Vol. 16 No. 2 Spring 2004
Inside this ISSUE
Humanities
New Faculty
Mass Spectrometer grant
Pro Development Dean
Monte Carlo presentation
New chair for Lab Medicine
Of Note
Am I my brother's keeper
Brain Power
CSAT program, meets needs
CSAT program, gives insights
First Mini Med School
National essay award
Mouse house research
It's a small world
Championing maternal care
Family Medicine Forum
Into Africa
Gene discovery
The obstructed view
Family Medicine stories
A frontwards view
A backwards view
Cooking show with a twist
MUNMED Home

Mouse house will increase research capacity

At a press conference March 5 John Efford, minister of natural resources, on behalf of Pierre Pettigrew, minister of health, announced funding of over $2.1 million for health research in Newfoundland. Minister Efford made the announcement in the laboratory of molecular geneticist Dr. Terry Lynn Young in Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine. Carolyn Bennett, minister of state (public health) made the announcement along with Minister Efford. The announcement includes operating funding for Memorial researchers Dr. Sean Brosnan, Dr. Proton Rahman, Dr. Michiru Hirasawa and Dr. Thomas Michalak, as well as Dr. Young. Following the announcement, Dr. Young (R) gave a laboratory tour to Ministers Efford and Bennett.
Along with $2.1 million in health research funding, John Efford, minister of natural resources, had more good news for research at Memorial during a news conference March 5. Funding of $279,609 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Business Development Program will help Memorial install a pathogen-free mouse vivarium module. The “mouse house” will create increased research capacity, particularly in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular and renal physiology, genetics, immunology and virology, and neuroscience.

The module – a pre-fabricated BioBubbleR animal care unit – will allow researchers at the university to study mice in a sterile environment, ensuring outside risk of disease, pollutants and other factors do not interfere with their experiments.

"I am pleased that ACOA is investing in this important aspect of university research," said Memorial President Dr. Axel Meisen. "Research efforts at Memorial University will be strengthened by the addition of this modern facility to our animal care operations. Many health-related research projects depend on this type of specialized equipment. We are hopeful that it will give our researchers another tool to perform leading-edge, world-class research in order to understand and find cures for major diseases." “Memorial University is a centre of research excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Mr. Efford. “Improvements such as this help to ensure the continued growth of our local research community by providing opportunities for learning and advancement, while serving to attract researchers from the international community and much sought after funds from the public and private sector. The sharing of knowledge and resources across disciplines and across borders is vital to the growth of the 21st century economy and Newfoundland and Labrador’s place in it.”

This upgrade is expected to have a significant impact over time on marketable technologies, preventative and therapeutic treatments, medical procedures, and novel drugs and drug testing, made possible through existing and prospective research initiatives within the Faculty of Medicine. It will increase employment and training opportunities for researchers, improve researchers’ ability to collaborate with other institutions and with industry partners, and ensure Memorial remains in compliance with the humane treatment, care and essential use of animals for medical research.