University of Alberta research is brewing up better ways to help ethanol producers make the most of plant waste they use to make their fuel. A process developed by researcher David Bressler’s lab in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences makes it possible to break down stubborn plant tissues to make clean-burning ethanol, and also creates a…
Three University of Alberta projects have received funding from Alberta Innovates to accelerate health innovation in the province. PRECISE, ADEPT and the University of Alberta Health Hub & Accelerator have been awarded support through the Health Innovation Platform Partnerships (HIPP) program. The program seeks to enable a health innovation ecosystem that is robust, co-ordinated and offers a competitive…
Geoscientist sheds new light on permafrost thaw in the geologic past and what it could mean for our future
Geoscientists have uncovered surprising results that reveal a complex history of ancient permafrost thaw – with implications for understanding the effects of permafrost thawing and climate change in the Canadian Arctic today. “Permafrost is really a geological expression of climate, so permafrost response to past periods of global warming is like a natural experiment for…
Searching for a better solution to a clinical problem facing many patients with skin cancer
A team of University of Alberta researchers has discovered a way to use 3-D bioprinting technology to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures. The work aims to make it easier for surgeons to safely restore the features of skin cancer patients living with nasal cartilage defects after surgery. The researchers used a specially…To introduce new varieties of earlier-maturing, higher-yielding wheat for Western Canadian growers
University of Alberta research to develop earlier-maturing, more disease-resistant wheat for Western Canadian growers is being boosted, thanks to $2 million in support from the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition. A five-year agreement between CWRC and the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences (ALES) supports the development of up to five new wheat varieties for use by farmers…
Master’s research reveals clues into the lives of four people who perished in a fire in the late Bronze Age
More than 3,000 years ago, four people were incinerated and crushed in a blazing fire in the south central city of Azekah, Israel. Their remains were trapped in rubble until discovered by Tel Aviv University archeologists in 2012. That’s when Karl Berendt began volunteering at the excavation site as an undergraduate student at the University…
Increasing the diversity of voices and having a few people making small and steady changes can lead to a big movement
Last fall, students in a Native Studies course worked to improve representations of Indigenous peoples on one of the most popular websites in the world. The course, Colonialism and the Criminal Justice System, saw students create Wikipedia articles on issues that dealt with Indigenous peoples and Canada’s criminal legal system, filling some of the site’s…
Adding RNA sequencing to current genetic methods could help diagnose and treat thousands of patients with mystery diseases
Imagine having a terrible medical condition and not knowing what it was. More than 400,000 Albertans have a rare disease. Many of them face challenges getting the right diagnosis, let alone finding the right specialist and obtaining effective treatment. Some cases are deadly; others can have a major impact on a patient’s day-to-day life. Advances…
A University of Alberta researcher is using nanotechnology to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients and reduce their side effects. Afsaneh Lavasanifar is a professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Medical Engineering. Her lab develops precision health solutions through nanomedicine,…
New director of U of A institute sees her mission as reimagining the relationship between archeology and Indigenous histories
Métis archeologist Dr. Kisha Supernant views her mission as nothing less than a radical reimagining of her discipline. “Archeology’s history is grounded in settler colonialism – this idea that non-Indigenous people come onto the land and interpret Indigenous history by studying their material,” says the new director of the University of Alberta’s Institute for Prairie and…Including diamonds
A new study sheds light on a fundamental mechanism of how Earth’s continental plates heal, with implications for diamond exploration and locating economically important minerals. “Cratons are the oldest stable continental land masses on Earth and are widely known as repositories for diamonds and metals of economic importance,” said Jingao Liu, lead author and visiting…
Re-engineers your immune system to target and attack cancer growing in your body
Imagine if you could re-engineer your immune system to target and attack cancer growing in your body. A new clinical trial led by a clinician researcher at the University of Alberta is doing just that. Michael Chu, an assistant professor of oncology in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, is leading a project to manufacture and…
U of A students providing free support to hundreds of business owners looking to create an online presence
While Paige Lutz didn’t know what she wanted to do when she joined the Alberta School of Business four years ago, she certainly didn’t foresee herself balancing the final classes of her degree with a University of Alberta-linked job she loves, helping traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses make the jump to virtual. “The fact that I’ve landed…
Quality of faculty members and research performance bolster best-ever showing in latest CWUR rankings
The University of Alberta struck deep into the top 100 of a leading ranking of the world’s top universities, thanks to the quality of the school’s faculty and their research. According to the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) World University Rankings 2021-22, the U of A sits 81st in the world – up 20 spots…
The program gives students in Grades 4 to 9 a week-long exposure to life on campus
There isn’t usually a chorus of sad students saying “Noooooo!” on the last day of class, but University of Alberta U School organizer Michaela Mann was thrilled when she heard it last fall. That reaction to the end of their class showed just how much the youngsters loved the program, despite having to go virtual during the…
DrugBank now used by scientists, pharmaceutical companies and other customers around the world
An Edmonton startup has become the world’s largest pharmaceutical knowledge database through research that began at the University of Alberta. DrugBank offers a one-stop-shop for curated scientific data on thousands of drugs, including molecular details, chemical structures, targets and proteins, as well as clinical information on side-effects, interactions with other drugs, allergies, synonym names, availability…
A new University of Alberta project aims to develop an artificial intelligence-based screening tool to help doctors diagnose depression more precisely. Depression affects millions of Canadians. It can affect quality of life, damage relationships, lower productivity and lead to suicide. A proper diagnosis is key to effective treatment, but making a precise diagnosis can be…
Ranking acknowledges what the university has been doing and how it has been contributing to sustainability
The University of Alberta has been named one of the world’s top 100 most sustainable post-secondary institutions for its ongoing efforts creating sustainability on campus and in the local and global community. According to the third annual Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, which lists participating universities by their contribution to a list of 17…
International study sheds new light on how the huge carnivorous dinosaurs moved, based on fossil evidence of their footprints
New research by an international team including paleontologists at the University of Alberta and the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum has revealed evidence that juvenile tyrannosaurs were more trim and slender-bodied than their multi-tonne elders, a difference that may have helped them pursue fast-moving prey. “The results suggest that as some tyrannosaurs grew older and…
International study sheds new light on how the huge carnivorous dinosaurs moved, based on fossil evidence of their footprints
New research by an international team including paleontologists at the University of Alberta and the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum has revealed evidence that juvenile tyrannosaurs were more trim and slender-bodied than their multi-tonne elders, a difference that may have helped them pursue fast-moving prey. “The results suggest that as some tyrannosaurs grew older and…
Pregnant women can now easily and quickly determine whether they should be exercising, thanks to a new one-of-a-kind tool developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Alberta. The Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, newly published by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, guides pregnant individuals through a series of yes/no questions to confirm…
Researchers have found a causal link between caesarean section birth, low intestinal microbiota and peanut sensitivity in infants. They report the effect is more pronounced in children of Asian descent than others in a recently published paper in the journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. “It’s important to know what predicts or increases (the) risk of…
Study re-examining what early snakes might have looked like
New research led by a University of Alberta graduate student could lead to reimagining what early snakes might have looked like, suggesting that some of the world’s supposedly simplest snakes have a more complex evolutionary history than traditionally thought. Snakes are broadly divided into two groups based on their feeding mechanisms: macrostomatan snakes, able to…
Cardiologists, computing scientists team up to build video game-based MedBIKE fitness program for pediatric heart patients
Zacharie Biollo, 16, was born with a ventricle missing in his heart and had three life-saving surgeries by the time he was three years old. As he grew up, his parents encouraged him to get involved in sports such as soccer and karate, but he found he ran out of breath faster than some other…
Potentially life-saving product wins Telus Innovation Challenge's $100,000 first prize
A group of University of Alberta science students won $100,000 to help turn a brainstorming session about what could have helped family members avoid a fentanyl overdose into a street-ready solution that will ultimately be a lifeline for those who struggle with addiction. “We’ve witnessed addiction and overdose in our families, so we were talking…
Project delves into how one growth hormone contributes to the problem and whether drugs can stop it
Researchers are looking for ways to prevent or slow cachexia, a muscle-wasting syndrome thought to cause up to a third of the 80,000 deaths related to cancer every year in Canada. By understanding the role of activin A, a growth factor that contributes to muscle wasting, the team hopes their lab research will eventually help…
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge Canada’s health-care system and economy, a University of Alberta economist has been awarded $1.25 million by the federal government to start planning for the next public health crisis. Christopher McCabe, professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and CEO of the Institute of Health Economics, will lead a cross-Canada team…
Women have been hit hardest when it comes to job losses during COVID-19, so when the federal government brings down its budget on April 19, the first since the pandemic began, it’s expected that getting women back to work will be a top priority. The government has tapped 18 women to form Canada’s Task Force on Women…
Could predict which men are at risk of developing an aggressive form of the disease
Scientists at the University of Alberta are part of a new research project to develop innovative precision diagnostics that could predict which men with prostate cancer are at risk of developing an aggressive form of the disease. The researchers will use germline sequencing (sequencing of the genes a person is born with) to determine which…
With help from Alberta farmers, an online animal science course is giving U of A students an inside look at the agricultural industry
Online classes during COVID-19 can feel a bit distant. But add in 48 farmers and a real-time calf birth, and things perk up considerably. That vivid minute-by-minute experience of watching a Black Angus cow give birth was a matter of lucky timing as Jesse Emery gave University of Alberta animal science students a virtual walking…