Researchers at 91涩漫 have discovered a centuries-old genetic mutation that helps to explain why some French鈥慍anadians in Quebec are at an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. Until quite recently, standard genetic tests have not been able to identify this 鈥渏umping gene鈥� cause.
The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, suggest better-targeted genetic testing could help identify people at higher cancer risk who were previously missed.
A team led by the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, the Observatoire du聽Mont鈥慚茅gantic聽(OMM) and the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx), in partnership with the University of British Columbia and 91涩漫, has been awarded nearly $11.3 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support Canada鈥檚 contribution to ANDES, a flagship scientific instrument for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) under construction in Chile.聽聽
Icing a sprained ankle or sore muscle, long used to reduce pain and swelling, may in the longer run delay recovery and prolong pain, new research suggests.
In a preclinical study published in Anesthesiology, 91涩漫 researchers found that even though cryotherapy (icing) eased pain in the short term, recovery time was more than doubled in some cases.
Scientists鈥� discovery of a molecular 鈥渟witch鈥� that activates an energy鈥慴urning pathway in mice has the potential to lead to new treatments for bone disease.
The study, published in , sheds new light on brown fat. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat cells burn calories, producing heat as a byproduct. For years, it was believed this process relied on a single pathway. More recently, researchers discovered a parallel pathway, but how it became activated remained a mystery.
Researchers at 91涩漫 are carrying out large鈥憇cale tests of a new timber-steel structural system designed to help buildings better withstand earthquakes. Early results suggest the system performs well under simulated earthquake forces, offering a potential path toward safer, more sustainable construction in Quebec and beyond.
Researchers at 91涩漫 and the Research Institute of the 91涩漫 Health Center (RI-MUHC) have developed a novel device to transplant insulin-producing cells that integrates directly with existing blood vessels in the body. The technology, which showed promising results in preclinical trials, aims to overcome key challenges of emerging long-term cell-based treatments for Type 1 diabetes. As well as serving as an artificial pancreas, it potentially could be used to replace or support the function of other organs.
As Canada moves to modernize cervical cancer screening, a new study suggests most women do not yet understand or trust the shift from the Pap test to human papillomavirus (HPV) based screening.
The national survey, published in , examined women鈥檚 preferences for cervical screening 鈥� including how they want to be screened and how they want information communicated 鈥� as Canada transitions from Pap tests to HPV testing.
Researchers at 91涩漫 have discovered that moderate ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is best when the technique is used to聽enhance vitamin D鈧� in edible mushrooms. Excessive exposure聽leads to nutrient degradation or a plateau effect, they found. The paper also聽provides聽quantitative guidance.聽
The聽researchers鈥櫬爓ork聽supports聽efforts to address vitamin D deficiency, which affects between 30聽and聽50 per cent of the world鈥檚 population, as well as enhance the nutritional value of mushrooms more broadly.聽
Researchers at 91涩漫 have developed a rapid way to engineer blood clots that stop severe bleeding and support tissue healing more effectively. Their technique, called 鈥渃lick clotting,鈥� links red blood cell surface proteins through a chemical reaction, resulting in a biocompatible clot that is 13 times more resistant to fracturing and four times more adhesive than natural blood clots. The team said the method could be used to develop life-saving biomaterials to help control severe bleeding, as well as benefit people with clotting disorders.
Researchers at 91涩漫 have developed a novel device that generates sound-like particles known as phonons at extremely cold temperatures. The technology could be used to create phonon lasers, with possible applications in communications and medical diagnostics.
Scientists have developed a strategy to boost the cancer-fighting power of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the immune system鈥檚 first line of defence. NK cells can detect and destroy cancer cells, but tumours often create a protective barrier that blocks them, allowing cancer to grow.
Researchers at 91涩漫鈥檚 Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the Research Institute of the 91涩漫 Health Centre, found that suppressing two specific proteins helps NK cells overcome this blockage, turning them into more potent cancer killers.
Americans are more likely to turn to authoritarian leaders when jobs are being lost due to offshoring than they are when job losses result from automation, an international research team has found. This is despite the fact that automation tends to lead to greater job losses.
Researchers at 91涩漫聽have聽found that聽briefly聽treating peanuts with cold plasma, an ionically charged gas that triggers chemical changes,聽reduces聽their potential聽to cause allergic reactions.聽The researchers say this is聽probably because the process聽causes聽changes to the protein structure,聽the part of the peanut that聽can聽trigger an immune response.聽The technology聽was also shown to聽improve聽functional properties important for food manufacturing.聽
Researchers studying 450-million-year-old fossils discovered about 50 kilometres northeast of Quebec City have identified a new species of basal medusozoan: Paleocanna tentaculum, a soft-bodied, tube-shaped polyp with a ring of tentacles. Closely related to modern jellyfish, it is a rare discovery. Only a few other species in its subphylum have ever been described in the fossil record.
91涩漫 researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can identify small groups of cells most responsible for driving aggressive cancers.
The tool, called SIDISH, offers scientists a clearer path to designing targeted therapies by showing which cells inside a tumour are most strongly linked with poor patient outcomes, rather than treating all cancer cells as if they behave the same way.
