67,500
The gliotic response in focal ischemia
Once neurons are hit by a stroke, they can take a long time to decide if
they will succumb to death (so-called 'delayed neuronal death') or if they
will continue to survive and function again. A crucial factor in this
decision is the surrounding support system of cells, collectively called
glial cells. These cells re-organize and orient themselves after injury
(such as stroke) in a process called gliosis and form a scar tissue which
helps neurons to survive and heal the injury. Dr. Walz is studying this
process in the hopes of augmenting it and helping neurons to survive after a
stroke.
- Dr. Rui Wang 2/3 $67,500
HO/Co system and sGC/cGMP pathway in vascular smooth muscles in hypertension
Dr. Wang and his research team are breaking new ground in looking at the
causes of hypertension. Dr. Wang is looking at smooth muscle cells in the
walls of blood vessels, and has hypothesized that a specific chemical
reaction in these cells (involving Carbon monoxide) might be one of the
early, underlying causes of high blood pressure. This could be a major
breakthrough in the understanding of how high blood pressure develops.
- Dr. Lingyun Wu 2/3 $67,500
PPAR gamma in hypertension
Doctors are sometimes stumped when they diagnose a patient with
hypertension: there may be no discernable cause, no symptoms and no history,
and yet the patient has high blood pressure. This "essential hypertension",
Dr. Wu has hypothesized, may be a result of a malfunctioned protein in the
nucleus of vascular cells. This protein - Proliferator-Activated Receptor
gamma - will be examined by Dr. Wu to see if it plays a role in development
of high blood pressure.
- GROUP GRANT: Dr. Tom Wilson (director of project), Dr. Venkat
Gopalakrishnan, Dr. Linda Hiebert and Dr. Robert McNeill
Regulation of Endothelial Factors in Hypertension and Diabetes
In 1892, Sir William Osler wrote, "a man is only as old as his arteries". In
the 1950s, University of Saskatchewan research pioneer Rudolph Altschul
refined that observation: "A man is only as old as his endothelium", and
began a new era of understanding of how this microscopically thin layer of
cells lining our arteries can have such an impact on overall health.
Research discoveries then clearly show that the endothelium, by releasing a
variety of substances, controls how the smooth muscles within the blood
vessels contract and dilate. Some of these substances have been extensively
studied, but others, however, have not received adequate scientific
attention.
This Heart and Stroke Foundation Group Grant project brings together four
highly respected researchers from two different colleges at the University
of Saskatchewan in a joint effort to focus on specific chemical reactions
within the endothelium. The group will look at how dysfunction in the
release of one of these substances, endothelin-1 or ET-1, is linked to
hypertension and diabetes, both primary risk factors for heart disease and
stroke.
For more information, contact:
Rhae Ann Bromley, Director of Communication,
Heart and Stroke Foundation of SK
1-306-693-0350
cell 1-306-631-8559
bromleyra@hsf.sk.ca
www.heartandstroke.sk.ca
