Innovation Anthology #469:

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Since World War Two, we’ve developed more than 500 different antibiotics to kill disease causing bacteria

It’s no wonder some bacteria have become resistant and mounted a rebellion of their own.

Dr. Hans Vogel is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Calgary and an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions scientist.

He’s developing a new arsenal to fight superbugs. And it centres on iron that both humans and bacteria need to survive.

DR. HANS VOGEL: So we found out quite quickly that bacteria acquire iron in a completely different way and use a completely different protein machinery to actually bring iron into them. And that makes it then potentially easy to actually map out where in the process you can actually interfere the best to try to make sure the iron can no longer get into the bacterial cell. And now, because we know the bacteria deal very differently with iron than the human bodies, we can also be certain that when we design these new compounds that we don’t have to worry about affecting humans in any negative way.

Dr. Vogel says it could still be another five or ten years before his findings make their way to market.

Thanks today to ALBERTA INNOVATES HEALTH SOLUTIONS

FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

 

 

Program Date: 2012-03-29