Jacques Cartier and the first ethnobiology event in Canada

Bust of Jacques Cartier, at Cartier Museum, St-Malo, France

Winter, in the year 1535 near what is now Quebec City (Canada).  Jacques Cartier and his men are gravely ill.  They are 5000 km from home, their boats are locked in ice in a unknown territory, with limited supplies, and no doctor. Jacques Cartier did not know that his men were dying of scurvy, a disease caused by the absence of vitamin C in the diet.  He did observe, however, that a local First Nations man named Agaya, once had similar symptoms, but was now apparently well and walking in front of Cartier's emergency winter shelter. With 25 of his crew already dead, 95% of the remaining members incapacitated and dying, Jacques Cartier decided to ask Agaya for the cure.

Jacques Cartier's former residence, near St-Malo, France.

The First Nations' people offered the needles and bark of the plant "annedda", from which an infusion was to be drunk every second day until cured.  It worked.  Like Agaya, Jacques Cartier's men were quickly restored, survived the remaining Canadian winter and returned to France. With the support of the French king Francois I, Jacques Cartier returned the resource-rich territory a third trip in 1541.

Jacques Cartier's tomb, Cathédrale St-Vincent in St-Malo

Jacques Cartier recorded the first exchange of information between European and Indigenous cultures in Canadian territory for the goal of medical benefit.  Today we call this exchange ethnobiology.  We visited Jacques Cartier's estate, near the port city of St Malo, France, from where he launched his expeditions that opened Canada to the world.  In the Cancer Cell Laboratory, we follow this 500 year old tradition of identifying and testing Canadian plants to find compounds for medicinal benefit.   Our work is focused on finding plants that have compounds with anti-cancer properties.   We have found two plants that show promise in preliminary laboratory tests, and we now are identifying the active ingredients within them.
   

The Prairie to Pharmacy Project

   We have started the Prairie to Pharmacy Project at the University of Lethbridge.  The goal of this project is to identify novel compounds from prairie plants which have beneficial pharmaceutical properties.  To reach this goal, we have drawn from the strengths of the human and natural resources of southern Alberta.  We are working with Dr John Bain, Professor in botany, director of the University Herbarium; with Mr Conrad Littleleaf, Elder of the Pikanii Nation; and Professor Emeritus Leroy Little Bear, University of Lethbridge, to find prairie plants that have medicinal properties and then test them for biological activity in specific assays.  To start, we focus on anti-cancer activities, which is one of the research strengths of the Cancer Cell Laboratory.  Our approach, which is sometimes called ethnobiological research, has been succesful in other regions in the world, but it has not been actively pursued in Alberta.  We predict that plants from southern Alberta contain novel compounds that have anti-cancer activity, or other activities directed to unmet medical needs. 

    Stay tuned...

The CWSF-ESPC 2013 was in Lethbridge

3 of the 4 Lethbridge Winners CWSF 2013

The Canada Wide Science Fair came to Lethbridge. Imagine the energy from 481 young Canadian scientists, 340 expert Judges, 165 Delegates, 3750 visitors (many were school children) and 200+ dedicated volunteers.  For many of us, it left an indelible image of just how smart and positive youth can be.  My role was greatly aided by Dr Marc Roussel, Dept of Chemistry and by Mr Dominic Mudiayi, former laboratory colleague.  The University of Lethbridge was the host for the CWSF. The UoL showcased its campus and placed it firmly on the map for the next generation of Canadian scientists and engineers.  The entire CWSF was major operation run by Youth Science Canada, the National Judging Committee and the Local Host Committee, who had an addition role in leading the regional science fair. It was a lot of work, but clearly the future of science benefits from this effort.  To learn more about the projects presented at the CWSF, visit the virtual CWSF website and see the  winners.

A paper submitted - A new assay to measure mitosis

The measure of productivity in science is publications. One really only gets things done when the research is published.  Today, we submitted a manuscript describing a new method to measure the activity of the enzyme Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1).  This is an important enzyme; it drive cells into mitosis (cell division).  The discovery of Cdk1 and its components led to the Nobel prize awarded in 2001 to Drs Sir Tim Hunt and Sir Paul Nurse.  Other methods to measure Cdk1 activity require the use of radioactive reagents, which are difficult to use, expensive, and dangerous if handled incorrectly.  Our new method requires antibodies, an engineered protein that we made, and western blotting equipment.  Most of the materials are commonly found in cell biology laboratories and we will provide the protein to those who request it.

 

The work was done by a sequence of undergraduate students from the University of Lethbridge, all contributing to the status of "Best Undergraduate Research University of 2012".  All have moved on to better things science related.  To those interested in a pre-print, please let me know.

University of Lethbridge wins Canadian research title

The University of Lethbridge received national recognition this week when it placed first in the category of research for undergraduates in Canada.  That is quite an achievement because many universities in Canada are good, so it is significant to be placed at the top of this list. 

This award is the outcome of much hard work by the University of Lethbridge administration who provide the infrastructure and the opportunities for scientists to do their work.  With laboratories and funding in place, scientists can focus on doing their job, which is research and teaching.  Research requires a high level of energy, which can be drained by having too many obstacles to cross.  With fewer obstacles in the way, science progresses more quickly, efficiently, and it is easier to teach science to students when you are doing it to the best of your ability.  The undergraduates are the first to benefit from this system because they can study under passionate and motivated scientists. 

The Cancer Cell Laboratory had the opportunity to participate in this celebration.  The laboratory was presented in a televised newscast and we were interviewed on the French language radio station Radio-Canada.  So now Canada knows that, at least for a short time, the U of L is the best; the best are welcome to come and work with us. 

 

The Mendel Museum (Gregor Mendel)

During a scientific meeting (Natural AntiCancer Drugs 2012) held in the Czech Republic, I took the opportunity to travel to the city of Brno, to visit the Mendelovo Museum.  This museum celebrates the life of Gregor Mendel, who is the father of genetics.  The museum is housed within the Augustinian Abbey of St Thomas, where Mendel conducted his famous experiments on pea plants during the 1850s.  It seems that Mendel had many of the traits of geniuses: a careful observer of common phenomena, attention to notetaking, using skills he acquired over his lifetime, ask simple questions.  Mendel was trained in botany and was raised in a farming family that was interested in growing various plants and trees.  At that time, no one knew how traits in plants or animals could disappear and then reappear, even though references to this event had been cited in the Bible.  But, by growing peas (the original plot was just a few metres from what is now the museum entrance) Mendel realized that traits exist in pairs.  150 years later, we are still uncovering the magnitude of his discovery.  The museum nicely captures the nature of Mendel's discovery and highlights that he was gifted in other skills related to weather observation, bee keeping and administration of the abbey.  The museum is worth a visit for any scientist, especially those in biology. 

The Lab is on YouTube

Our laboratory has received support from the University of Lethbridge at many levels.  We, in return, are pleased to participate in University initiatives to reach out and let you know who we are and what we do.  The U of L has produced a number of videos to celebrate its 45th anniversary.  Amongst these, you will find the Cancer Cell Laboratory on YouTube.  Although I do most of the talking, one gets a glimpse of the laboratory and the people who do the experiments.  See us at:

Cancer Cell Laboratory on YouTube

We appreciate the University of Lethbridge's support for research.