The University’s one health focus promotes an understanding of the relationship between human, envi-ronmental and animal health. Guelph researchers strive to understand and provide cures for the whole health spectrum, from zoonotic diseases to mental health issues.

Our researchers have received special recognition by Canadian health funding agencies for their work on cancer, as teams across departments and colleges work together to understand every stage of this common disease, with the goal of one day having a cancer-free world. Health research at the University of Guelph also considers the ever-important social and economic implications of health.

As Canadians’ diets have become a significant source of disease, such as obesity and diabetes, University of Guelph researchers are looking for ways to fight diet-catalyzed epidemics by borrowing traditional knowledge and dietary advice from cultures halfway around the world. Combining ancient medicinal prac-tices with modern lab techniques means researchers can help ensure food is a source of sustenance and health.

Guelph researchers from many disciplines are working together to find solutions to a vast variety of health issues, and to develop effective preventative measures. The following pages highlight the University of Guelph’s commitment to improving human health and preventing disease.

Human Health and Disease

research highlightThree-dimensional cell cultures accurately mimic mammary tissue. Prof. Alicia Viloria-Petit and graduate student Geordon Avery-Cooper use fluorescent stain and a confocal microscope to visualize them.

Researchuoguelph.ca/research

Striving for a healthier world

Human Health and Disease2

• AteamfromtheUniversityofGuelph’sKemptvillecampusisworkinginpartnershipwithHealthCanadascientiststolearnhowtoidentify and monitor contaminated foods.Thestudy’smainpurposeistoshedlightoncontaminantstheaver-ageCanadian(frominfanttosenior)consumesintheirdiet.Popularfooditemsarepurchased,cataloguedandpreparedastheywouldnormallybeinthehousehold.Then,compositesamplesarebottledandanalyzedforcontaminantstohelpresearchersidentifythepotentialsourcesofcontaminationandtohelpdevelopguidelinesforsaferfoodpreparation.

• Acellculturesystemdesignedtomimicaminutepartofamammaryglandishelpingresearchersdiscoverhow breast cancer cells move throughout the bodyandsurvivetoformtumoursindistantsites.Theuniquethree-dimensionalsystemallowsresearcherstoidentifywhichcellsignallingpathwaysareinvolvedinthisprocess,calledmetastasis,andcouldeventuallyleadtotreatmentsdesignedtotargetandblockthesetumoursfromforming.

• BPA,thenow-infamousingredientinplasticwaterbottles,cancausecogni-tiveimpairmentsatdosesmuchlowerthanthecurrent“safe-level”guidelineindicates.Thechemicalinterfereswithneuralplasticity,thebrain’sabilitytoalteritsstructureandfunctionthroughoutadultlife.Thismeanslong-termBPa exposure could affect our ability to acquire, analyze and store new infor-mationandevencontributetomooddisorderssuchasdepression.

breast cancer soy BPA MS toxins Omega-3-fortified foods enriched dairy detection of pathogens safer food obesity and sleeping evidence-based medicine mass-produced medicinal plants lower sodium, same taste safer kids with pets vaccines replacing antibiotics improving hearing aids robots for physio more effective chemo support for depressed teens cleaner food production

• Whatifyoucouldgetsomeofyourdailyfibreintakefromyourfavouritedessert?Foodscienceresearchersareworkingtoenrich three dairy products—amilkshake,puddingandicecream—tohelpmeetCanadians’fibreneeds.Theproductscouldalsolowerbloodglucoselevels,makingthemidealfordiabeticindividuals.

• Physicsandmolecularandcellularbiologyresearchersarestudyingamysterious protein implicated in the formation of multiple sclerosis(MS).Calledmyelinbasicprotein,it’sresponsibleforcoatingtheoutsideofneuronsandincreasingthespeedofnerveimpulses.Itsdegenerationresultsintheneurologicallybasedco-ordinationproblemsassociatedwithMS.Researchersarestudyingthestructureofthisproteintogaininsightintohowandwhyitdegenerates.

• Foodscienceresearchersaredevelop-inganewsensordeviceforfastandaccurate detection of pathogens and toxinsinfoodsources.About10centimetresindiameter,theportable,hand-heldprototypewasdesignedtodetectthecommonpathogensalmonella,andresearchershopetoadaptthesensortotestforothercontaminantsinthefuture.

research highlightMany intestinal pathogens have developed protective sugar coatings to avoid detection by our immune system. Prof. Mario Monteiro, pictured here, is developing vaccines against them.

cover photo: martin schwalbe · above: Joey sablJic · top: nicole yada

Human Health and Disease 3

• Chemistryresearchersarelookingtocreatesugar-based vaccinesfortwocommontypesofintestinalbacteriathatcausediarrhea,Campylobacter jejuni andClostridium difficile.Creatingthesetwosugar-vaccinesisimportantbecausetheyaddressgrow-ingconcernaboutoverusingexpensiveantibiotics.Thevaccinescouldhelppeoplewhoaremostvulnerabletothebacteria,suchastravellers,hospitalpatientsandthoseindevelopingcoun-trieswithoutcleandrinkingwater,toavoidseriousillnessorevendeath.

• Manyofthemost dangerous bacteria use specialized toxinstoenteranddestroycellsastheyinfecttheirhost.Howthesetoxinsworkremainsamystery.That’swhyresearchersareusingX-raycrystallographytocapturethetoxins’three-dimensionalstruc-ture,whichcanprovidecluestohowtheyfunctionandwhatmoleculescouldbeusedtoinactivatethem.

• Robotsaremostcommonlyusedforindustrialpurposes,butUniversityofGuelphengineersarenowusingthemtoassist stroke patientsinrebuildingmusclememoryandstrength.They’redevelopingrobotsthatpatientscanuseathometospeeduptherecoveryprocess.Theserobotswillalsoenhancephysiotherapists’workanddecreasetheiroftenphysicallystrenuousworkload.

• Withanagingpopulationandanincreaseinhearingproblems,hearingaidsareanimperativetechnologythatcouldbeimproved.Engineersareworkingtomakehearing aids more selective in the sounds they amplifytohelplistenersfocusonspecificsounds,ratherthanallsoundssuchasbackgroundnoise.Bycombin-ingcomputerchiptechnologyandcomputationalintelligence,hearingaidswillbeabletoautomaticallyadjustsettingstonewsoundenviron-ments.

breast cancer soy BPA MS toxins Omega-3-fortified foods enriched dairy detection of pathogens safer food obesity and sleeping evidence-based medicine mass-produced medicinal plants lower sodium, same taste safer kids with pets vaccines replacing antibiotics improving hearing aids robots for physio more effective chemo support for depressed teens cleaner food production

The Guelph Food Technology Centre’s sensory lab allows Prof. Lisa Duizer (left) to improve tastes and textures. Duizer, along with students Matt Rietberg (right) and Derek Vella, run sensory trials in the lab, where panellists in individual booths evaluate various products and processes.

research highlight

• Obesityandsleepingproblemshaveseparatelybeencentraltoagreatdealofresearch,butapossiblerelationshipbetweenthetwoissueshas,untilrecently,beenunexplored.Participantsinacommunityhealthprogramcentredonimproveddietandexercisehabitscompletedsurveystoidentifysleeppatterns.Theanalysisshowedthatmorethan80percenthadsleepproblems,butonlyone-thirdof“poorsleepers”hadbeentreatedbyahealthprofessional.Researcherssaynewstudies targeting improved sleep,inadditiontoimprovedeatinghabitsandphysicalactivity,areneeded.

• Evidence-basedmedicine,basedonclinicalresearchandgeneralresults,istheprimaryguideforpractitionersandpolicy-makers’decisionsintoday’shealth-caresystem.However,beforethe1980s,health-caredecisionswerebasedonpriorknowledge,pastexperiencesandindividualpatients.Now,Guelphresearchersareworkingtowardsintegrating evidence-based medicinewithexperientialmedicine,toimprovepatientcare.

vice-President, research

Published by the Office of Research, University Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 53781 · Fax: 519-821-5236 · uoguelph.ca/research Editorial Co-ordination: Owen Roberts, Natalie Osborne, Samantha Beattie and Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge (SPARK) Copy Editor: Stacey Curry Gunn · Design and Layout: Gareth Lind, LINDdesign.ca Cover Photo: Martin Schwalbe · Printed by Ampersand Printing, May 2011

• WithinEastAsiancultures,wherehighsoydietsarecommon,significantlylowerbreastcancerincidenceandmortalityratesoccurthaninWesterncountries.Researchersdevelopedatransgenicanimalmodeltostudymammarytumours,includingthepossibilitythathighsoy-based diets could reduce cancer risk in women.Theybelievesoyproteincouldcauserapidlydevelopingpubertalmammaryglandstobehavemoresimilarlytostable,maturemammaryglands,wherethecellsaremoredevelopedandlesssusceptibletotumourformation.

• AGuelph-basedresearchteamwantstoensurethatolderadultslivinginlong-termcarefacilitiesareeatingwellateachmeal,throughbetterquality,morenutritionalfoods.They’vebeeninterviewingandobservingolderadultstotrackwhatthey’reeatinganddeterminewhatnutrientsaremissingfromtheirdiets.TheteamincludesseveralfoodscienceandhumannutritionresearchersworkingwiththeDepartmentofFamilyRelationsandAppliedNutritiontodevelop foods and purees fortified with Omega-3 and protein,whichresearcherssaycouldhelpdelaytheonsetofdiseasessuchasAlzheimers.

• PlantagricultureresearchersrecognizethepositivehealthbenefitsenjoyedbyCanadianswhoincorporatemedicinal plantsintotheirregulardiet.Toencourageandimprovethismulti-billion-dollarmarket,they’reusingcloningandtissuegrowthtechniquestomassproduceplantswiththehighestpossibleamountsofmedicinalcompoundsinasafe,greenhouseenvironment.

• Thosewhosufferfromdepressionpriortoadulthoodaremorelikelytoexperienceaseriouscourseofillnessintheirlifetime.Guelphresearch-ersrecognizethatbetter coping mechanisms and support systemsareneededforyouthandthusaredevel-opingawebsitethatiseasilyaccessibleandattractivetoteenagers.Theonlineprogramwillassistindividualsinlearninghowtopositivelycopewithstress,recognizetheirmoodsandbuildapositivethoughtprocess.

• Bacterialbiofilmsthatformonfoodprocessingequipmentcancontami-natefood,causingoutbreaksoffoodpoisoning.Thesebiofilmsposeachallengebecausethey’reextremelyhardtopreventandremove.Research-ersatGuelpharepartofanationalinitiativetolearnhowandwhysomepreventionandremovalstrategiesaresuccessful,whileothersarenot.Currently,they’restudyinghowbacte-riarespondtodifferenttreatmentsinordertodevelopanefficient cleaning process for the food industry.

• Aschildrenexploretheirenvironmenttheymaybehaveincorrectlytowardshouseholdpets,especiallythefamilydog.Theseinteractionscanresultinsevereinjuries,primarilytothechild’sheadandneckregions.Inresponse,Guelphresearchersaredevelopinganinteractivesoftwareprogram,Blue Dog, whichteaches children how to properly interact with pets.

• TheproteinP-glycoprotein,hasbeendiscoveredtoberesponsibleforchemotherapyineffectiveness,becauseitactuallypumpschemotherapydrugsoutoftumours.Nowresearch-ersareworkingtounderstandhow the P-glycoprotein interacts with thousands of chemical compounds,todeterminewhichchemicalswillbeeffectiveduringcancertreatment.

• Environmentalbiologyresearchersaremodifyingenzymesfoundinnaturetocreate enhanced paper filters.Unlikecurrentfilterswhichrelyonsmallporestoblockcontaminants,thesefilterscontainspecialproteinsthatcanactivelybindtopathogens,andremovethem.Researchersbelievetheycouldbeusedtoremovewatercontaminants,purifydisease-causingantigensformedicalresearch,preventundesirableagentsfromenteringemergencybloodsuppliesandevenprotectcitizensfrombioterrorists.

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research highlightX-ray crystallography allows Prof. Rod Merrill (right) and graduate student Robert Fieldhouse to examine the structure of the harmful toxins they’re studying in their lab.

Kevin HallRoom 416 University CentreUniversity of Guelph519-824-4120 Ext. 53081k.hall@exec.uoguelph.ca