the ICORDian | Summer 2021

 

Things at ICORD are slowly starting to return to almost-normal after 18 months of pandemic disruption. We’re happy to bring you this Summer 2021 issue of the ICORDian, partly produced at the ICORD office (although also partly written on a variety of kitchen counters, dining room tables, and patios).

We hope you enjoy these stories:

And these regular features:

What’s New at ICORD-O and Art Under the Microscope will return in the Fall issue.

 


Our friend and colleague Gabriel Dix passed away last month after being hit by a car.

Gabriel had just completed his MSc with Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, and had taken on the role of full-time research coordinator for the EPIC-SCI trial in the Martin Ginis and Kramer labs. His death has been devastating for everyone who knew him. He was an incredibly bright person with a kind heart and a promising future ahead of him. If you never had the chance to meet him, this news story, published when he won the Lieutenant Governor’s medal for Inclusion, Democracy, and Reconciliation in 2019, offers a glimpse of what an amazing person he was.

Please consider making a contribution to this scholarship which has been established in Gabe’s memory.

Also, the Stand as One Ministry Chisomo Training Center in Malawi is building a medical centre in memory of Gabriel and his mother Victoria, who died of cancer two years ago. Click here for more information.

 


Research engineer Gabrielle Booth and Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Cripton, along with collaborator Dr. Gunter Siegmund from MEA Forensic Engineers and Scientists and the UBC School of Kinesiology recently published a paper highlighting the lack of diversity in neck biomechanical data – data which is used to determine automotive safety standards.

In their study, the researchers looked at the sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) of the volunteers and cadavers used to create the currently available biomechanical data for the human neck during automotive impacts. They found a lack of female biomechanical data, especially for females of average height and weight, and minimal biomechanical data for older volunteers, young cadavers, and volunteers of both sexes with high BMIs, meaning that the biomechanical data is not representative of the diversity of sizes and shapes of human bodies.

However, female, elderly, and obese people are at greater risk than male, young, and non-obese individuals for neck injury in otherwise equivalent automotive collisions.

This study highlights the vital need to increase the diversity of volunteer and cadaveric test subjects in future studies in order to fill the gaps in the current neck biomechanical data. This increased diversity will provide critical data to address existing inequities in automotive and other safety technologies.

 


by Jocelyn Chan

ICORD’s Indigenous Summer Student program, run in partnership with the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME), offers Indigenous high school students the opportunity to conduct scientific research projects in ICORD and SBME laboratories. The program started in 2018 as a small way to address the lack of Indigenous grad students and faculty in neuroscience. From one student in 2018, the program grew to three in 2019, and, after an unplanned year off due to the pandemic, to nine in 2021. This year’s students took part in the program either in person or remotely, and included all three 2019 students, back after their first year of undergraduate studies.

Dean Mason returned to ICORD for his second summer in ICORD’s Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics lab. With the guidance of Dr. Peter Cripton and research engineer Gabrielle Booth, Dean worked on a project to design and build an artificial omni-directional neck for use in testing helmets. “The omnidirectional neck can move in all directions like a realistic human neck. In comparison, other surrogate necks only give accurate data for one direction,” explained Dean. Dean used silicone and urethane molding to make intervertebral discs, and he got a lot of hands-on experience using computer-aided design programs. He thinks this experience will come in handy when he starts his second year of engineering at UBC this Fall.

Julianna Yue is about to start her first year of undergraduate studies at UBC in the Faculty of Arts and hopes to eventually specialize in Indigenous law. Over the summer, she worked with Dr. Babak Shadgan, postdoctoral fellow Dr. Leili Ghazi Zadeh and grad student Aaron Mah. Her work involved researching the accuracy and reliability of optical-based thermometry methods to measure core body temperature. “This is especially important as quicker diagnoses have been shown to lead to better outcomes. Fever is a clinical marker of viral infection, so this project is very relevant to COVID-19 research,” she said. Julianna enjoyed her summer position and recommends the experience. “I learned so much about biomedical engineering and the standards for higher education. It was definitely very valuable and taught me a variety of new skills,” she said.

Eliana Bond was the first student to join ICORD’s Indigenous Summer Student program in 2018. Now she is attending Langara College and entering her second year in Kinesiology. This summer, Eliana worked in the Kramer Lab and with PhD trainee Jessica Archibald. She contributed to two research projects, including a project called the “Neurochemical Atlas of the Brain,” which investigated glutamate levels as a potential biomarker for how sensitive a person is to a painful experience. “The most exciting aspect of partaking in this research program is that there is always more to learn about different areas of research. Through this program, I had the opportunity not only to participate directly in data collection, but also learn about laser stimulus and MRIs. I learned a lot about laser evoked potentials and their application to pain research, as well as methods of data collection as it pertains to pain threshold, EEG set up, and MRI safety”, said Eliana. Eliana strongly encourages her ISSP peers to return to ICORD and advises that “there is always more to learn and take advantage of opportunities that take you out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to expand your horizons and take advantage of the experiences you learned!”

Caroline Bizzotto is a high school student entering Grade 12 at Saint Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. This summer she worked with Dr. Carolyn Sparrey and Johanne Mattie to transcribe interviews with personal trainers, physiotherapists and research participants for a project on adapted rowing machines. “I loved seeing what other people were able to do and research, as well as hearing from a wide range of knowledge, with different people having varying opinions and ideas,” said Caroline. By participating in ICORD’s summer research program, Caroline has learned from Dr. Sparrey about being a spinal cord researcher and from graduate students about their experiences as scientists and as students. “Without ICORD I would not have had the opportunity to hear about these experiences, directly participate in research activities, or learn from Dr. Sparrey. Opportunities like this can help Indigenous youth like myself get excited about science, research, and university” she added.

Hoai Irish is about to start her first year at Western University, and her brother Hung is entering Grade 10 at West Vancouver Secondary School. They spent six weeks with Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg learning about ICD-9 codes within the International Classification of Diseases Clinical Modification (a list of codes for to classifying diseases). Each chose their own ICD-9 code to research in order to produce and present their own research posters. “I learned a lot about how to structure research papers and posters as well as a lot about spinal cord research,” said Hoai. Hung and Hoai had some fun field trips during their term, including a visit to the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

Shana George is heading into her second year at UBC. Like Dean, she started at ICORD in 2019. She really enjoyed her summer project with ICORD PI Dr. Bonita Sawatzky and visiting professor Dr. James Laskin. Shana’s project involved helping biomechanical engineers with electromyography testing on a new adapted rowing machine and arm crank ergometer. She also took a series of self-directed training modules to learn about spinal cord injury and gave weekly presentations to her colleagues. “I think that getting in the habit of doing weekly reflections after reading the modules will help me a lot at UBC. My presentation skills are also much better, and I’ve grown my network to include people at different institutions, which is very important”, she said.

Know any Indigenous students who may be interested in learning about SCI research and biomedical engineering? Please let them know about this paid summer program. Applications for next summer’s program will open in early 2022.

 

 

After a traumatic spinal cord injury, the ability of cells in the spinal cord to generate energy is impaired. This metabolic dysfunction is associated with the malfunctioning of the part of a cell responsible for energy production, known as mitochondria. Researchers in the laboratory of Dr.Wolfram Tetzlaff have been investigating the use of a ketogenic diet to improve functional recovery following SCI, and a study published a paper in Nature – Scientific Reports by Oscar Seira and Kathleen Kolehmainen from the Tetzlaff Lab, in collaboration with other researchers, demonstrates how the use of a ketogenic diet soon after injury has a beneficial effect on mitochondrial function. “The study provides a new perspective on the mechanisms of action of the ketogenic diet over the metabolic dysfunction and provides a better understanding on the use of the diet as a mitochondrial-targeted therapeutic approach to improve outcomes after SCI,” explained Dr. Seira. A clinical trial on the use of ketogenic diet to improve neuro-recovery following SCI is currently underway at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

 

 

 

 


by Crystal Han

In the Winter 2021 issue of this newsletter, we told you about the pandemic pivot that happened in our Community Resource Centre, with volunteers working remotely on easy-to-read summaries of scientific papers by ICORD researchers. That remote work continued throughout the Spring and Summer! Check out these recent summaries posted on our SCInfo Blog:

Alanna Schwed summarized a paper by Dr. Ben Mortenson, Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, and their colleagues, about outdoor exercise accessibility among wheelchair users. The researchers found that universal accessibility can facilitate an increase in outdoor recreational activities for wheelchair users.

Annie Zhou wrote a summary of a study by Dr. Christopher West and his colleagues, on how heat training affects the performance of Paralympic wheelchair athletes. The main finding of this study was that heat acclimation was able to reduce heat injury risk in wheelchair rugby athletes.

Aleksander Walter prepared a summary of an article by Dr. Ben Mortenson, Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, and their colleagues regarding the relationship of wheelchair selection to feelings of autonomy. The researchers found that overall feelings of autonomy were higher in people who were using manual wheelchairs with certain add-ons.

There are several more summaries currently being edited, so please drop by the SCInfo Blog again in a few weeks to read the latest updates!

 

A research project on the cleaning and reuse of disposable urinary catheters by medical student Mark Gradsal of the Krassioukov Lab, was featured in a 2-page story in the latest issues of SCI BC’s magazine, The Spin (see pages 12-13)

 

by Jocelyn Chan

You’ve probably heard of CandyGrams, but have you heard of OrchidGrams? This wonderful initiative, conceived by Andrea Maharaj, has people with SCI across Vancouver being nominated to receive orchid plants and greeting cards. The Orchid Greeting Gram program is led by Dr. Andrei Krassioukov’s team at ICORD, in partnership with Spinal Cord Injury BC and funded by the Craig H Neilsen Foundation. Andrea’s idea came from a desire to provide emotional support to people with SCI and help provide some cheer during their extended periods of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, Dr. Krassioukov’s group continued to engage with the SCI community via telemedicine or telephone follow-up calls. In collaboration with SCI BC, they conducted web-based surveys of more than 100 individuals with SCI that addressed issues of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in medical care during the pandemic. One issue that became obvious was that a significant number of people with SCI had an urgent and resounding need for psychosocial support, so Dr. K’s team made it their goal to re-engage with the SCI community during the pandemic period.

Locally, Dr. K’s team set up a program for people to be nominated to receive a potted orchid plant as a gift. They reached out to SCI BC, PARC, and ICORD research labs doing clinical research, requesting nominations for Orchid Greeting Grams. Members of the Krassioukov Lab and other volunteers generously helped out to drive around the city to deliver the orchids, cards, and supplies of PPE to the recipients.

Why orchids? Plants are known to have many positive benefits on mental health and the goal of Orchid Greeting Grams was to bring some joy into their households and to provide a reason to smile. “The pandemic has changed our world, required us to see things differently and to work in new ways. It is up to us to employ new approaches to communicate with each other and the SCI community!” said Andrea.

To date, 51 Orchid Greeting Grams have been delivered and the concept has been a resounding success. The community has responded with positivity and excitement, and the Krassioukov lab team and volunteers who delivered the OrchidGrams also got much more out of their experiences than they were expecting. “People laughed, people cried, people screamed – they were so touched,” said Dr. Krassioukov, becoming emotional himself while thinking about the experience.

“Everyone is thankful and appreciative. Some people told us that this was the first visit they have received since the lockdown. We’ve heard from recipients saying that the orchids have had a lasting effect on them. One person even went out to buy two additional orchids and sent us a note saying ‘Yours made me smile, so I bought two more!’” said Andrea.

The program has funding for a few more deliveries. To nominate a recipient, please contact Andrea.

 

by Matthew Queree, SCIRE

Breastfeeding can be difficult for any new mother, but after a spinal cord injury there are some special considerations that might make it even more of a challenge. Arm mobility and positioning of the baby may be difficult, and if a mom has an injury above T6, the letdown reflex (which allows milk to move down the breast and to the baby) may be compromised. Blood pressure fluctuations are common as well.

To make this important information more available for clinicians and moms, Dr. Andrei Krassioukov and an international panel of experts including people with SCI are developing clinical practice guidelines and information for consumers on breastfeeding after SCI (funded by Craig Neilsen Foundation). As part of the project, the panel and the SCIRE Project developed a series of videos showing assistive aids, detailing complications, and a few moms telling their personal stories with breastfeeding after SCI. Check them out here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Interested in helping ICORD researchers make SCI preventable, livable, and curable? These research studies (and more) are in need of participants!

Randomized control trial: activity-based therapy with non-invasive stimulation

Drs. Andrei Krassioukov, Tania Lam, Mike Berger, and Stacy Elliott and their teams are investigating the effects of activity-based therapy (ABT) with non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TCSCS) on motor function, autonomic function (cardiovascular, bladder, bowel, and sexual) and quality of life in people with SCI.

 

Up-LIFT Clinical Trial: non-invasive electrical spinal stimulation for hand and arm function

Researchers in Dr. Krassioukov’s lab are seeking participants with spinal cord injuries for a clinical trial. The trial will involve clinical assessment of upper extremity performance in individuals with spinal cord injury using the LIFT System to deliver non-invasive electrical spinal stimulation (ARCTM Therapy). We are interested in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of non-invasive electrical spinal stimulation for the restoration of upper extremity function.

 

Did you know that volunteers at our SCI Community Resource Centre prepare summaries of scientific papers and post them on our SCInfo blog? If you’re interested in what’s going on in SCI research around the world, this is a good place to look.

 

 



The latest issue of The Spin came out last month and is now online, with plenty of stories about ICORD projects! A slow return to in-person activities started this month, too. Check out the Impact on Services blog for full details.

 

Take the Praxis SCI Accelerate Consumer Survey

Influence the design of new innovations for people living with SCI. The Praxis SCI Accelerate 2021 Consumer Survey supports health start-up companies with solutions that address care- and cure-related treatments and overall quality of life for individuals with SCI.
This Survey is a part of Praxis Spinal Cord Institute’s direct consumer engagement. Help us learn about your experiences in four specific areas:
•    Bladder function,
•    Skin moisture/integrity and thermoregulation,
•    Exoskeleton (standing and walking), and
•    Shoulder, arm and hand function.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading this issue of The ICORDian – we hope you enjoyed it! Please subscribe and have future issues delivered to your inbox. If you have any comments about this issue or suggestions for future ones, please contact us.

 

 

 

Jocelyn Chan, Crystal Han, Dean Mason, Eliana Bond, Julianna Yue, Shana George, Caroline Bizzotto, Hoai Irish, Oscar Seira, Matthew Queree, Sohrab Manesh, Andrea Maharaj, and Katie Ashwell for their contributions to this issue of our newsletter.