1. Saskatchewan disease control laboratory – more than just diagnostics

    August 3, 2010 by AURP Canada

    The new Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory (SDCL) building at 5 Research Drive in Regina is a welcome addition to Innovation Place, but what, you may wonder, actually goes on behind the new glass and stone walls?

    Dr. Greg Horsman, Medical Director for SDCL sums it up this way. “The public health system of Saskatchewan is a network of teams working with a common goal to protect and enhance the health of the general public. This consists of the Medical Health Officers and their teams in the health regions and the Population Health team from the Ministry of Health, as well as the SDCL.”

    Since communicable diseases can be spread through a wide variety of means, SDCL has a long list of the types of tests they perform. Along with the publicly accessible water sample testing, SDCL provides services to health facilities which don’t have their own laboratories, providing diagnostic tests for bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. Using DNA-based molecular technologies, they detect, identify and keep track of a wide variety of infectious diseases. Sometimes, they find things they’re not even looking for and which leads to interesting research programs.

    For example, the Section Manager of Molecular Diagnostics at SDCL, Dr. Nick Antonishyn, recently co-authored a scientific paper identifying a genotype of the human papillomavirus with a higher risk of causing cervical cancer than previous studies around the world. This finding in Saskatchewan women has since been confirmed by other studies across Canada and other parts of the world and could have implications for monitoring vaccine efficacy. “Even though we are a public health lab and a service lab first, we do come across unusual things that haven’t been identified before,” says Horsman.

    Another example occurred during last year’s H1N1 epidemic, when the SDCL identified an unusual strain of influenza. “We found three cases from people who were working in a pig barn where the virus was behaving differently than the flu strain in widespread circulation,” said Horsman. It turned out to be a unique strain, the first time a new flu strain was identified in Saskatchewan. Horsman adds, “This is exciting stuff for microbiologists.”

    Horsman says the opportunity to explore these types of unexpected discoveries encourages the molecular biologists and chemists to stretch their knowledge base and keeps everyone on their toes.

    “This type of applied research is part of the culture we’ve created and it leads to medical health officers asking more questions because they know we will really look into things,” says Horsman. “SARS emphasized the important role public health laboratories have in looking for new and emerging pathogens, so it’s good to keep up research and development so we keep getting better at detecting unusual things.”

    For more information about the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory, please go to www.health.gov.sk.ca/lab

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  2. Ag-west bio – welcoming the world in abic 2010

    by AURP Canada

    It’s the final countdown to the 10th Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) being held in Saskatoon from September 12 to 15. Long time client of Innovation Place Ag-West Bio Inc. is hosting the event for the fourth time. Dr. Wilf Keller, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio is the conference steering committee chair.

    “I’ve been involved with ABIC since it started back in 1996 and it’s evolved into a meeting that includes a lot more business leaders and managers rather than just a technical conference,” said Keller. “ABIC gives potential investors, international business partners and even legal firms a snapshot of where biotech is at as well as being a great networking opportunity.”

    Muriel Adams, Managing Director of the ABIC Foundation, has been overseeing the preparations for this conference for more than a year. She says delegates include major decision makers from several multinational corporations as well as policy makers, politicians and bureaucrats from around the world. “We’ve also got 15 start up companies, many of them are international and they usually come to this conference because of the opportunities for them to meet the corporate leaders as well as the researchers.”

    Many of those researchers will be participating in the poster competition. “The 56 posters in the competition is where we see the most technical information presented,” said Adams who adds, “It’s very high level work, usually post-doctoral work and up.”

    The poster competition, like the rest of the conference, is divided into three broad themes: energy, human and animal health, and new for this year, sustainability. “There is a growing interest in environmental concerns so there is more interest in renewable resources, nutrient use efficiency and the overall environmental impact of agricultural production,” said Keller.

    Conference program committee co-chair Brett Zettl, President of Prairie Plant Systems, is even more adamant about considering sustainability. “The role of agriculture will become more important, especially as water resources become increasingly taxed,” said Zettl. “Food will become more expensive again and it’s important for technology to keep ahead of the curve.”

    Along with the growing interest in sustainability, Keller says he’s also noticed more emphasis over the years on convergent technologies bringing together agriculture and health and more recently, technologies bridging agriculture and bioproducts such as fuels, plastics and polymers. The plenary sessions reflect those themes with talks on food security and safety, vaccines and advances in biofuels.

    While the focus of the talks has changed over the years, the conference continues to have a strong international component. This year, speakers and delegates will come from as far away as Australia, China, Japan Thailand, Italy, Belgium and throughout the United States and Canada.

    “Research and the challenges that go with it are global, and this is a chance to broaden our perspectives,” says Adams who points to the example of jatropha, which is increasingly grown throughout Africa as biofuel. “We obviously don’t grow jatropha in Canada but some of the technologies around using it are transferrable to the things we are doing here.”

    This year’s conference is continuing the tradition of kicking off with a public forum. Local biotech businessman John Cross and author and broadcaster Jay Ingram will speak at the public forum scheduled fro 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 12 at TCU Place.

    For more information about the ABIC Conference please go to www.abic.ca/abic2010

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  3. Wind turbine installed at Innovation Place

    July 29, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Innovation Place, in collaboration with the University of Regina, has installed one of the first roof mounted wind turbines in the City of Regina at 2 Research Drive. The 3.5kW vertical axis turbine towers an additional seven meters over the highest point of the rooftop and with its vertical blades is reminiscent of than egg better rather than the more common propeller like wind turbines.

    The turbine is tied into the power grid of 2 Research Drive thereby reducing the demand on SaskPower’s supply of electricity, however even operating at full capacity, a 3.5kW turbine does not make a big dent in reduced energy costs of the building. Rather, the turbine serves as both a research tool and a symbol of Innovation Place’s commitment to sustainable, innovative development and the reduction of our carbon footprint. It also serves as a daily reminder of the connection between the University of Regina and Innovation Place and our mutual commitment to research and development.

    The wind turbine and related equipment were purchased by the University of Regina. Along with providing the building on which to mount the turbine, Innovation Place provided the necessary alternations to the building’s structure and electrical infrastructure to support the turbine and coordinated the installation.

    The initiative is part of the University of Regina’s efforts to support the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The turbine will provide a key opportunity for researchers and educators from the University to conduct research associated with alternative energy technologies. Along with the technical research, the turbine serves as a demonstration of sustainable technology and will be used to assess public understanding and acceptance of alternative energy. It will also be used for educational practices around sustainability.

    The final phase of installation is the commissioning of the turbine. As of July 16, the turbine is in operation and is now generating electricity that is being used at 2 Research Drive.

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  4. Cheap gas just a click away: a look at gb internet solutions’ signature product

    by AURP Canada

    Of a road trip is in your summer plans you might want to check out the trip cost calculator on a popular website developed by one of the newer tenants at Innovation Place. GB Internet Solutions is the crator and operator of gasbuddy.com, a network of gas pricing websites covering all of Canada and the United States. The domain names for the website follow the same format: name of the city followed by gasprices.com, as written as one word. So you can check out gas prices all the way from www.victoriagasprices.com to www.miamigasprices.com.

    According to co-founder Jason Toews, it is the local feel to the websites that make GasBuddy’s network such a success. “It’s really simple and easy to use,” says Toews who adds, “the whole idea behind this was people banding together to share tips on where the cheapest gas is so everyone can save money.”

    Over the years features have been added to the websites, including local statistics, maps charting gas prices, and the above mentioned trip cost calculator. Just fill in your destination and some information about your vehicle such as fuel economy and tank size. The trip cost calculator will tell you where to stop for the cheapest gas along your route and can even make suggestions on how to optimize your trip with fewer stops.

    The venture is fueled by more than one million volunteer spotters who report prices to GasBuddy every day. Volunteers are motivated to report prices by getting points and a chance to win $250 worth of gas every week. Toews points out that some spotters have logged in for more than 3,000 consecutive days. That is pretty impressive considering GB Internet Solutions just celebrated its 10th anniversary in early June.

    Toews started the company with co-founder Dustin Coupal and both worked at it part time for the first five eyars. They’ve seen steady expansion since then and now have a team of 24 employees with plans to double in size within the next few years. The growth is due in part to new areas they are venturing into including websites for hotel bookings and classified ads.

    “We have 1,500 domain names, similar to our www.reginagasprices.com and we’ve got so many ideas but just don’t have the time or the people right now to get everything done,” says Toews.

    Toews is cautious about expanding too fast and getting ahead of their revenue stream. GasBuddy makes money selling advertising and, with 10 year experience watching gas prices, also sells gas price data which is particularly useful for organizations with large fleets of vehicles. Toews has also become the go to guy for the media because is able to provide independent analysis.

    “Being involved with a gas price website for 10 years I’ve had a lot of conversations with industry insiders and learned a lot about how stations set their prices and how crude oil impacts gas prices, so we get a lot of publicity; particularly when prices jump.

    GB Internet Solutions can be found at 140 – 2 Research Drive in Regina.

     

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  5. beyond marijuana – prairie plant systems branches out

    June 25, 2010 by AURP Canada

    “Marijuana was our gateway drug,” jokes Brent Zettl, President and CEO of Prairie Plant Systems, the Saskatoon based company best known for being the official supplier of marijuana for Health Canada.

    Zettl says the 2000 contract to grow medicinal marijuana in an old mine near Flin Flon, Manitoba provided proof of concept and they are now using biosecure underground growth chambers to produce therapeutic proteins otherwise known as plant made pharmaceuticals.

    “We initially thought we would be a service provider to biotech companies but the big players got out of plant made pharmaceuticals and instead focused their biotech efforts on becoming seed companies,” explains Zettl. “That opened up plant made pharmaceutical development to smaller players and we saw the potential.”

    By 2003 Prairie Plant Systems, along with its partners at NRC’s Plant Biotechnology Institute, developed their own transgenic platform; a legume containing genes for a specific protein critical to the human immune system, adenosine deaminase (ADA).  ADA deficiency is a rare inherited disorder that results in severe combined immunodeficiency, more commonly known as bubble boy disease.  Treatment frequently includes an enzyme replacement therapy with the affected individual receiving an injection of ADA extracted from cow spleens.

    The development of a bean that produces ADA could dramatically reduce the cost of this type of treatment.  Zettl says a partner company is expected to have the plant-produced ADA into clinical trials within the year, paving the way for other transgenically produced products. He says Prairie Plant Systems currently have four other proteins in the production pipeline. “We see ourselves becoming a biogeneric producer of off-patent and orphaned drugs; drugs that are difficult to produce which don’t have a lot of demand for them.”

    Zettl says developing these plant made pharmaceuticals has been a long haul and was only possible because Prairie Plant Systems was self-sustaining, relying on its Environment Division which conducts revegetation and reclamation projects and its BioProducts Division which specializes in cloning new varieties of prairie hardy fruits developed at the University of Saskatchewan. The have also continued doing contract work in the underground growth chambers and have four business process patents pending in relation to that work.

    “We’ve really turned the corner with 30 percent growth in sales in the past few years and a similar growth rate for the foreseeable future,” says Zettl. There are currently more than 50 employees at the Saskatoon head office and five employees at the Michigan based subsidiary where the underground growth chambers are now located. While the head office is located just outside Saskatoon, Prairie Plant Systems continues to have a presence at the L.F. Kristjanson Biotechnology Complex where it has been located since 1989.

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  6. Blacksun – a space for success

    by AURP Canada

    There’s a warm blue glow from the windows at the top of the west stairs in the Concourse building in Saskatoon. The light is coming from the foyer of web hosting company BlackSun. Step inside the front door and it’s obvious you are in a workplace that values creativity and the employee experience. Visitors and employees are welcomed with trophies, awards and an assortment of oddities and memorabilia including a replica C3PO head from the Star Wars movies and an autographed book about Einstein. In a closet around the corner are stacks of Nibble magazines, the go-to read for Apple II enthusiasts in the 1980s. Tucked away in various corners you can find old ColecoVision computers and game consoles and first generation Apple computers from the 1970s.

    BlackSun CEO and co-founder Steve Rogoschewsky says creating a collection of memorabilia was never an intentional part of his corporate strategy but it has served a purpose over the years. “In our business there’s so much change. What’s cutting edge today is an antique tomorrow.” Along with being a bit of fun, the collection serves as a daily reminder that being complacent is not an option.

    While the technology keeps changing, Rogoschewsky believes excellent customer service remains a cornerstone to BlackSun’s success.  “Our customers are from across Canada, North America and even Europe and they comment on their interactions with our people,” he chuckles. “Maybe it’s that small town Saskatchewan thing, but there’s a certain friendliness to people here that just comes naturally and our clients appreciate that.”Â

    The collections are Rogoschewsky’s way of keeping things interesting in the office which helps keep employees engaged. “Your office space shapes how employees work, how they feel and how they interact with each other and their customers,” he says adding “I think there’s an energy flow here and a really nice feel to the space.”

    That appreciation of the feel for a space recently drew Rogoschewsky to purchase a letter written by the late Princess Diana.  In it, she talks about the benefits of feng shui – a practice of aesthetics and room design believed to increase energy flow.  “She was using her environment to shape her life,” says Rogoschewsky, “and she shares some of the same values we have in this company so I think her letter makes an interesting addition.” Â

    The letter will soon be framed and up on the walls with other various works of arts and interesting documents including a 1894 one page annual report from the Edison Electric Light Company signed by Thomas Edison. Art, sculptures and handcrafted items are scattered throughout the office with the intention of creating an interesting environment for both visitors and employees.Â

    Rogoschewsky’s focus on his employees and the employee experience has paid off.  BlackSun has an exceptionally low employee turnover rate and the company is starting to expand into new areas. Recently they’ve started doing website design, partly to meet customer demand, but also, explains Rogoschewsky “as a natural progression for some employees to explore their creative side in a different way.”Â

    Encouraging employees to stretch their creative energies is not only good for the employee, but good for the future of BlackSun. Rogoschewsky points to a quote from Einstein’s book which reads “You can’t solve problems by using the same type of thinking when we created them.” At BlackSun, these are words to live by.

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  7. Big Job Growth in Province’s Medical Field

    June 8, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Saskatoon-based research firm looking for more people

    Reported by Brendan Wagner
    Posted June 6, 2010

    We found out on Friday that Saskatchewan continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

    Growing companies like Phenomenome Discoveries in Saskatoon are helping to create those jobs.

    The head of the medical research firm, John Hyshka, says the province is on the cutting edge.

    “The people of Saskatchewan should be excited to know that you have one of the strongest life science (communities), and even on the IT side, a strong industrial community that’s growing, but we’re going to need more people,” he says.

    Hyshka says universities in this province are doing a good job of educating researchers. But as Phenomenome grows, the company is looking further abroad to recruit people to Saskatoon. It currently employs researchers from China, India, Ghana, and many other countries around the globe.

    Dr. Paul Wood is one of the people recruited from afar. He was raised in Ontario and last worked in Chicago.

    “My kids are in the high school system here and love it very much, and are thinking of going to the U of S,” Wood says, “I think the education system within the province in very strong. If face, a number of my labs in Canada and the U.S., I’ve had doctoral students from Saskatchewan and they’ve all been excellent.”

    Phenomenome Discoveries is located at Innovation Place on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.

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  8. Award of Innovation Nominees Announced in Saskatoon

    May 18, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Three University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researchers were announced at the SABEX “Celebrate Success!” finalists’ reception for the Innovation Place—Industry Liaison Office Award of Innovation.

    The $10,000 annual award honours U of S researchers who have brought new and commercially viable technology to the U of S Industry Liaison Office (ILO) for development into marketable products.

    “The technologies developed by these individuals have great potential to enrich lives through improvements in human health, environmental toxicology, and bio-agriculture,” said Glen Schuler, ILO Managing Director. “Our city and our province will also directly benefit from the promise of increased investment and high-quality jobs this research brings.”

    “We’re excited by this year’s group of finalists,” said Austin Beggs, Vice-President of Corporate Relations for Innovation Place. “Many of the enterprises at Innovation Place are built on ideas that began at the U of S, and many of the highly qualified people that work here are U of S graduates. We’re proud to celebrate these successes that help bring novel products and processes to the marketplace.”

    The award finalists are:

    • Dr. John Giesy, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology, has co-developed an assay test (a molecular biology procedure), named the H295R Steroidogenersis Assay, that will enable regulators to determine which chemical compounds cause harmful hormone effects and then develop regulations to minimize these effects. Dr. Geisy was instrumental in designing the regulations with environmental regulators in the United States and Europe. The assay was developed with financial support from Western Economic Diversification Canada and has been approved for use by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation. The U of S recently set up a wholly owned subsidiary to market this test world-wide.
    • Dr. Rajendra Sharma, a U of S pathology professor and scientist at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, has co-identified a marker in the blood that indicates the presence of colorectal cancer. This discovery, still in the early stages of testing, has the potential to be developed further into a colorectal cancer test that would be inexpensive, accurate, offer minimal discomfort to the patient, increase screening rates, and ultimately reduce colorectal cancer death rates.
    • Dr. Vladimir Vujanovic, U of S associate professor of food and bioproduct sciences and Agri-Food Innovation Fund Chair in Agricultural Microbiology and Bioproducts, has discovered a new species of fungus found in wheat, barley, and other prairie crops that can control outbreaks of the harmful Fusarium fungus species found soil and plants. Fusarium produces toxic substances that can cause serious health problems in cattle and be fatal in humans. It costs the agricultural and forestry industries billions of dollars in lost yield and quality. Once the genes in the new fungus species are identified, they could be cloned to generate proteins in industrial-scale quantities, suitable for prevention and treatment of Fusarium infections. The genes could also be used to create Fusarium-resistant crop varieties.

    The winner of the Award of Innovation will be announced May 18th at the SABEX “Celebrate Success!” gala, sponsored by the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce and Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc.

    The Award of Innovation competition is open to U of S employees and students. Selection criteria include innovation novelty and potential commercial impact. The selection committee includes representatives from Innovation Place and the U of S. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will be recognized with a photo on the “Award of Innovation” wall at the ILO and a personal trophy.

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  9. U of S Awarded $30M Canada Excellence Research Chair to Create Global Water Security Institute

    by AURP Canada

    The Government of Saskatchewan announced today a contribution of $10 million over seven years to the University of Saskatchewan to establish a prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Water Security and a world-leading research and training institute focused on solving critical challenges for domestic and global water security.

     

    This funding is part of a total investment of $30 million, including $10 million from the federal government and $10 million from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). The U of S is one of only 13 universities in the country to be awarded a CERC through a highly competitive selection process that aims to attract world experts to Canada.

     

    “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Saskatchewan and Canada to make a leading contribution to the science of water security, thereby helping local, national and global communities,” Advanced Education, Employment and Labor Minister Rob Norris said. “It also directly contributes to our government’s vision of a more diversified, knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.”

     

    The CERC Chairs are intended to recruit the world’s top researchers and scholars to develop ambitious research programs. Funding attracts the best and brightest in their fields of expertise. This partnership will create research excellence and innovation in water security in Saskatchewan.

     

    The U of S CERC recruit is British scientist Howard Wheater, one of the world’s foremost experts in hydrology and sustainable freshwater resource management, who will lead the new water security institute. A total of 85 new positions will be created at the institute, including six faculty, 20 post-doctoral fellows, 24 PhDs, 24 master’s students and 10 support staff.

     

    “Protecting our clean and safe water supply is a priority for government to meet the needs of our growing economy,” Environment Minister Nancy Heppner said. “This CERC represents an opportunity to advance to the forefront in water science and to further the province’s priority in environmental sciences.”

    The new water security institute will be co-located with Environment Canada’s National Water Research Centre at Innovation Place in Saskatoon, providing opportunities for collaborative research and training.

     

    For more information about the U of S water research group, visit http://www.usask.ca/research/research-groups/water/index.php.

     

    -30-

     

    For more information, contact:

     

    Marieka Barrie
    Advanced Education, Employment and Labour
    Regina
    Phone: 306-798-3170

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  10. Synchrotron reaches for the stars

    April 16, 2010 by AURP Canada

    Space is not only vast, it is filled with alcohol.

    That was one of the earliest findings when radio astronomers first started detecting the spectroscopic fingerprints of molecules in clouds of interstellar gas, where alcohol – specifically methanol – and a host of other “organic” compounds occur in nebulas produced by the death throes of massive stars; the same clouds that become the building blocks for new stars, planets, and (in the case of Earth, at least) life. The excitement generated by the discovery, however, soon gave way to frustration: methanol was so prevalent, with such a wide chemical spectrum, that it was drowning out the spectral signals of rarer compounds.

    “We started to call it an interstellar weed,” says Ronald Lees, a professor emeritus at the University of New Brunswick. “It’s so rich and found in so many sources that it chokes out the signals from the rare, exotic molecules that we’re also interested in.”

    With the recent start of observations by advanced space-based infrared telescopes like the Herschel Space Observatory and radio telescopes like the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, astronomers more than ever need to be able to prune weed molecules from their spectra – and the Canadian Light Source is helping them do it. (more…)

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