Covid-19 has proven the feasibility of online conferences. But as we emerge from the pandemic, will we slip back into our old ways?
As a conference co-ordinator, Oliver Rossier couldn’t believe the sheer waste of time, money and carbon it took to fly an international scholar to Edmonton for a one-hour lecture. “I tried to set up workshops with graduate students and other researchers the following day, but he had to get on a plane right after his…
Job site and neighbourhood risks should be taken into account when setting priorities, experts argue
It's time for a more nuanced approach to prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations as more contagious variants become prevalent and a third wave of infections threatens to overwhelm hospitals in some provinces, according to an analysis published recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “It’s time to move the debate away from age and medical risk factors,” said lead author…
U of A researchers are harnessing AI to analyze patients’ own cells to create islet cells for transplant
University of Alberta researchers are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to find a safer, more personalized source of islet cells to treat Type 1 diabetes. The research project, a collaboration between the departments of surgery and computing science, aims to use AI to analyze images to speed up the process and reduce the need for human decision-making…
University of Alberta research highlights potential pathway for new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
Scientists at the University of Alberta have identified a mechanism for a protein that decreases the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease – a discovery that highlights a new potential avenue for developing therapeutic treatments. The protein, called CD33, is known for its connection to Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility, but its exact role was unclear until now.…
U of A pharmacy researcher looks for ways to correct a common but often hidden type of diabetes-related heart failure
A University of Alberta laboratory has uncovered a new approach to preventing heart failure in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to research findings published recently in the journal Cell Reports. “We know people with diabetes take drugs for years to control their blood sugars, but the drugs don’t cure their diabetes,” said lead author John Ussher, associate…
U of A pharmacy researcher looks for ways to correct a common but often hidden type of diabetes-related heart failure
A University of Alberta laboratory has uncovered a new approach to preventing heart failure in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to research findings published recently in the journal Cell Reports. “We know people with diabetes take drugs for years to control their blood sugars, but the drugs don’t cure their diabetes,” said lead author John Ussher, associate…
A serious blow to our delusion we are better than Americans
When it comes to health care, Canadians only seem to care about one thing: Are we better than the United States? As long as we “beat” the U.S., we remain smug about our performance, although this attitude can be hard to square with the tens of thousands of Canadians who get quick access to top-level…
The claim that merging Ontario’s government-run and Catholic school systems will save “an estimated $1.6 billion a year” is blarney
In terms of cultural insensitivity, the latest call for ending Ontario’s Catholic school funding wins the shamrock, coming, as it did, on St. Patrick’s Day. But if we overlook that faux pas, we still have to consider the pot of gold that would be saved by absorbing Catholic schools into the government-run system. Or do…
Innovative research could provide a supply of renewable fuel
A potentially huge industrial project to create jet fuel from biowaste has received a $2.89-million funding boost from Natural Resources Canada. The investment, which includes $1.99 million in direct funding and $900,000 in in-kind contributions, will go toward setting up an advanced fuel-testing suite in lead researcher David Bressler’s lab and will also support the work of several…
Researchers are now looking to develop a drug that will boost existing statin drugs to prevent heart disease
A team of researchers at the University of Alberta has uncovered a long-sought link in the battle to control cholesterol and heart disease. The protein that interferes with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors that clear ‘bad’ cholesterol from the blood was identified in findings recently published in Nature Communications by Dawei Zhang, associate professor of pediatrics in the Faculty…
Building on game-changing breast cancer trials, TRIO now testing drugs for breast, lung, ovarian, liver and gastrointestinal cancer
A not-for-profit research group with University of Alberta roots is quietly taking its place in the major leagues of global cancer drug testing. When promising new cancer treatments are ready for trial in humans, researchers from around the world turn to Edmonton-based TRIO (Translational Research in Oncology) to run their clinical trials. “It may seem like…
A fast-growing Edmonton startup company that’s a new player in the cellular agriculture sector recently received US$2.2 million from three U.S. venture capital firms and a number of private investors. Future Fields, which was incorporated in 2018, was founded by two University of Alberta graduates and a former U of A employee. All but two…
New machine learning model spots subtle early signs, making it possible for psychiatrists to treat people sooner before symptoms get worse
Many people with early-stage or first-episode bipolar disorder have cognitive deficits, such as issues with visual processing and spatial memory, but those deficits are often so subtle that the disorder can go undiagnosed for years. That could change thanks to researchers who have created a machine learning model that helps identify these subtle deficits with…
Uses range from reclaiming wastewater to capturing carbon and decontaminating soil
It looks like the throwaway scrapings from a barbecue grill, but biochar is fanning the flames of discovery as University of Alberta researchers explore the product’s environmental benefits. The blackened byproduct – created from waste like cow manure, wheat and canola straw, and sawdust produced in Alberta – has many uses that help the environment…
U of A choral director conducts live performances in a parking lot, with singers performing from the safety of their cars
In a year when in-person concerts have been next to impossible, U of A choral director Tim Shantz has found a way for the university’s Madrigal Singers to perform live before an audience. And it doesn’t involve Zoom. Gathered in a parking lot, the members of his choir sing into microphones from their cars – all safely contained in…
As a conference co-ordinator, Oliver Rossier couldn’t believe the sheer waste of time, money and carbon it took to fly an international scholar to Edmonton for a one-hour lecture. “I tried to set up workshops with graduate students and other researchers the following day, but he had to get on a plane right after his…
