UWindsor making strides in protecting waterways from toxic algae blooms

UWindsor making strides in protecting waterways from toxic algae blooms

UWindsor researcher Bulent Mutus has designed and built a filter that can remove potentially harmful phosphates from contaminated water. Phosphates are a naturally occurring mineral, but increased levels in waterways, will substantially reduce water quality.

Phosphates are found in sewage and used in detergents and commercial fertilizers, so runoff from these practices and industries, will throw off the chemical balance of streams, rivers and the lakes. An abundance of phosphates create a nutrient rich environment that can encourage massive growth of some plants and algae.

Mutus’ research project, Large Scale Total Phosphate Filtration System, received almost $160,000 from Environment Canada, Lake Simcoe Georgian Bay Clean-Up Fund (LSGBCUF), for a two-year project to build and test a large scale version of the filtration unit at the Holland Canal in the Holland Marsh, near Barrie Ontario.

“Our filtration technology is a simple and cost effective alternative to current methods,” says Dr. Mutus, biochemistry professor. “It uses inexpensive, environmentally safe methods to remove phosphorus from point sources such as municipal and agricultural wastewater.”

To read more, click here for the Daily News page

Foundation funding to support natural compound research

Providing a catalyst for positive change in the world is the operating principle of the Jesse and Julie Rasch Foundation. Widely-known for supporting a broad range of philanthropic projects, the foundation has just approved $80,000 in research funding for biochemistry professor Siyaram Pandey’s project, Evaluation of anti-cancer effect of various compounds against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

According to foundation chair Jesse Rasch, Dr. Pandey’s research into natural compounds in the fight against cancer is the type of work the organization has a mandate to support.

“I am an entrepreneur and I look at investing in research in the same way my company looks at investing in start-ups and venture capital,” Rasch says. “We provide seed money for interesting ideas that will hopefully be able to attract the larger grants once there is proof of concept to be able to fund clinical trials. We do what we can to get things kick-started.”

Rasch says a media article about Pandey’s dandelion root research caught the attention of the foundation and falls in line with other natural compound research they support.

To read the full story on the Daily News, click here.

There is also a Windsor Star story, that can be linked to by clicking here.

Outstanding chemists and biochemists receive research and infrastructure grants

Congratulations to Otis Vacratsis and Rob Schurko, who are recipients of the new Golden Jubilee Research Excellence Awards announced by VP Research Michael Siu and Dean of Science Marlys Koschinsky.  Made possible through the research stimulus fund, the two-year awards come with $40,000 a year in research funding and one course release per year.

Dr. Vacratsis said the funding will help him hire graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who will utilize a variety of analytical and biological techniques to better understand the cellular processes involved in CMT, a neuromuscular disorder characterized by loss of muscle mass and touch sensation across various parts of the body. Currently incurable, the disease is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders and affects about one in 2,500 people.
“We do very basic, fundamental science in my lab, but hopefully people will be able to use our findings in a clinical setting,” Vacratsis said.

Congratulations also to Michael Boffa and Jichang Wang, who received infrastructure grants in support of their research programs.

Click here to access the full story from the Daily News.

Professor Siyaram Pandey receives three year CIHR grant for $302,000

Congratulations to Professor Siyaram Pandey, who as received a research grant of $302,000 over three years (2011-2014) for a research project entitled "Investigation of mechanism of neuroprotection by a water-soluble CoQ10 in a paraquat induced model of Parkinson's disease," in collaboration with Dr. Jerome Cohen (Psychology). This project application was ranked in the top three in this grant review committee.

For more information on Dr. Pandey's research, please visit:

http://www.uwindsor.ca/pandey

For more information on CIHR funding, please visit:

http://webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/cfdd/db_results_submit

Professor Bulent Mutus funded by Astra Zeneca

Bulent Mutus funded by Astra Zeneca...
Dr. Bulent Mutus has received a contract from AstraZeneca to explore the effects of a new antiplatelet drug on plasma membrane cholesterol raft-ADP receptor interactions.

Click here for more information on his research program.