Breaking the boundaries
Many Dalhousie medical researchers are deeply engaged in work that crosses all boundaries of discipline and disease. The medical school has an international reputation in such fields as genomics, and cell signaling. Researchers in these areas are discovering processes fundamental to every aspect of the human body’s function in health and disease, with support from DMRF equipment grants and salary awards. Major research efforts include collaborations through the Atlantic Research Centre and Genome Atlantic. While DMRF is not directly involved as a partner in these initiatives, it has provided support to various individuals within these collaborative research groups over the years.
Getting the medicine to market
Developing drugs and testing them in pre-clinical models and clinical trials are also key cross-cutting strengths. Dalhousie researchers in many departments are seeking new therapeutic targets for a host of diseases, and working with colleagues in pharmacology and the pharmaceutical industry to develop their discoveries into drugs. Meanwhile, clinician researchers are participating in national and multi-national clinical trials, and the Clinical Trials Research Centre is testing novel vaccines against infectious diseases.
Please note: While clinical trials are a crucial part of improved health care and Dalhousie Medical School’s overall research effort, they are not funded by the DMRF.
Linking medical science with engineering
Dalhousie’s School of Biomedical Engineering has a growing research program that applies advanced materials science, bio-mechanics and genetic engineering to human health problems. Mechanical engineer Dr. Kevin Deluzio received an equipment grant from the DMRF that’s enabling him to analyze how people’s walking pattern (gait) may predispose them to developing osteoarthritis. He’s working with a multi-disciplinary team on interventions to delay the onset of osteoarthritis and increase the life span of knee replacement prostheses.
Understanding patterns of disease
Learning how various diseases affect the population as a whole renders valuable insights into factors that influence disease development. Such insights then inform screening and prevention strategies as well as health policy. Dalhousie’s Department of Community Health & Epidemiology studies everything from hypertension control in diabetes to lifestyle factors in cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer, to teen drug use in Atlantic Canada. They recently expanded their facilities with help from the DMRF and Capital Health. Click here for more information.
Measuring health-service utilization and outcomes
Understanding barriers to health-service access and assessing the outcomes of health services are essential steps in ‘closing the loop’ of medical research. Insights gained through this kind of research lead to improved service delivery models and more enlightened health policy decisions. The DMRF supports several researchers in this area, including Dr. Stephen Kisely, Chair in Health Outcomes Research and Dr. Geoff Porter, Ramia Chair in Surgical Oncology.
Ethics in medicine and research
In today’s rapidly advancing health care and research environment, it’s crucial to stop and examine new programs from an ethical perspective. Dalhousie’s globally influential bioethics researchers are raising questions and suggesting standards in such areas as stem cell research, clinical trials and research in communities.