We are conducting a study to examine the relationship between subjective and objective measures of sleep quality after exercise. We are looking for 60 individuals to volunteer in a sleep study, which includes two weeks of wearing an activity-tracking watch, two nights of an overnight, in-home sleep assessment and three questionnaires regarding your sleep. You will also be asked to perform an aerobic fitness test and a single exercise training session.

We are conducting a study to validate the accuracy of a pulse oximeter that is embedded into an oral appliance. We are looking for up to 40 individuals to volunteer in a controlled desaturation (hypoxia) study, which includes visiting a dentist twice to have an oral appliance made and fitted, then wearing the appliance while you breathe gas mixtures with varying amounts of oxygen.

Organoids are 'mini-organs' generated in the lab to study human biology and disease. In this study, we will harvest cells from the nose to generate organoids to study the function of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the channel that exhibits altered function in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Human rhinovirus is also called the “common cold virus” because it causes at least half of all of the common colds experienced each year. In patients with asthma, getting a rhinovirus infection can also trigger asthma attacks. Current drugs used to treat asthma are not particularly effective during viral infections. Although the symptoms of the common cold are well known, we do not fully understand how the virus causes these symptoms, nor do we really know how it causes asthma attacks. The epithelial cell is the cell that lines the surface of your airways from your nose down to your lungs, and is also the cell type that gets infected by rhinovirus. At present, it is thought that the virus causes symptoms by changing epithelial cell biology in a way that causes airway inflammation. In order to examine how the virus causes inflammation, many earlier studies have used experimental infection with the virus and have measured various markers of inflammation. Cigarette smokers have been reported to be more likely to get colds than non-smokers and asthmatic patients who smoke tend to have more acute attacks and do less well than asthmatics who do not smoke. It is not known why smokers do worse than non-smokers. It is possible that smokers get more inflammation than non-smokers. It is also possible that smokers do not mount a good protective antiviral response to defend against the virus. About 24 healthy volunteers who do not have pre-existing immunity to the virus, and who do not have nasal allergies or asthma will be recruited for this study. Half will be smokers and half will be non- smokers. The purpose of this study is to compare the levels of inflammatory chemicals, and the levels of protective antiviral proteins in the airways of healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers after infection with rhinovirus (the common cold virus).

The goal of this study is to determine whether a specific type of immune cells which we previously identified in mice is also found in humans, and to investigate its possible role in health, during disease and after injury.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how health problems faced by adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) differ from those of adults without FASD. The study involves completing questionnaires about your health/mental health, background information, and school/work details. You will also be asked to complete some assessments on an iPad/computer and provide a small blood sample and a small fecal (poop) and salive sample (both collected at home). The study will take approximately 6 hrs of your time (2.5 hrs required in person) and you will be compensated with a gift card for your participation.

Our study wants to learn more about how two brain-related conditions, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), affect the gut (microbiome), the immune system, and mental health. The study includes one visit in person at the Owerko Centre, which is part of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI). During this visit, our research team will ask some basic questions about your child (like age, gender, etc.). You and your child will also fill out a few questionnaires about their general and mental health. The team will measure your child’s face, take a heart tracing (ECG), and collect a small blood sample. You’ll also get a take-home kit to collect a small poop sample and a saliva (spit) sample from your child. The main goal of this study is to better understand how health is affected in kids with brain-related conditions. This could help us find better ways to treat these conditions in the future.

We're working on a project to understand how your legs move and the forces they experience while you're pedaling on a stationary bike. By using video cameras, special pedals that measure force, and sensors that detect muscle activity, we aim to figure out how much stress is placed on your knee joints during cycling. This will help us create a personalized model to predict and possibly reduce knee pain or injuries for cyclists.

This study aims to compare two different sole technologies in FitFlop shoes to see how they affect foot pressure, comfort, and tiredness during walking. FitFlop has a technology called Microwobbleboard, which uses three different densities in the sole to make shoes comfortable. They also developed a newer technology called Microbubbleboard, which uses a specially designed foam to achieve a similar comfortable feeling while using only one type of foam. The goal of this research is to test these two shoes against each other to see which one performs better in terms of comfort, how pressure is spread across the foot, and how tired participants feel after walking. The study involves female participants walking on a treadmill while wearing shoes with either the Microwobbleboard or Microbubbleboard soles. Researchers will measure foot pressure and ask participants about their comfort and fatigue levels. The results will help FitFlop understand how well their new Microbubbleboard technology works compared to their traditional Microwobbleboard.  

This study aims to compare two different shoe insole technologies in an uphill treadmill walking task. The goal of this research is to test these two insoles against each other to see which one performs better in terms of comfort, how pressure is spread across the foot, and how tired participants feel after walking. The study involves male participants walking on a treadmill while wearing shoes with either a standard or prototype insole. Researchers will measure foot pressure and ask participants about their comfort and fatigue levels. The results will help industry partner Dr. Scholls understand how well their new insole technology works compared to traditional insoles.