Med school seeks projects.A new Health Research and Innovation Project will examine what opportunities Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron (including Georgian Bay), the French River and Lake Nipissing. Northern Ontario has a land area of 802,000 km² (310,000 mi²) and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it has available for researchers at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a medical school created through a partnership between Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (NOSM NOSM Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Canada) NOSM Navy Occupation Service Medal (US Navy decoration) NOSM Network Operations and Systems Management ). There is intense competition for research dollars and Dr. Greg Ross, dean of research at NOSM, does not want to delve into diseases or health products that are already saturating the limited investment fund pool. "We have to be very selective in what we do," he says. The new medical school has to establish unique programs that will give Northern researchers a non-competitive edge against the renowned universities of Canada. This project will determine what research opportunities are out there for specialized and budding scientists working or studying at NOSM. Ross will utilize health centres across Northern Ontario to gain insight on where the medical school can focus its strengths. New drug discoveries from forest plants, environmental studies, rural and remote health care, diabetes among First Nations to the impact of smoking on the cardiovascular system cardiovascular system: see circulatory system. cardiovascular system System of vessels that convey blood to and from tissues throughout the body, bringing nutrients and oxygen and removing wastes and carbon dioxide. are some of the areas being assessed for possible project potential. Program selection will be as important as the scientists who will oversee them. Medical school senior researchers will hire students and technologists and collaborate with chemists, physiologists and pharmacologists across the country to create large research teams. Fewer than 10 Northern Ontario research programs will be selected for NOSM staff and students to work on. "So the school really has to focus on where we can be strong and where we can specialize," he says. "Research is pretty competitive, and a lot of that is based on (scientists') track record and what (they are) good at." The University of British Columbia's medical school's impact study indicated $67 million in research funds flowed in annually, with 85 per cent of the money coming from outside the province. As of 1999, 91 spinoff companies were created in B.C. Of those, 47 per cent came from the life sciences sector (biotechnology sector). At times, universities will hire entrepreneurial scientists so research discoveries can be commercialized, Ross says. "There is no doubt (research programs) will lead to spin-off biotechnology companies Top 100 Biotechnology Companies The following is a list of the top 100 biotechnology companies ranked by revenue. The first nine companies qualify for the list of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies. ." NOSM officials anticipate having 30 new researchers by 2009. So far the school is halfway there. It anticipates receiving $4 million annually in research funding Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and . That does not include funds allocated to the medical institution alone. Ross affirms there is some outstanding work occurring in the North, but the knowledge has to be shared. For example, experts in the Great Lakes Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). Forestry Centre speak with chemists at Lakehead and Laurentian Universities about new drug information, but they may not talk to cancer clinic specialists interested in using the same chemicals for cancer research. Combining research knowledge around the North through programming will enhance and build the sciences and biotech clusters, he says. The $500,000 Health Research and Innovation project will conclude this summer. Three people from the medical school are working alongside Strategic Health Innovations, a southern Ontario company that undertook the Northern Ontario Biotechnology Initiative report. Thunder Bay, Greater Sudbury, FedNor, the National Research Council of Canada The National Research Council Canada (NRC) is Canada's leading organization for scientific research and development. History NRC was established in 1916, mainly to advise the government. Then, in the early 1930s, laboratories were built in Ottawa. , the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is a division of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in the Canadian province of Ontario, whose purpose is to provide funding and program support to foster economic development in the economically disadvantaged Northern Ontario region. Corp. and the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities contributed to the initiative. www.normed.ca By KELLY LOUISEIZE Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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