Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major issue in hospitals and in the treatment of long-term illnesses like cystic fibrosis (CF).

One such bug, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is the primary cause of chronic lung infection and death in CF patients. Today, these infections are literally bombarded with up to 400 different antibiotic soups of varying composition in hopes of finding on effective treatment. Unfortunately, that approach increases the likelihood the bacteria will acquire antibiotic resistance, thus alternative treatments are urgently being sought by medical researchers worldwide.

Shannon Watson, 18, a Grade 12 student at Ottawa’s Canterbury High School, has joined this global search, successfully investigating the novel approach of fighting ‘bad’ bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa with ‘good’ bacteria found in Mabisi, a fermented milk product from Zambia.

She took up the idea after learning about genetics research on Mabisi at the University of Ottawa by Dr. Alexandre Poulain and Sijmen Schoustra.

“They inspired me to look into its potential medicinal properties,” says Shannon.

Learning through trial and error over 18 months, she developed a reliable technique to isolate the toxins in Mabisi and proved that they inhibited not only the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa but three related bacteria as well.

“I was most impressed by Shannon’s self-motivation and dedication,” says Dr. Schoustra. “She took the clear lead in her own project and worked with minimal supervision.” And, he adds, her work paves the way for further development of a novel class of antibiotics.

Shannon plans to study biology at Queen’s University next year, the beginning of a career in medicine and science to bring about change.

“I am passionate about having positive impact on the world around me,” she says.

Le concours Défi BioTalent Sanofi-Aventis (DBSA) 2010 est maintenant ouvert. La date limite pour envoyer une demande d’inscription est le 12 novembre 2010.

Ce concours est l’occasion par excellence de mettre à l’épreuve vos idées scientifiques dans un véritable laboratoire ! Courez la chance de gagner un prix en espèces, une bourse d’études, un emploi d’été en recherche et plus encore !

Les élèves sont invités à soumettre des idées de projet ainsi qu’à choisir un mentor avec qui ils aimeraient travailler. Pour trouver un chercheur (mentor) qui travail dans votre domaine d’intérêt, vous pouvez consulter entre autres, les sites Web des universités ainsi que celui du Conseil national de recherches du Canada.

Ces sites vous permettent également de découvrir les projets de recherches qui se font dans votre région et peuvent vous donner des idées de projet pour le concours. Si vous avez des difficultés, n’hésitez pas à communiquer avec moi, la coordonnatrice régionale. Je vous aiderai à trouver un mentor.

Un projet de recherche peut commencer dès qu’il est approuvé. Vous pouvez travailler seul ou en équipe de deux. Vu les exigences des laboratoires locaux, vous devez avoir au moins 15 ans. Vous devez aussi tenir un cahier de laboratoire (s’assurer de respecter les exigences de format).

Cette année, le concours régional se tiendra en avril 2011 au Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada.
Assurez-vous de relire tous les règlements du concours sous l’onglet Eleves et enseignants.

Finalement, travaillez fort et AYEZ BEAUCOUP DE PLAISIR !

Liens à des organismes de recherche :

• Idées de projet :
• Conseil national de recherches Canada
• L’Université d’Ottawa
• La Cité collégiale
• Institut de recherche de l’Hôpital d’Ottawa (IRHO)

J’espère avoir de vos nouvelles bientôt.
Cheryl
Coordonnatrice régional du DBSA, Est de l’Ontario
Envoyer un courriel

We are now accepting applications for the 2010- 2011 SABC competition. Applications must be received by Friday November 12, 2010. This is a great opportunity to try out real science ideas in a real lab setting! Win prizes of $$$$ cash, entrance scholarships and more!

Students are encouraged to submit their projects and try to identify a mentor that they would like to work with.

For more information on developing a proposal or ideas please review the Students and Teachers tab. Be sure to click on the interesting links section for more project ideas.

Mentors can be found by searching the University, College and National Research Council Canada sites to find who’s doing research in your area of interest. These sites are also great for exploring some of the research going on in the region to help you think of a project idea.

If you are having problems, be sure to ask me the regional coordinator, and I will try to help you find a mentor to work with.

Students will begin their research projects as soon as they are approved. You may work in groups of up to 2 individuals. You must keep a lab book (be sure to review the format requirements).

This year’s regional competition will be held in April 2011 at the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
Please make sure you review all of the competition rules under the Student & Teachers tab.

Most of all, be sure to work hard and HAVE FUN!

Research Organization Links:
National Research Council Canada
University of Ottawa
Carleton University
Algonquin College
La Cite Collégiale

I hope to hear from you soon,
Cheryl
Send an Email

The competition is on! Projects have begun and the Regional Competition will be begin in Ottawa at 9am on Wednesday April 14, 2010 at our Regional Partner site the Canada Science and Technology Museum www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca. An awards ceremony will follow beginning at 5:30 pm.

Students and Teachers, please ensure you review all of the information under the Students & Teachers tab of the website for the details on presenting your projects for the competition.

The Biotechnology Lecture Series for schools will be once again be held at the Canada Science and Technology Museum May 5 and 6, 2010. Teachers interested in more information on signing their classes up for the lecture series please click on the following link to send an email request. Lecture Series More Information Request

About the 2010 Awards:
At the Eastern Ontario Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge, winning student teams, indvidual students and their schools benefit from a variety of awards from sponsoring organizations. The top cash awards are shared between the school and each of the members of the winning team. The school�s portion of the award is for the purchase of scientific equipment and supplies.

Additional Prizes!
The Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge in Eastern Ontario is pleased to announce that in addition to the cash prizes, winning students may be awarded university entrance scholarships, summer student employment at the National Research Council Canada Institute for Biological Sciences, the Univeristy of Ottawa�s Faculty of Medicine and Heart Institute; and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Additional Prizes also Include:
A CIHR award will be given to the team who�s research has the best commercialization potential.

The Linda Beynon Prize is presented in memory of Linda by the National Research Council of Canada Institute for Biological Sciences for the best project in the field of Biomedical Research.
Please ensure you review all of the information under the Students & Teachers tab of the website for the details on presenting your projects for the competition.

The Canada Science and Technology Museum is pleased to present an award for the Best Scientific Presentation.

Thank you to our 2010 Regional Supporters
Canada Science and Technology Museum
National Research Council Canada
University of Ottawa
Borden Ladner Gervais
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
uOttawa Heart Institute
Carleton University
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

New This Year – Applications will be accepted throughout the year, contact the coordinator for more information.

Project Ideas:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
http://www.ysf.ca/SMARTS/

I hope to hear from you soon,
Cheryl
SABC Regional Coordinator, Eastern Ontario
Send an Email

The average Colorado potato beetle larva can chomp its way through 45 square centimeters of foliage in a day. In large numbers, the pest can wipe out entire crops of potatoes, tomatoes or eggplant. To make matters worse, the need for stronger and stronger insecticides to combat the beetle’s increasing resistance to chemical agents has become a worldwide environmental problem.

For 16-year-old Emma Graham – an environmentalist with a keen interest in botany – a problem combining contamination and plants presented an irresistible challenge. Her project – combining a plant extract with the pesticide to boost its effectiveness and lower its environmental impact – has earned her the right to represent Eastern Ontario in the national finals of this year’s Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge.

“One solution to the problem of resistance is to add another compound, called a synergist, to the commonly used insecticide (Imidacloprid),” explained Emma, a Grade 10 Student at Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa. “I wanted to find an environmentally friendly alternative to the most popular synergist (Piperonyl Butoxide), which is a potential carcinogen.”
Working with Prof. Tony Durst in his chemistry lab at the University of Ottawa, Emma extracted a natural insecticide from Indian dill oil, created two forms of a compound with the pesticide Imidacloprid and then tested the mixture on Colorado potato beetles. Her formula proved 95 percent effective against the pest — higher than the Imidacloprid alone – and, most importantly, less toxic.

“We need to explore every opportunity for reducing our impact on the environment,” said Emma, a member of the EcoMentors program that promotes environmental education and action among young people nationwide. “Pesticides are necessary but it’s important to make them less dangerous to human health and the environment.”

Paralyzed rats regenerate spinal cord with Nepean student’s discovery

Every year 1,400 Canadians severely injure their spinal cord resulting in full or partial paralysis. Despite intense therapy less than 1% of them recovery completely.

Regrowing and reconnecting severed nerve fiber or axons has been exceedingly challenging for the best medical researchers in Canada.

Starting with little more than a passion for engineering and math, 15-year-old Sathya Baskaran of Nepean High School decided to give it a go. And, with guidance of SABC mentors at the University of Ottawa, he eventually developed a series of hollow fiber membrane tubes to mimic the structure of bones that allowed paralyzed rats to move again.

Using hollow fiber tubes to repair spinal cords, a technique called entubulation, is a new and active field of research, but hardly at the Grade 10 level.

Working at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Sathya created tiny novel tubes, each one taking three weeks of painstaking work. “It was vital that the procedures were followed very carefully in order to maintain the structure, pores and the weight of the tubes,” he said.

Sathya then went to the Ottawa Health Research Institute to test the tubes in paralyzed rats and they promoted sufficient axon growth that the rats could move again.

“His results show it is possible to use an entubulation strategy to repair spinal cord after injuries,” concluded Xudong Cao, Sathya’s mentor at the University of Ottawa.

The 15 year old also compared various types of tubes and established that tubes made of a single biodegradble copolymer material worked better than those using two or more copolymers.

Not surprisingly Sathya says his career dream is to apply engineering and technology to life sciences.

“What I really enjoyed about the competition was presenting my project to the judges and guests.”

The Winner is here.

Presentation of the 2nd place award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, Mrs Szymanski (teacher, Elmwood School), Rochelle Kerluke (teacher, Elmwood School), Prashanthi Baskaran and Colette Rivet (Executive Director, BioTalent Canada).

Presentation of the 3rd place award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, Sophie Lanthier (teacher, College catholique Samuel-Genest), Michelle Tarabay, Marie-Josee Gandier and Dr. Richard Normandin (VP Research, NRC).

Presentation of the 4th Place Award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, Dr. Michel Gilbert (mentor, NRC), Danielle Landry (teacher, Hillcrest High School), Maria Merziotis, Dr. Mercedes Kuroski-de Bold (University of Ottawa Heart Institute).

Presentation of the 5th Place Award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, David Wright (teacher, Lisgar Collegiate Institute), Tiffany Cheung, Josie Qiu and Dr. Jay Baltz (OHRI, Associate Director Training).

Presentation of the 6th Place Award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, David Wright (teacher, Lisgar Collegiate Institute), Lingling Liu, Jessica Li and Dr. Len Kleine (University of Ottawa, Faculty of Science).

Presentation of the Linday Beynon Award at the SABC in Eastern Ontario 2007. From left, Rochelle Kerluke (teacher, Elmwood School), Prashanthi Baskaran and Dr. J.-R. Brisson (NRC).

Presentation of the CIHR Award for Commercialization Potential at the SABC 2007. From left, Sophie Lanthier (teacher, College catholique Samuel-Genest), Michelle Tarabay, Marie-Josee Gandier, Dr. David Brener (CIHR).

CSTM Award for Science Interpretation. From left, Danielle Landry (teacher Hillcrest High School), Dr. Michel Gilbert (mentor, NRC), Maria Merziotis and Claude Faubert (Director General, CSTM).

The Runners Up are here.

(PHOTO: Liana Krauthaker, Teacher, Dr. Luis Barreto, VP Public Affairs, sanofi pasteur Ltd. with James MacLeod)

Ottawa’s James MacLeod has not only joined the legion of medical researchers investigating the highly complex world of immunology and the HIV virus, his work may have opened a door to new treatment methods. Here’s how MacLeod explains it:

“When the HIV virus attacks, it kills a type of cell in the immune system called CD4. Molecules on the surface of other cells respond by producing a hormone called Interleukin-7 that fosters the reproduction and growth of the attacked cells to fight the invader. The problem is, when there is too much Interleukin-7 in the body, the molecules (CD 127) decrease. Gradually the immune system is weakened and the virus wins.”

MacLeod’s insight is into exactly why the CD 127 molecules decrease � a response to two other forms of Interleukins � offering some new options for treatments.

Becoming fascinated by the HIV virus two years ago at Ottawa�s All Saints Catholic High School, MacLeod had to wait until he had enough scientific background to before beginning his research into the disease.

“I had to read a number of published laboratory reports to understand the methodology and had to locate a number of publications that could teach me about apoptotic (cellular suicide) pathways within cells.”

Having taken first place in last year’s sabc national competition, the Grade 12 student says he learns a great deal from the questions the judges ask.

“This competition has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how a research laboratory functions, and gives me a taste of what it is like to have a career in research.”

It has also given him a huge head start on university lab courses next year “since they will initially be less complex than the level of research I am currently involved in.”

McLeod�s mentor last year and this has been Dr. Angela Crawley, post-doctoral fellow, Ottawa Health Research Institute.

The following student projects have been approved for the 2006-2007 sanofi aventis Biotech Challenge in Eastern Ontario.

Students: Jason Au
School: All Saints Catholic High School
Mentor: Dr. Dennis Bulman, Univeristy of Ottawa

Students: Emin Aboulian and Argishti Baghdasarian
School: St. Patrick’s High School
Mentor: Dr. Christine Szymanski, NRC

Bacteriology – The Phenomenons behind home remedies
Students: Maria Merziotis
School: Hillcrest High School
Mentor: Dr. Michel Gilbert, NRC

Creation of retrovirus expressing B18R gene
Students: Jessica Li and Lingling Liu
School: Lisgar Collegiate Institute
Mentor: Rob Edge, Chantal Lemay and Rhea Ferguson, University of Ottawa

Cytokine profiling of foam cells and peritoneal macrophages exposed to live Polrphyromonas gingivalis
Students: Prashanthi Baskaran
School: Elmwod School
Mentor: Dr. S. Whitman and Jessica Gage, University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Effectiveness of cytokine influence in protecting CD8+ CD127+ and CD8+ CD127- T-cells
Students: James MacLeod
School: All Saints Catholic High School
Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Angel and Dr. Angela Crawley, OHRI

Genetic modification for photosynthesis acceleration
Students: Chris Habets
School: South Carleton High School
Mentor: Doug Balchin and Dr. Bao-Luo Ma, Agriculture and AgriFood Canada

Induce symbiotic relationships between the rhizobium family of bacterium and the Agrostis genus of grass
Students: Josie Qiu, Tiffany Cheung, Jeremie Harris
School: Lisgar Collegaite Institute
Mentor: Dr. Patrick Walsh, University of Ottawa

Les bioplastiques: leurs utilites et leurs effects sur l’environnement
Students: Marie-josee Gandier and Michelle Tarabay
School: College catholique Samuel-Genest
Mentor:

L’estrogene et nos eaux
Students: Erik Selin and Caroline Weber
School: College catholique Samuel-Genest
Mentor: Dr. Vance Trudeau and Dr. kassen, University of Ottawa

Revolution dans notre assiette!
Students: Zacharie Saint-Georges
School: College catholique Samuel-Genest
Mentor: Dr. Owen Rowland, Carleton University