Researchers in the Faculty of Science at 91亚色 have been helping shed new light on the COVID-19 pandemic by applying for research grants and publishing new studies that will help inform public health policy makers in Canada and abroad. Below is a summary of new research funding received and new research papers published by our researchers on COVID-19.
Research funding
Professor Jennifer Chen (Department of Chemistry) received $44,000 from 91亚色 for a project focused on modifying textiles and non-woven materials to derive antimicrobial properties to increase the protection of cloth-based personal protective equipment (PPE). Existing antimicrobial agents present health risks and environmental toxicity, so they will develop methods to incorporate copper for cloth-based PPE. Read Scientists receive funding for new COVID-19 research projects
Professor Vivian Saridakis (Department of Biology) received $20,000 from 91亚色 for a project that hypothesizes that variations in the genomic sequences of the COVID-19 virus may play a pivotal role in geographic differences in rates of infection, transmission and deaths. Using bioinformatics and biochemical approaches, they will analyze the genomic variations and their resulting structural or functional changes, in order to establish the roles of these variations in COVID-19 infection and disease. Read Scientists receive funding for new COVID-19 research projects
Professor Seyed Moghadas (Department of Mathematics & Statistics) received more than $260K from the Government of Canada to use mathematical modelling to predict the scope of disease transmission, potential outbreaks, and effectiveness of interventions and a vaccine, among other things.
Professor Jianhong Wu (Department of Mathematics & Statistics) is leading a national COVID-19 math modelling team. The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences received more than $660K from the Government of Canada to mobilize this national network of infectious disease modellers to develop mathematical technologies to assess transmission risk of COVID-19 and project outbreak trajectories.
Research papers
published in Royal Society Open Science (June 10, 2020). Read the media release from 91亚色:
published in Canada Communicable Disease Report (June 4, 2020).
in Biology (May 16, 2020). Read the media release from 91亚色: Study finds testing rate and contact tracing key to successful re-opening of Ontario
聽in the聽International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health聽(May 2, 2020); the paper was included in the聽database聽of the Pan American Health Organization.
in Health Management, Policy and Innovation (April 23, 2020)
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (April 21, 2020)
to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (April 1, 2020); the paper was posted to the Bulletin鈥檚 COVID-19 open site.
, published in the Special Issue Real Time Clinical and Epidemiological Investigations on Novel Coronavirus of the Journal of Clinical Medicine (March 30, 2020). Read the media release from 91亚色:
on SSRN (March 24, 2020). Read the media release from 91亚色:
on SSRN (January 27, 2020)