Original broadcast date: August 30, 2009 “There has to be a better way,” says orthopedic surgeon Dr Cyril Frank. What Dr. Frank refers to is the present approach used to repair damaged ligaments in joints such as the knee with methods that are still “fairly barbaric”. In that vein, the University of Calgary is expanding [...]

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Original broadcast date: March 8, 2009 How do you know that the disinfectant that claims to kill over 99 per cent of bacteria actually does just that? What are the mechanisms of action that result in this effect? Today, we are going to learn about biofilms, what they are, what they do, how we are [...]

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Original broadcast date: January 6, 2008 When we last spoke to Dr. Ulli Krull, he talked about the development of a device that could be used to detect chemical substances in a given environment. For lack of a better analogy, it was like a Star Trek Tricorder. His present projects include developing biosensors that are [...]

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We hear the commercials on radio and TV asking people to donate blood. It is sometimes followed by a brief notice or announcement that they are looking for blood of a particular type. This ongoing public canvassing for blood donations illustrates the issue of blood product shortages. There is always a need for blood products [...]

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One of the consequences of the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease is the damaging effect it has on smaller arteries in the legs and within organs such as the kidney and heart. Although coronary artery bypass grafts are common, it is the smaller sized arteries that can remain damaged and difficult to reach and repair. Further [...]

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High level spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases can paralyze a patient’s ability to breathe. This ability is wholly dependent on an intact nervous system and the diaphragm, a specialized muscle that sits just under the base of our lungs. Paralysis of this muscle as a result of nerve damage requires can result in a [...]

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