Grants and Contributions

SBQuantum (SBQ) is introducing ‘Magnetic Intelligence’ (MI), combining multiple innovations in magnetometry to enhance operational teams’ ability to ‘see’ underground, underwater or in other obscured environments. The Project will involve collaboration between SBQuantum, McGill University, Institut Quantique at Université de Sherbrooke and the National Research Council to explore the use of a novel quantum sensor, a magnetometer based on quantum impurities in diamonds, to enhance the understanding of the magnetic environment compared to conventional magnetometers. It will improve users understanding of magnetic data and open novel market opportunities, beyond the traditional defense and geophysical applications. SBQ intends to create a new system which will leverage the strengths of the quantum sensor to enhance MI, to be known as the ‘Sherloq’ product. Centrally it will remove the limits to current alternatives and unlock new deployment methods, such as on autonomous submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The properties of quantum materials (QMs) are determined by strong correlations between their degrees of freedom, such as charge, spins and phonons. To fully capture the rich physics of QM, a dynamical approach is needed to unravel how electronic correlations form and are disrupted, and how the various degrees of freedom interact to exchange energy and momentum. The goal of the Project is to develop a quantum sensing platform for dynamic probing of correlated phases in QMs. Using ultrafast techniques, this platform will provide sensitivity to all aspects of the dynamics in these materials. This includes Extreme Photonics techniques, Ultrafast Electron Scattering, and transport and optical probing. The platform will enable the discovery of new phases that are only available when the QMs are brought far from equilibrium. Understanding how to create and manipulate these new phases will lead to the development of future devices for information and communications technologies.

Scientists and public health authorities worldwide are making an unprecedented collaborative effort to understand and develop effective interventions for the control and prevention of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccination remains the most efficient medical intervention to counteract the pandemic. Viral vaccines have been the most effective in protecting against viral infections. Vectored-vaccine candidates are among the most advanced SARS-CoV-2 in the 38 clinical evaluations (WHO, Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines, Sept. 24, 2020). One such platform is using the recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (rVSV), which is replication competent and is known to induce both cellular and humoral host immune response against foreign antigens. VSV-based vaccine vectors, which, as enveloped viruses, are designed to incorporate glycoprotein antigens into their viral lipid membrane and thus display the antigen on the virus surface, in addition to expressing it upon entry into the target cell. Another important viral vector platform that has been extensively evaluated in preclinical and clinical trials as an onco-therapeutic agent is the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian virus that has several well-suited properties for development of a safe vector vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Both vectored-vaccine platforms demonstrated good safety profiles and in the case of VSV it has been successfully used for vaccination in emergency situations such as Ebola outbreaks. This Project focus on accelerating vaccine manufacture processes by using a producing cell line compatible with cGMP operations and industrialization to address the challenges posed by large scale manufacturing. The accelerated development the proposed robust technology platform will enable higher and faster accessibility to these class of vectored vaccines in situations of pandemic and contribute to building long lasting capacities in Canada.

This project will address gaps in our knowledge regarding Canadian seniors’ public transport needs and experiences by combining tested quantitative data, such as accessibility measurements at fine geographic and temporal scales, and qualitative methods, including surveys and in-depth guided interviews among different senior populations on public-transport experiences and perceptions. Researchers from the Transportation Research at McGill (TRAM) research lab will study senior transport needs and outcomes in a minimum of six cities and towns of varying sizes across Canada, including within rural Prairie regions where intercity bus service has disappeared. First, the project team will calculate measures of public transport accessibility—the ease of reaching desired destinations—to a range of senior-relevant opportunities or activities, such as health and wellness care facilities, safe spaces for outdoor recreation, religious institutions, community centres, and affordable wholesome food. As part of a second stage, the team will interview seniors in areas of high and low accessibility and from different socioeconomic backgrounds to refine our understanding of the relationship between public transport and key health and well-being outcomes among different populations of seniors.

The project aims to characterize the functionality of engineered immune cells (e.g. CAR T-cells) by activating them with tumor-specific antigens (e.g. CD-19) and through their interaction with isolated circulating tumor cells (CTCs). To achieve this goal, the CAR T-cells and the isolated cells will be brought together and encapsulated in droplets to promote cellular interactions. The cells will then be incubated for CAR T-cell activation, and the activated CAR T-cells will be interrogated by analyzing the cytokines output using a microbead-in-droplet multiplex sandwich immunoassay developed in this project. The novel technology proposed herein is currently unavailable on the market and has the potential to significantly affect the
way that cell therapy products are assessed and how quality control is performed.

Normal aging and chronic disease can reduce our fine motor skills. However, sensitive outcome measures for assessing hand function and fine motor skills required for activities of daily living are lacking. This is impacting treatment development for late onset neuromuscular conditions affecting hand function in the elderly, such as Myotonic Dystrophy type-1 (DM1), because the lack of PAGE 4 sensitive outcome measures to monitor treatment efficacy is preventing industry investment in clinical trials for these conditions. This project will develop and test novel, sensitive, outcome measures to assess hand function in patients with neuromuscular conditions using the NRC’s bTrained software platform combined with wearable hardware. At the end of the project, a novel outcome measure (consisting of a suite of sensitive hand function assessment exercises on the bTrained platform) will be delivered and be ready for testing in the context of clinical trials. This study directly falls under the objectives of the AiP program by developing tools to facilitate drug discovery for neuromuscular diseases affecting the elderly, and thereby help elderly individuals to remain well and living independently in their homes.

Advances exploratory research under the New Beginnings Initiative

Advances exploratory research under the New Beginnings Initiative

Advances exploratory research under the New Beginnings Initiative

Advances exploratory research under the New Beginnings Initiative