Winners Katherine Schoepp, Abhilash Rakkundedeth Hareendranathan and Kyle Potts
Falling Walls Lab UAlberta 2016
Top three winning ideas by Next Gen researchers with FoMD connections
Good things come in threes, and this held true in triplicate at Falling Wall Labs UAlberta on September 29 with each of the three winning ideas delivered in three-minute presentations, all coming from three next-gen innovators with strong connections to the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
Kyle Potts, graduate student and cancer researcher took first place and audience award for his presentation "Breaking the Wall of Cancer Therapy with Viruses."
The public generally think of viruses as bad, but did you know they can be harnessed for good--to attack cancer cells?
Oncolytic--or cancer killing--viruses are a rapidly emerging area of cancer therapy. Potts is working with a unique, genetically modified vaccinia virus, the curative agent of smallpox, that has an enhanced safety profile while still maintaining the ability to effectively clear resistant tumours and generate a long-lasting anti-tumour immunity.
Human trials are currently being planned and, if proven, Potts' work could replace current toxic cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, therapies that cause great damage in order to cure.
Abhilash Rakkundedeth Hareendranathan, a postdoctoral fellow in Radiology and a medical imaging innovator, took second place with his presentation "Breaking the Wall of Hip Dysplasia."
Hareendranathan's team is supervised by assistant professor Jacod Jaremko in Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging. They are the first to combine 3D ultrasound with artificial intelligence (machine learning) to better detect dysplastic hips in infants, a condition that prevents babies from crawling and walking. Introducing these automated screening processes at regular newborn check-ups would make the diagnosis more accurate and reliable. It would also reduce the current reliance on skilled medical imaging operators, which is a huge advantage when it comes to providing high quality health care at remote locations. It has the potential to prevent a lifetime of disability for millions of children without having to undergo multiple surgeries in childhood. The technique also enables clinicians to understand dysplasia better in terms differences in bone shape and growth pattern.
Katherine Schoepp (née Evans), a recent graduate of the U of A's Mechanical Engineering program, took home the third place with her presentation "Breaking the Wall of Sensory Feedback in Prosthetic Limbs."
Imagine trying to shake someone's hand, or trying to pick up a delicate object such as an egg without having any sense of how hard you are grasping it.
Working with Jacqueline Hebert in the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and Jason Carey from the Faculty of Engineering, Schoepp has developed an inexpensive tactor system that can provide sensory feedback to prosthetic arm users. This system can work in conjunction with a surgical procedure which is performed at only a few locations around the world, Edmonton being one of them. This surgical procedure reroutes sensory nerves to skin sites in the remaining limb, and when this tactor device pushes on the skin sites, the user is able to "feel" with their missing hand. The tactor system being developed will serve as an inexpensive and accessible platform, allowing for more research to be performed in this important area.
The three-minute presentations were judged on the breakthrough factor, impact and dynamic delivery, by a jury that included Lian Willets, a prostate cancer researcher (first place winner at 2015 Falling Walls Lab UAlberta and second place at the 2015 Berlin Finale last year), as well as oncology professor Lynne Postovit, with other experts from varied backgrounds ranging from theatre to entrepreneurship and finance.
"I'm very proud of all the winners," says David Evans, Vice-Dean, Research, who is co-supervisor of Potts with associate professor Mary Hitt in the Department of Oncology.
By winning Falling Walls Lab UAlberta, Potts, Hareendranathan and Schoepp have earned a trip to Berlin to compete alongside 100 of the world's leading young scientists.
Lorne Babiuk, VP Research and Kyle Potts
-files by Salena Kitteringham and Mara Simmonds
Putting their best foot forward
U of A medical students host Run Without Borders in support of humanitarian medical aid
Nathalie Kupfer and Sarah Henschke have their sights set on becoming highly skilled doctors in the near future, but right now they are already taking the first steps towards addressing priority health concerns worldwide. As organizers of Run Without Borders, a charitable fun run in support of Doctors Without Borders, the two second-year University of Alberta medical students aim to inspire their peers to participate and serve the public good on a global scale.
"Growing up in Canada, a lot of us are very privileged," says Kupfer. "So to learn about the struggles that other people in the world go through is an important way of broadening your horizons."
"It's important to not limit ourselves by thinking that because we live in Canada, that's the only place we can use our medical skills," says Henschke. "Those skills are transferrable to so many other places. I think that's what appeals to me about Doctors Without Borders-being able to reach out to people who really desperately need your help."
Doctors Without Borders was established in Paris, France back in 1971, to provide medical assistance to populations in distress, victims of natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict. Volunteers do so irrespective of race, religion, creed, or political convictions. Since its creation, the group has operated around the globe, contributing medical aid to tens of thousands during humanitarian crises such as Ethiopia's famine in 1984, South Asia's tsunami in 2004 and Haiti's cholera outbreak in 2010.
The Run Without Borders takes place on October 16 at 10:30 a.m. in Emily Murphy Park. Participants can take part in a 3k, 5k or 10k run with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Register here.
-file by Ross Neitz