Drs. David Bundle, Todd Lowary and John Klassen from the Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta along with their colleagues Drs. Ken Ng, Department of Biological Sciences and Glen Armstrong, Department of Microbiology at the University of Calgary were recognized for their collaborative contributions to novel strategies in combatinginfectious diseases such as E. coli, tuberculosis and Clostridium difficile, a major killer in hospitals.

The Brockhouse Canada Prize recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who have combined their expertise to produce achievements of outstanding international significance in the natural sciences and engineering in the last six years.

“Investing in science and technology has a direct impact on our quality of life,” said the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology). “The accomplishments of these winners demonstrate how these investments benefit Canadians and our economy.”

“We are extremely honoured and proud to receive NSERC’s premier award for interdisciplinary research. The award validates the support and investment of the University and province of Alberta in creating the Alberta Glycomics Centre”, said Dr. Bundle, founding Director of the Centre.

“Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Klassen and I started our collaboration in the mid 1990s and in 2002 we were joined by Dr. Lowary and Dr. Ng. Beginning in 2002 more targeted research became a reality through generous funding from Alberta Innovates Centres program.

“Our initially esoteric studies of how proteins such as antibodies and toxins bind to human or bacterial carbohydrate antigens, illustrates the crucial role of NSERC’s Discovery Grants Program in creating the research environment for breakthroughs that may lead to practical applications. The support of the Universities and province of Alberta made it possible for us to take these basic discoveries further and build on the critical mass of glycomics expertise that resided here, a legacy of the late Professor Raymond Lemieux.”

Part of a provincial platform strategy focused on the areas of Omics, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Nanotechnology, this achievement by the Alberta Glycomics Centre team is a clear point of pride.

“Alberta is working to find solutions to the major challenges facing the global community – solutions related to health, food safety, the environment and energy,” said Greg Weadick, Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “We’re attracting the best and brightest minds in research and innovation, as evidenced by the Alberta Glycomics Centre team, to help us find those solutions.”

 “This award would not have been possible without the strategic vision and investment of the province of Alberta in promoting research and development,” said Dr. Gregory Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science. “The Alberta Innovates Research Centre program has not only created the suitable environment to advance multidisciplinary research but has also helped in the recruitment of highly promising scientists such as Dr. Todd Lowary, the current Director of the Centre.”

This is the first time that the honour is awarded to a research group from Alberta. The Brockhouse Canada prize includes a $250,000 team research grant. View Press Release.

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About the Alberta Glycomics Centre

The Alberta Glycomics Centre (formerly known as Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science) is an Alberta Innovates Centre for Research and Commercialization. The Centre uses glycomics* to address complex health issues by exploring novel strategies to lead the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and other medicinal applications. Some of these novel applications include strategies to combat tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, and other infectious diseases and foodborne pathogens. More information can be found at www.glycomicscentre.ca.

 *Glycomics is the study of the role of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing biomolecules in biological systems. Carbohydrates play a critical role in many biological processes including biological recognition, cell-to-cell interaction, immune response, infection and inflammation. It is anticipated that the Glycomics field will lead to the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics.

About the Alberta Innovates Centres for Research and Commercialization

The Alberta Innovates Centres for Research & Commercialization bridge the well-established research equity in Alberta’s universities, to Alberta’s key industrial sectors of energy and the environment, bio industries and health. The Centres are collaborative hubs where Alberta’s top researchers address pressing industry problems, support company R&D and train Alberta’s top students, providing a strong platform for Alberta’s place in the global economy.

The Centres for Research and Commercialization are supported by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, which plays a vital part in building healthy and sustainable businesses in Alberta.

The Grand Challenges TB biomarkers program provides funding for groundbreaking research into TB biomarkers for the development of a low-cost, simple to use tool that can quickly and accurately diagnose TB in developing countries.

“There is an urgent need to break through barriers in biomarker research in order to develop a highly-sensitive point-of-care diagnostic to improve identification of active TB cases,” said Chris Wilson, Director of Global Health Discovery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We hope these innovative ideas lead to effective and affordable TB diagnostics that can make an impact on one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.”

Dr. Lowary’s project is one of ten Grand Challenges TB biomarkers grants announced today. Projects that receive funding show promise that measurement of the specific biomarker is linked to the presence of TB. 

Supported by the grant, Dr. Lowary’s team will work to identify TB biomarkers from the carbohydrate-containing molecules on the outer surface of the bacteria that cause the disease. “This $375,000 grant allows us to investigate various research strategies aimed at the early detection of TB,” said Dr. Lowary. “Our Centre’s success in health-related research and innovation has been advanced through the efforts of organizations like Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures.” View Press Release

About Grand Challenges in Global Health

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes that solving our greatest global health issues is a long-term effort. Through Grand Challenges in Global Health, the foundation is committed to seeking out and rewarding not only established researchers in science and technology, but also young investigators, entrepreneurs and innovators to help expand the pipeline of ideas to fight diseases that claim millions of lives each year. We anticipate that additional grants will be awarded through the Grand Challenges program in the future.

About the Alberta Glycomics Centre

The Alberta Glycomics Centre (formerly known as Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science) is an Alberta Innovates Centre for Research and Commercialization. The Centre uses glycomics* to address complex health issues by exploring novel strategies to lead the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and other medicinal applications. Some of these novel applications include strategies to combat tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, and other infectious diseases and foodborne pathogens. More information can be found at www.glycomicscentre.ca.

*Glycomics is the study of the role of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing biomolecules in biological systems. Carbohydrates play a critical role in many biological processes including biological recognition, cell-to-cell interaction, immune response, infection and inflammation. It is anticipated that the Glycomics field will lead to the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics.

Dr. Lowary, a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta, has been a key member of the distinguished multidisciplinary team of researchers in the Centre, joining the group as a Principal Investigator in 2003, and moving into the role of Associate Director-Science in 2009.

Professor Lowary has gained world recognition for his outstanding career in research. He is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, including the E. W. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, an award for outstanding and highly promising university faculty members within 12-years of receiving their Ph.D. He was also elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“I look forward to guiding the Centre as it continues to grow, by building on the exceptionally strong foundation that Dr. Bundle’s built through his steady, visionary leadership over the past decade.  With the many gains we’ve made in developing strategies to address infectious diseases, the Centre will continue as a critical part of Alberta’s innovation landscape,” said Dr. Lowary.

“Todd Lowary is the obvious successor to David Bundle. He is an outstanding and internationally renowned scientist. His leadership skills are well-recognised, as evidenced by the numerous national and international committees he has been invited to chair over the years,” said Dr. Gregory Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science, University of Alberta.

Dr. Lowary’s main research focus is on the development of novel therapeutics, carbohydrate-based vaccines and diagnostics against tuberculosis, a disease that causes approximately 1.7 million deaths per year worldwide.

 About the Alberta Glycomics Centre

The Alberta Glycomics Centre (formerly known as Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science) is an Alberta Innovates Centre for Research and Commercialization. The Centre uses glycomics* to address complex health issues by exploring novel strategies to lead the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and other medicinal applications. Some of these novel applications include strategies to combat tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, and other infectious diseases and foodborne pathogens. More information can be found at www.glycomicscentre.ca.

 *Glycomics is the study of the role of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing biomolecules in biological systems. Carbohydrates play a critical role in many biological processes including biological recognition, cell-to-cell interaction, immune response, infection and inflammation. It is anticipated that the Glycomics field will lead to the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics.

 About the Alberta Innovates Centres for Research and Commercialization

The Alberta Innovates Centres for Research & Commercialization bridge the well-established research equity in Alberta’s universities, to Alberta’s key industrial sectors of energy and the environment, bio industries and health. The Centres are collaborative hubs where Alberta’s top researchers address pressing industry problems, support company R&D and train Alberta’s top students, providing a strong platform for Alberta’s place in the global economy.

The Centres for Research and Commercialization are supported by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, which plays a vital part in building healthy and sustainable businesses in Alberta.  View Press Release.

The new name, Alberta Glycomics Centre, more accurately describes the Centre’s mandate and expanded scope of operations. In addition to enhancing awareness of Alberta’s research excellence and leadership in this field, the new identity targets an expanded base of potential clients and collaborators interested in the quickly evolving field of Glycomics; reinforces and aligns the Centre with Alberta’s R&D priorities; and positions the Centre as a leader in new technologies with the potential for applications that reach into other fields. 

“We established these centres to facilitate the collaborative and multi-disciplinary research essential for high-value results and we’ve not been disappointed,” says Randy Goebel, Vice President, Post-Secondary Investments and Chair, Alberta Innovates Academy. “The achievements of this Centre are putting Alberta on the map as a world leader in carbohydrate research.  This approach supports continued growth within the Alberta Innovation system, while the new name links the Centre into the foundation platform area of omics, the most emergent multi-disciplinary approach to health research – further enhancing the possibilities for what is being created here in Alberta.”

“The focus on Glycomics effectively reflects the broad scope of expertise and talent on the team,” says Gregory Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta. “It also acknowledges the multidisciplinary nature of the Centre’s research and development program which includes disciplines as broad reaching as pure chemistry, glycobiology, nanotechnology, structural biology and microbiology. With this expertise in place, the Centre is well positioned to address complex health issues, explore novel strategies and lead the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and other medicinal applications.”

 *Glycomics is the study of the role of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing biomolecules in biological systems. Carbohydrates play a critical role in many biological processes including biological recognition, cell-to-cell interaction, immune response, infection and inflammation. It is anticipated that the Glycomics field will lead to the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics.

 About the Alberta Innovates Centres for Research and Commercialization
The Alberta Innovates Centres for Research & Commercialization bridge the well-established research equity in Alberta’s universities, to Alberta’s key industrial sectors of energy and the environment, bio industries and health. The Centres are collaborative hubs where Alberta’s top researchers address pressing industry problems, support company R&D and train Alberta’s top students, providing a strong platform for Alberta’s place in the global economy.

The Centres for Research and Commercialization are supported by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, which plays a vital part in building healthy, and sustainable businesses in Alberta. View Press Release

Tim Uppal (left) and Rona Ambrose take a tour of Dr. Ratmir Derda's lab

Rona Ambrose, minister of public works and government services and minister for status of women, and Tim Uppal, minister of state (democratic reform), were on campus Sept. 1 for the announcement of new funding aimed at support cutting-edge equipment and facilities at Canadian universities.

Prof. Derda will develop a point-of-care diagnostic assay with a simple paper-based culture platform and detection methods that can be manufactured on-site in aresourcelimited environment. “Our project aims to bring not only scientific but also socialbenefits to developing countries. Along with my collaborators at the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Institute of Primate Research in Kenya, we aim to create an assay in which the components do not need any expensive infrastructure for production or storage, and thus, could be manufactured locally. We will also train researchers in a series of workshops in Kenya on how to use these low-cost diagnostics” said Dr. Derda.

Dr. Derda will receive $100,000 to develop the proof-of concept with a possibility of receiving an additional $1,000,000 for scale-up.

More information on Prof. Derda’s awarded project can be found at http://www.grandchallenges.ca/canadianrisingstars_round1grantees/ratmirderda_en/ or at http://www.chem.ualberta.ca/~derda/

About the Alberta Innovates Centres for Research & Commercialization

Alberta Innovates Centres for Research & Commercialization bridge the well-established research equity in Alberta’s universities to Alberta’s key industrial sectors in energy and the environment, bio industries and in health. The Centres provide collaborative hubs where Alberta’s top researchers address pressing industry problems, support company R&D and train Alberta’s top students, providing a strong platform for Alberta’s place in the global economy.

The Centres for Research & Commercialization are supported by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, which plays a vital part in Alberta’s research and innovation system that is building healthy, sustainable businesses in the province. Through a suite of programs and services for entrepreneurs, companies, researchers and investors, Tech Futures provides technical services and funding support to facilitate the commercialization of technologies, to develop new knowledge-based industry clusters and to encourage an entrepreneurial culture in Alberta.

About Grand Challenges Canada

Grand Challenges Canada is a unique independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of people in developing countries by integrating scientific, technological, business and social innovation. Grand Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research Institute (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)and other global health foundations and organizations to find sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing health challenges. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health.

www.grandchallenges.ca

Click here to view Dr. Ratmir Derda’s video proposal describing low-cost diagnostics that combines paper substrates and bacteriophage-based detection.