UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Place of birth could shape a baby’s immune system

Researchers at UBC found that the development of infant immune systems may be partly determined by where they are born. Those findings could help support infection risk prediction and infant immune response.

“These differences are frequently involved in response to infections and could be used to predict susceptibility and response to infection throughout the first year of life… The major burden of infectious diseases in early life occurs in developing countries, impacting both survival and subsequent quality of life.” — Dr. Bob Hancock

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

Prepping to contain nuclear waste

Focused on a million-year timeline, a Western University research team is examining the corrosion resistance of nuclear waste storage within a proposed repository in northwestern Ontario.

“We want these containers to last a million years. Copper is stable in groundwater. It’s the sulfide-producing bacteria, which thrive in low-oxygen environments like deep bedrock, that are the real threat to the containers’ long-term integrity.” — James Noël

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Fibromyalgia linked to nervous system

A large international study led by researchers at U of T has found genetic risk factors for fibromyalgia. Many of the isolated genes were found to be active in brain and nerve cells, which strengthens the case that fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder (not necessarily a psychological or immune-specific issue). The findings also point to shared biology with other chronic pain issues.

“For decades, patients have been dismissed or told their pain is simply psychological. Our findings confirm the condition has a clear biological basis.” — Dr. Michael Wainberg

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Hybrid work can be more productive than in-person work

McGill’s Jean-Nicolas Reyt explained on a CBC podcast that hybrid work can be as productive — and even more productive than — in-office work. He also outlined how turnover can be reduced, arguing that what matters most is whether managers set clear expectations, provide structure, and measure results (not busyness).

“Although in-person work may benefit training, meetings and major projects, Reyt argues that office presence is an unreliable measure of performance. Employees can appear busy without producing meaningful results, regardless of location.” — Dr. Jean-Nicolas Rey

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Election losses create voter distrust

A recent McGill study found that those who support losing parties may express less trust in fellow citizens following elections. The effect appears to be strongest among more polarized voters, and the researchers argue that elections may shape not only political attitudes, but also broader social cohesion.

“Social trust is one of the most important ingredients in a well-functioning society. This paper suggests that electoral competition – the mechanism through which democracies are supposed to channel conflict and produce legitimate outcomes – may itself create challenges for social cohesion, especially as partisan animosity grows.” — Dr. Mark Williamson

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

What if AI isn’t trusted?

Dr. Mary Wells at U Waterloo argues that if nations want to lead the AI revolution, they will have to focus on AI that people can trust. That would involve engineers, scientists, and policymakers who design, deploy and govern AI. She says that trust should be treated as a core engineering principle spanning fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, and human oversight.

“They must learn how to evaluate risk before deployment, monitor deployed systems and recognize when AI should not be used at all. These are not “soft skills.” They are core engineering competencies that determine whether AI earns public confidence and succeeds outside the laboratory.” — Dr. Mary Wells

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

As distrust in institutions grows, people are doing their own research

Dr. Sophie Tseng Pellar believes that distrust in institutions is pushing more people to “do their own research” without the scientific method required to assess evidence. She argues that this can reinforce what people already believe, and uses the history of neuroscience to show how scientific knowledge depends on robust methods, humility, and self-correction.

“Healthy skepticism of power is a civic virtue, some would even argue a duty. Productive criticism of scientific institutions has driven some of the most important advances in human knowledge. The problem is that “doing your own research” without the tools to evaluate evidence: without training in identifying bias, without an understanding of how to assess quality of evidence and most critically, without the humility to follow evidence wherever it leads rather than wherever you hoped it would, doesn’t produce truth. It produces a more confidently held version of whatever you already believed.” — Dr. Sophie Tseng Pellar

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Self-sterilizing dental fillings

Researchers at the University of Alberta are developing polymer fillings that could disinfect their own surfaces under pressure. Their goal is to make restorations last longer and resist new decay. Current polymer fillings can shrink, degrade, and even fail within five to seven years, which is why they’re testing materials that can work during chewing or be activated with ultrasound.

“Every time a filling breaks and we drill, we are removing part of the natural tooth structure, and over the course of time, your tooth weakens and starts fracturing. Our hope is that we develop a filling material that is really permanent and does not fail in five to seven years’ time.” — Dr. Prasanna Neelakantan

SCICAN NEWS · JULY 20-24

Rapid wound healing. Stamping out data centre fire risk. Modernizing drug access. And much more.

Medical innovation dominated the headlines this past week, revealing some exciting modernization on the horizon. That extended to life sciences policy as well, with a national task force pushing for advancements in drug access and medical science policy, support, and infrastructure.

Let’s dig in ↴

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Fighting data centre fire risks

As AI innovation and commercialization powers the global boom in data centres, Waterloo researchers say the lithium-ion batteries that keep them running can create a concentrated fire hazard.

Their work focuses on understanding how failures spread and what design changes can reduce the risk of cells failing and triggering thermal runaway.

“Pretty much every single data centre will have a huge quantity of lithium-ion battery storage embedded within it…. We can get into an uncomfortable scenario where if one cell does indeed fail, that energy is essentially being used to heat up adjacent cells. We call this thermal runaway propagation.” — Dr. Vinny Gupta, University of Waterloo

HEALTH CANADA

The push to modernize life sciences

A federal task force is urging Ottawa to modernize drug access, improve health data infrastructure, and boost infrastructure. The group’s aim is to reduce healthcare delays and supply vulnerabilities, while helping Canadian companies grow without being acquired early.

“Chairs of the task force recommend that the Government of Canada take deliberate, bold and swift action to make the changes needed to create a world-leading pharmaceutical and life sciences industry for a healthier and wealthier Canada. The sector must be viewed as a strategic, nation-building sector and fully supported as such. Given longstanding fragmentation across policies, programs and system actors, achieving this ambition will require a more integrated and coordinated approach to action across the full continuum of the sector.”

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Handheld bioprinter for rapid wound healing

The U of T startup VRiT is developing an operating-room bioprinter that uses stem cell technology to regenerate skin and reduce the need for autografts. The company’s recently announced Desjardins Prize funding will be used to support its regulatory planning in preparation for a pre-seed funding raise.

“Currently, when you have a bad skin wound, such as a burn, surgeons usually do an autograft, where they take skin from another part of your body to close the wound. This is extremely painful and results in another wound that has to heal, often with significant scarring. When a 150-year-old technique dominates the market, it signals a need for breakthrough innovation and a new approach.” — Dr. Sushant Singh

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Sleep and beyond: melatonin for chronic pain

Researchers say compounds aimed at the brain’s MT1 and MT2 receptors could eventually move melatonin research beyond sleep aids toward pain management.

Their work suggests that MT1 could affect REM sleep, while MT2 may support deep non-REM sleep. MT2 could also help reduce nerve pain by activating the brain’s natural opioid system.

“CIHR funding enabled us to turn a molecule that began as a concept on paper into a real drug candidate—one that has the potential to open the door to a new class of treatments for sleep disorders and pain.” — Dr. Gabriella Gobbi

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO + MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Nocebo evidence: negative expectations amplify pain

Researchers at U of T and McGill have found the first evidence that a specific brain pathway helps trigger the nocebo effect, in which negative expectations amplify pain. The findings suggest that this is a very real biological response, not “imaginary” pain, and could lead to novel ways to treat pain and anxiety-driven pain amplification.

“I know a number of people who have gone to the doctors, and if there’s no structural or tissue damage, they are told the pain is imaginary or it’s in their head….(This research) is actually tying it to very discrete biology that’s now showing it’s not imagined.” — Dr. Loren Martin

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

AI spots manipulated online information

Researchers at U Calgary are building tools that use AI and machine learning to classify misleading claims on social media and detect online amplification. Their goal is to track information manipulation linked to elections, foreign interference, and other high-stakes issues.

“Information manipulation is not simply a technological problem. It is increasingly a challenge for democratic governance and national security. Foreign states, political movements and commercial actors all seek to shape how citizens understand political issues, elections, public-health measures and international crises.” — Dr. Jean-Christophe Boucher

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Preventing crowd crushes and stampedes

Research led by a McGill team has found that dangerous crowd conditions may build gradually through repeated pushing and body contact, rather than appearing all at once. Their model suggests that organizers could improve crowd safety by identifying high-risk zones near exit sides. By managing spacing and staff placement, they may be able to intervene earlier as pressure rises.

“In high-density settings such as concerts, sporting events or festivals, crowd crushes and stampedes can sometimes occur without obvious warning signs…. However, these incidents are often not truly ‘sudden’; they may begin with small pushes between individuals and gradually escalate through ongoing interactions.” — Dr. Shanwei Liu

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Canadian mathematician wins ‘Nobel Prize of math’

U of T professor Jacob Tsimerman has been awarded the Fields Medal — one of four to win it under the age of 40. He was awarded the prize, in part, for helping prove the André-Oort conjecture, a problem that stumped mathematicians for decades. He is the first scholar based at a Canadian institution to receive the prize, which is often referred to as ‘the Nobel Prize of mathematics‘.

“Math is such a team sport that it becomes impossible to disentangle who contributed what on projects. I'm lucky to have many of my collaborators as close friends, which helps work feel fun and playful.”

SCICAN NEWS · JULY 13-17

Cancer-eating bacteria, wildfire prediction, heat’s impact on health, and more.

The AI data-centre debate escalates by the day, but so too do the possibilities for innovation. Every week, we’re seeing research on advanced algorithms expand, exploring everything from cancer treatment to wildfire prediction.

Let’s dig into some of the exciting research — algorithms and beyond — from across Canada last week ↴

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Could engineered bacteria eat cancer from the inside out?

Researchers are genetically engineering variants of soil bacteria that only survive in low-oxygen environments — precisely the conditions found inside tumours.

The bacteria remain dormant in healthy oxygenated tissue but activate and grow inside tumours, and could help scientists develop new cancer therapies.

“Bacteria spores enter the tumour, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen, which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size.” — Dr. Marc Aucoin, Chemical Engineering Professor

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

New AI prediction model to help fight wildfires

Researchers at U of T are developing an AI-powered system that predicts wildfire spread using computer vision and high-resolution cameras mounted on aircraft.

The system could eventually help teams deploy first responders and allocate resources more effectively. It tracks flames and smoke, combining weather data to create more sophisticated predictive models (current methods are largely based on prescribed burns from the 1980s, weather, forest conditions, and human experience).

“Last season, we logged 50 fires, which is currently the highest number recorded in one season. This year, we plan to capture more than 100 wildfires, sufficient to start developing and validating our prediction models.” — Dr. Steven Waslander, University of Toronto

Collaboration: Institute for Aerospace Studies at the University of Toronto, Natural Resources Canada, Simon Fraser University, BC Wildfire, Alberta Wildfire, and Conair Aerial Firefighting.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Cohere and U of T scale AI responsibly

Working with Canadian AI leader Cohere, the University of Toronto is deploying the company’s agentic AI platform, North, to help orchestrate the university’s forthcoming enterprise-wide AI platform.

That sovereign AI system will coordinate tasks across university systems — teaching, learning, research, student services, and operations — while keeping its sensitive data under institutional control.

“North, Cohere’s flagship agentic AI platform, will connect trusted information across university systems, coordinate complex workflows and help faculty, librarians, staff and students work faster, access services more easily and make better-informed decisions, while keeping sensitive data secure and under U of T’s control.” — Joelle Pineau, Chief AI Officer at Cohere

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Student’s defence nanotech goes public

Less than a decade after launching as a capstone project, Alchemy has completed a $13.7 million IPO and is now trading on the TSX Venture Exchange. The University of Waterloo project evolved from spray prevention for windshield frost to thermal camouflage textiles for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Their work led to a partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada and a $1 million contract to develop nanocomposite coatings that conceal uniforms across different environments. The company now serves both automotive and defence markets.

“We focus on the practical applications of nanotechnology. With a full product line right now in the market, we are in the process of doing something no one else has done before: delivering high-quality, easy to install windshield protection films in the same package.” — Khanjan Desai, University of Waterloo

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

What to know about heat and health

UBC researchers are warning that extreme heat can limit cognition, increase aggressive and high-risk behaviour as blood shifts away from the brain to cool the body.

The researchers add that some medications like antidepressants, blood-pressure drugs, and cholesterol-lowering treatments can interfere with the body's cooling mechanisms.

Most heat-related deaths occur at home among isolated individuals with underlying conditions, making it imperative to recognize early warning signs: confusion, headaches, and rapid pulse.

Unfortunately, fans may actually worsen dehydration in very hot indoor temperatures.

“During heat waves, we see increases not just in road traffic collisions, but also things like drownings, homicides, aggressive behaviour and suicides. Remember that this is a stress to your body, and you may not be thinking and working as efficiently as you would otherwise.” — Dr. Michael Brauer, University of British Columbia

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Exploring the ‘forever chemicals’ in our living rooms

Environmental chemist Miriam Diamond is investigating how toxic chemicals known as "forever chemicals" are emitted from common household products — from flame retardants in mattresses to cosmetics and consumer electronics.

Such everyday items can expose people to contaminants that are associated with immune problems, impaired fetal and infant growth, and even increased cancer risk.

“Most researchers in my field wanted to work in cool places like the Arctic or the high mountains. But I turned my attention to the indoors because I had two young children before tenure and couldn’t travel – and now I’m worrying about their health and the health of my grandchildren.” — Dr. Miriam Diamond, University of Toronto

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Custom 3D-printed contact lenses in 20 mins

University of Waterloo researchers have developed a platform that combines new silicone materials with advanced 3D printing technology to produce custom contact lenses in 20 minutes.

Their software designs lenses with inner surfaces that match the patient's cornea and outer surfaces that provide vision correction. The findings will particularly help patients with irregularly shaped corneas who currently use rigid lenses and have to make multiple appointments over weeks or months. Their findings could pave the way for specialized lenses to be designed, manufactured, and dispensed during a single visit to an optometrist.

The technology recently received a Gold Medal at the Shanghai International Exhibition of Inventions in June 2026.

“We are very excited about this work because it brings us closer to contact lenses that are truly personalized. Our technology produces lenses with patient-specific surfaces for a precise fit while delivering the optical clarity and mechanical performance expected of commercial contact lenses.” — Dr. Shirley Tang, University of Waterloo

RESEARCH HEADLINES · JULY 6-7

Hospital data sharing, coyote attacks, aspen-tree fire shields, and more.

Federated data is being harnessed to improve everything from conservation and earthquake detection to patient care and AI-powered medical treatments.

Let’s dig in ↴

ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL

New national healthcare data system extracts hospital insights in near real-time

The new national health data platform, Vital, connects near real-time clinical data (imaging, prescriptions, notes, etc.) from 160 hospitals across Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. The aim is to allow researchers to use de-identified patient records to improve medical AI and, ultimately, boost care.

“That is the core of Vital: a secure, privacy-preserving health infrastructure for Canadians’ most important data: their healthcare. It connects real-time hospital data for research and innovation, while protecting privacy and while respecting provincial oversight.” — Evan Solomon, Minister of AI and Innovation

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

One network simultaneously tracks earthquakes, whales, and mining activity

Developed by researchers at McGill, Natural Resources Canada, Université du Québec à Montréal, and Dalhousie University, the unified system can monitor earthquakes, whales, and other activities, all at once. Installed in the Lower St. Lawrence, the system not only captured ship noise, whale sounds, mining, and tidal activity — it was also 2x better at detecting earthquakes than the National Earthquake Monitoring System.

“The Lower St. Lawrence is one of the most active seismic zones in Eastern Canada. It’s also a busy shipping corridor. That’s a concern for whale habitats, because some of the shipping noise can interfere with whale calls.” — Dr. Yajing Liu, McGill

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Increased coyote aggression linked to human habituation

In less than a year (Dec. 2020 - Aug. 2021), 45 coyote attacks near Vancouver’s Stanley Park led to the culling of 11 coyotes. That unprecedented surge in attacks has now been attributed to human habituation.

“It’s approximately one every six days, which is an incredibly high rate of attacks to be happening in such a small area…. These coyotes had become highly habituated to people, which meant that over time, they didn’t feel threatened by people in any of those encounters.” — Nathan Lewis, Doctoral Candidate, UBC

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

A new form of hereditary prostate cancer discovered

The findings from UBC researchers could aid in earlier cancer detection by identifying at-risk families. The new, rare form of prostate cancer is an inherited mutation that can be passed on, which is actually quite rare, as only 5-10% of cancers are passed down in this way.

“The opportunity now is to identify these families earlier and give people the chance to benefit from enhanced screening, when there are still curative treatment options.” — Dr. Alexander Wyatt, UBC

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Could reducing vehicle emissions save thousands of Canadian lives?

More than 3,600 lives could be saved in Montreal and Toronto alone by reducing ultrafine particles (UFPs) from vehicle exhaust pollutants. The McGill study found that cleaner power options could prevent small, microscopic particles from entering the lungs and bloodstream, thereby reducing the risk of lung disease and heart problems.

“Even without more electric vehicles on the road, we found that keeping traffic levels steady and retiring older heavy-duty diesel trucks could still prevent over 3,300 UFP-related deaths across both cities.” — Dr. Scott Weichenthal, McGill

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Caregiving can have a negative impact on mental health

Caregivers who deliver more than 20 hours a week in unpaid care show poorer mental health outcomes. However, the McGill researchers also found that social supports like respite care and community services can mitigate those outcomes.

“Factors we often assume matter (gender, income, education, where you live) did not significantly change how caregiving affected mental health once intensity was taken into account.” — Dr. Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, McGill

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Aspen trees can help mitigate wildfires

In a first-of-its-kind finding, researchers at McGill found that large groups of aspens are more common along the perimeters of fire areas. Even though individual trees are likely to burn due to their thin bark, as a group they appear to have protective capabilities, such that they could reduce the severity of fires near communities.

“The bigger the aspen patch, the lower in severity the fire tends to be. Even with higher fire weather, as during the historic 2023 fire season, aspen’s ability to slow fire progression appears stable.” — Dr. Flavie Pelletier, McGill

SINAI HEALTH

81 genes behind the hardest-to-treat breast cancer

Researchers have used a new gene-editing tool to map genetic drivers behind the most aggressive form of breast cancer. The results could lead to the discovery of new treatment options.

“The reason we hadn’t found many of these driving genes before is that we were working in cell culture models. Now that we can study this cancer directly in a living system, we can observe the biological intricacies that only emerge in the context of a real tumour environment.” — Dr. Daniel Schramek, University of Toronto & Sinai Health

RESEARCH HEADLINES · JUNE 29-JULY 3

Hunting for affordable housing, open science for disease research, finding the next God particle, and more.

Housing instability still affects millions of Canadians and was top of mind this past week. From a new tool that isolates the best areas to build affordable homes to proposed legislation that would codify housing as a human right in Québec.

Let’s dig in ↴

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

The hunt for affordable housing gets a first-of-its-kind mapping tool

A new research tool, the ‘BC Public Lands Map’, aims to identify up to $50 billion in public land value. The solution combines federal, provincial, and municipal data to find areas most suitable for affordable housing. Early analysis has spotted more than 50,000 parcels of land in BC and up to 273,000 possible housing units across Metro Vancouver.

“Canada has an affordable housing crisis — we have half the rate of affordable housing of other developed countries. About 10 per cent of households in Canada can’t afford their housing – they can’t afford to live in this country.” — Dr. Craig Jones

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Open science for better disease research

Promoting transparency, the Open Science group is championing greater access to research findings, data, code, and methods. The group’s ultimate goal is to improve trust in research, increase verifiability, boost future research, and accelerate discoveries.

“In rare disease research especially, where individual centres rarely have enough participants to generate meaningful findings, this kind of data sharing is transformative: enabling larger, more representative cohorts and advancing precision medicine.”

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

The search for mysteries of the universe

To expand our understanding of the universe, SFU researchers are helping lead upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle accelerator on the planet. The collider, which helped scientists discover ‘the God particle’ in 2012, is undergoing upgrades to help scientists continue their search for new fundamental particles.

“What scientists are trying to do is discover new fundamental particles and interactions that will unlock the secrets of the universe. But it’s a bit like looking for needles in a universe-sized haystack. The new detector components that we’re assembling right here at SFU greatly improve the chances of finding something new. That’s what makes it so exciting to be involved and what keeps pushing us forward.” — Dr. Bernd Stelzer, Physics Professor, SFU

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

As homelessness increases, QHPC argues that housing should be a human right

A new report from the Québec Homelessness Prevention Collaborative (QHPC) makes 17 recommendations, including the inclusion of housing in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The report is based on research that explores how nations like Finland, France, and Germany approach housing rights and duties to (1) assist those at risk, (2) build social housing, and (3) prevent eviction.

“The statistics of homelessness in Quebec have been getting progressively and, I would argue, catastrophically worse. Between 2018 and 2022, homelessness went up by 44 per cent, with further increases every year. Clearly, what we’re doing right now is not working.” — Pearl Eliadis, Lawyer & Associate Professor (Professional), Public Policy, McGill

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Heat waves increase risk of heart problems

After analyzing more than 5 years of Montreal hospital admissions data, McGill researchers found about an 8% increase in the risk of hospitalization for heart conditions on the city’s hottest days.

“Female participants demonstrated greater vulnerability in areas lacking adaptive resources, indicating that sex-specific heat-protection strategies should prioritize enhancement of community-level cooling infrastructure and support systems.”

CONCORDIA

4D-printing for lighter, faster turbine blades

New carbon-fibre composite panels can be manufactured more cheaply and more efficiently than standard aluminum options. Wind turbines are increasingly used in urban settings, and manufacturing standard blades can be costly and complex.

“The blades are made using carbon/epoxy composite materials with a fiber volume fraction of about 60%.”

RESEARCH HEADLINES · JUNE 22-26

Early drug shortage warnings can save lives, AI can detect early cell abnormalities, and more.

While people take to the streets in Vancouver to protest AI data centers and the internet debates AI slop, algorithms are being put to real work — from detecting early changes in diseased cells to tracking wetlands.

Let’s dig in ↴

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Modernizing wetland mapping with AI

Researchers at the University of Alberta highlight how AI can help experts map wetlands faster and more accurately. While their results are promising, scaling remains a challenge due to the cost of acquiring high-resolution satellite data.

“Deep learning achieved the highest overall accuracies, while machine learning captured finer details and more effectively detected rare wetland types.”

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Responsible quantum: preparing for the future to minimize risks

Waterloo researchers have examined Canada's National Quantum Strategy, underscoring the quantum sector’s likely impact on cybersecurity and wider society, as well as how risks can be mitigated.

“With this level of impact, we need to think carefully about how these technologies will be deployed and governed. Since we’re still in the early stages of the quantum era, we have the opportunity to anticipate and minimize risks now rather than reacting to them after the fact.” — Katya Driscoll

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

Canada releases its Nuclear Energy Strategy

The country’s approach has been newly laid out, centred around four principles (security, responsible development, non-proliferation, benefits for Canadians) and four pillars (enabling new builds, global supply, uranium production, and innovation).

“Canada is not starting from scratch. It holds structural advantages across the full nuclear value chain — from uranium mining through reactor technology to export track record — that virtually no other country can match.”

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Making soil less vulnerable to drought or flooding

Researchers at McGill are exploring how crop diversification and perennial grains can help improve soil health. Where conventional systems use single crops, this can weaken soil microbes, making that soil more vulnerable to flooding and drought.

“Diversified and perennial agriculture was used previously to provide insurance against crop failure and also to regenerate the soil’s fertility.” — Deniz Dutto

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Heat kills: Protecting people with schizophrenia during extreme heat

Despite making up only 1% of the population, people with schizophrenia accounted for nearly 16% of heat-related deaths during BC’s 2021 heat dome that claimed hundreds of lives. In a federally funded study, researchers are exploring why they’re more vulnerable to heat-related deaths.

“It is urgent: extreme heat is happening right now in Europe and could happen again in Canada, even in the coming months.” — Dr. Randall White

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Could the stomach’s microbiome be key to asthma and allergy treatment?

Research is showing that gut fungal species can contribute to immune dysregulation and childhood allergic diseases.

“A better understanding of what gives rise to these conditions and how we can prevent them would have an enormous benefit for children around the globe.” — Dr. Stuart Turvey

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

An early warning system for drug shortages

A startup by researchers at U of T has developed a warning tool for drug shortages that would provide early visibility into supply risks.

“Health system preparedness depends on information as much as it depends on inventory. Earlier, shared visibility transforms crises into a manageable challenge, giving leaders the time to act before patients feel the impact.” — Shanzeh Chaudhry

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Quantifying food safety: “If it isn’t safe, it isn’t food.”

Pathogens transmitted by contaminated food continue to be a significant cause of global illness and death, particularly in Africa. Researchers found that eight food pathogens caused 24 million illnesses and over 100,000 deaths, largely across Africa and Southeast Asia.

“By quantifying illness, death and long-term health impacts, these estimates give governments the data they need to invest in food safety systems, strengthen hygiene and infection prevention measures, improve surveillance and data collection and target interventions where they are needed most.” — Dr. Shannon Majowicz

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Harnessing AI to detect early cell abnormalities

A new algorithm has been developed to identify disease-linked cell changes. The team hopes the findings can improve diagnostics and expand machine learning capabilities for biological research.

“Expanding the PTM list may help researchers find new cellular modifications and new markers for cancer and other diseases. It’s a very powerful tool that will help biologists to broaden their horizons.” — Zeping Mao

RESEARCH HEADLINES · JUNE 15-19

Self-healing potholes. Orcas come back to feast. Brain cancer drugs. And much more.

As we grumble about potholes (while the brave among us share their DIY solutions on social media), researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing a self-healing solution. Meanwhile, research out of UBC shows that orca and whale conservation efforts are going… swimmingly.

Let’s dig in ↴

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Self-repairing asphalt: Fewer potholes up around the bend

Researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing self-healing asphalt to address Canada’s pothole scourge. More testing is planned, but smoother rides could be around the corner.

“We cannot eliminate cracking; it’s a natural process that happens in asphalt, concrete, in different materials. We’re trying to mitigate it, we’re trying to control it.” — Hassan Baaj / City News

UBC RESEARCH

A whale of a summer: BC orca and whale surge marks a win for conservation

UBC research confirms that killer whales (which are really large dolphins) are now being spotted more than two-thirds of the year in the Salish Sea. They’re joined by Humpback whales as well, which have moved into ancestral feeding grounds.

“For transient killer whales, the recovery of seal and sea lion populations has created what amounts to a year-round buffet. Seals and sea lions were heavily culled until the 1970s, but protections allowed their numbers to recover — and the killer whales followed.” — Taryn Scarff

U OF T RESEARCH

Fat benefits: Full-fat dairy may not be that bad

A University of Toronto study has found evidence that three daily servings of full-fat dairy may not adversely affect body weight, energy metabolism, or blood lipid levels (markers of high cholesterol and increased cardiovascular disease risk).

“Those that had three servings of dairy didn’t have adverse levels of blood cholesterol or lipids or evidence of insulin resistance.” — Dr. Harvey Anderson

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

Blocking brain cancer: New drugs to stop cancer from spreading to the brain

A research team at McMaster University is testing a new drug therapy that can prevent cancer from spreading by stopping the rogue cancer cells right at the primary tumour.

“By identifying patients who are at high risk of developing this type of brain cancer and trying to intercept the metastasizing cells before they can even form a brain tumour, we can transform this fatal disease into one that is entirely preventable.” — Dr. Sheila Singh

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Money worries on the mind: Life satisfaction tied to money perceptions

McGill University researchers found that those who feel poorer than their peers were more likely to report worse well-being, even when income levels were similar. The effect was especially strong among young people.

“No matter how much you have, if you feel worse off than the people you compare yourself to, you are less likely to flourish.” — Dr. Frank Elgar

STOKES ECONOMICS

A million workers: Which sectors need the most workers and skills training?

A new study by Stokes Economics for the Council of Ontario Universities estimates that finance, health care, science and technology will require the most workers over the next 10 years. The report claims Ontario will need more than a million students.

“The professor cautions there is a danger in predicting what the labour market will look like over the next decade and the educational needs to meet those demands. Jones points to three wildcards: dwindling immigration, the disruptive potential of AI, and economic instability.” — CP24

SUNNYBROOK HOSPITAL

Head trauma treatment gap: Women less likely to receive brain trauma care

Recent research from Ontario, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, revealed that women with traumatic brain injuries are 26% less likely than men to receive specialized trauma care.

“It goes from as mild as a concussion, to something so severe that it can cause death in the moment.” — Dr. Natalia Angeloni / CBC

SINAI HEALTH

Hall of Famer: Dr. Bernie Zinman changed the medical world in 2015

Dr. Zinman found that a common diabetes drug could reduce cardiovascular deaths in type 2 diabetes patients. He’s now been inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

“His work has not only transformed the treatment of diabetes around the world but has shaped generations of scientists and clinicians here at LTRI and Sinai Health.” — Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras / Sinai Health