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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Head of secret research lab that used dogs in tests no longer at the Ontario hospital
Article content The dog research at St. Joseph's has been well financed by public and philanthropic sources. Article content Using public records, the IJB has identified more than $3 million in total funding received by the lab's researchers from government funding and foundations including the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Article content Asked for confirmation on the total amount of public and donated funds received for dog research over the past five years, St. Joseph's officials did not respond. Article content The research has been happening for much longer than that. The IJB has found studies on dog use by the same researchers dating back to the 1980s. Article content Michelle Pitt recalls dogs from St. Joseph's Hospital being test subjects in heart failure experiments as early as 2002. Article content As part of her former job as a research assistant at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), she says she witnessed 13 dogs arrive from St. Joseph's 23 years ago for use in heart imaging experimentation involving induced heart attacks. The dogs were temporarily moved to LHSC for a few weeks, she says. Article content Article content Like the whistleblowers, the former employee says the dogs were caged with no beds for 23 hours a day before being killed at the end of the research. Article content Shortly after, Pitt says she left her job after 14 years due to what she calls the trauma from witnessing the animal research. Article content 'It was horrible. It was destroying my soul…I tried to do the best I could for them, but they weren't under my care…. It will haunt me for the rest of my life. I'm just shocked that they're still doing this. It should stop.' Article content St. Joseph's officials did not respond to requests for comment on Pitt's allegations. Article content An archived copy of Porter's profile that previously appeared on the hospital's website says she was raised in Sault Ste. Marie. She is a distinguished professor in biomedical sciences at the University of Windsor and the founding director of We-Spark Health Institute that specializes in research, education and training, and community engagement. Article content 'She is convinced that St. Joseph's is an ideal place where health research and improved patient care intersect,' the article reads.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
How University of Waterloo researchers are attacking kidney stones with a tiny robot army
Anyone who has had kidney stones knows the pain can be intense, and the treatment is neither quick nor painless. But University of Waterloo (UW) researchers are developing a new minimally invasive procedure that could change all that. 'A lot of the therapies involve oral medication. So people go on oral medication, have to take pills and maybe a couple of times a day for several months,' said Veronika Magdanz, an assistant engineering professor from UW overlooking the work. That's not always effective or efficient. Surgery is another route. 'When it gets really acute and these stones are, for example, blocking the ureter, the surgeons will have to go in and remove those stones,' said Magdanz, who is also the director of the Medical Microrobotics Lab at UW. A lot of times once people get kidney stones, they're more susceptible to getting them again. So the UW researchers were approached by a urologist in Barcelona, who was looking to get patients relief in a less invasive way. 'He said, 'hey, you guys are doing these wireless microbots. Is there maybe a way that you could locally trigger the dissolution of stones by bringing medication or a reaction close to the stones in the urinary tract, causing the dissolution and then thereby avoiding longtime medication or even surgery,'' said Magdanz, recalling the question from the urologist. It may seem like an obscure request but it wasn't for the UW researchers. The answer from them was: 'Yes, there is a way.' Afarin Khabbazian, who was a master's students when she worked on the project, showed CTV News their method. 'We set up a rotating magnetic field using a permanent magnet, which is attached to a motor. We control the position of the magnets using a robot arm,' said Khabbazian. 'When I move [the arm], the [microbot] will move with it.' The microbots are made up of thin spaghetti-like strips fitted with magnets, which are moved into place near uric acid kidney stones with the robotic arm. The soft strips contain an enzyme called urease, and once in place, it reduces the acidity of the surrounding urine, which then dissolves the stones until they are small enough to pass naturally in a few days. 'This is definitely the first of its kind for kidney stones,' said Magdanz. The medical breakthrough is extra special for Khabbazian because she has suffered from kidney stones. 'The first time I saw the robots move was one of the best days of my life,' Khabbazian said. The technology is still in the testing phase and needs more work before moving on to human clinical trials. Still, it's not a small feat for a very small robot.
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here's how to spot them
NEW YORK — Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade. Catch the spectacle while you can because it's the last one of the year. These linkups happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. Such parades are fairly common, happening around every year depending on the number of planets. At least one bright planet can be spotted on most nights, weather permitting, according to NASA. Six planets were visible in January skies and every planet of our solar system was visible in February, but not all could be spotted with the naked eye. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and a faint Mercury are visible this month without any special equipment, and the best chances to spot them are over the next week. Uranus and Neptune can only be glimpsed through binoculars and telescopes. Jupiter and Venus made a close brush earlier this week and are still near each other in the eastern sky, 'close together like cat's eyes,' said Carolyn Sumners at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Mercury will be at its farthest point from the sun on Tuesday morning, making it easier to spot before it disappears into the sun's glare. To catch the planets, go out in the morning shortly before sunrise and look east. Try to find Jupiter and Venus clustered together first. Saturn is off to the side and Mercury will be close to the horizon, trying to rise before the sun. 'You're looking for little tiny pinpoints of light, but they are the brightest ones,' said Justin Bartel with the Science Museum of Virginia. 'They don't really twinkle like the stars do.' Before heading out, make sure it is a clear, cloudless morning and try to get away from tall buildings that could block the view. Mercury will hide behind the sun again toward the end of the month, but a crescent moon will then join the parade. The next big planetary hangout is in February. ___ Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
