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As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, our teams impact the lives of people in Ontario, Canada and around the globe with groundbreaking studies, world firsts and translational research that enhances care, health and wellbeing. Here are some of Lawson Health Research Institute’s top research highlights of 2022.

Researchers looking to better personalize treatment for PTSD

In a new study through Lawson and Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, scientists are looking at a form of treatment called deep brain reorienting (DBR) for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read more.

Virtual care associated with significant environmental and patient cost savings

A new study by researchers at ICES, Lawson and Western finds that virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and patient travel-related expenses, such as gasoline, parking or public transit costs. Read more.

Novel test that could easily diagnose blast injury created by local scientists

In a world first, researchers at Lawson and Defence Research and Development Canada have developed a breath test that could be used to diagnose repetitive blast injury – a mild traumatic brain injury resulting from pressure changes that occur during explosions. The device will soon go through clinical trials to validate its efficacy. Read more.

Local researchers using artificial intelligence to lead the way in bedside lung imaging

A team at Lawson is testing a new form of artificial intelligence (AI), paired with portable ultrasound machines, to image and identify lung concerns in real time, right at the beside of critically ill patients. Approximately 100 critical care patients at LHSC will be part of this study. Read more.

New tool shows promise in helping people manage traumatic brain injuries one pace at a time

A team at Lawson has developed a new app called MyBrainPacer™ which aims to better assist and treat those living with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), including concussions. mTBI may come with lasting effects that can alter a person’s life.  Although a person with a mTBI may appear fine on the outside, many have to pace their day-to-day activities in order to allow the time needed for the brain to properly heal. Much like point tracking used by dieters to monitor food choices, through MyBrainPacer™ App, users can assign values to tasks like driving, grocery shopping, screen use and exercise so they can plan and pace their daily activity.  Read more.

Study shows a decline in Veterans' mental health throughout the pandemic

When it comes to mental health conditions, Veterans are an at-risk population, often having higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, scientists at Lawson wanted to understand its effects on this already at-risk population. They found that more than half of Canadian Veterans reported a decline in their mental health. Read more.

Growing evidence that PSMA imaging improves prostate cancer detection

Scientists at Lawson are leading the way in using specialized imaging to detect prostate cancer – the fifth leading cause of cancer death in men around the world. Early evidence indicates that PSMA PET scans have changed how prostate cancer is being treated, but more work is underway to understand the impact of those treatment changes. Read more.

Leveraging virtual reality to manage pain in paediatric patients

A study underway through Lawson and Children’s Hospital at LHSC is using virtual reality (VR) to help paediatric patients during painful and distressing procedures. The study is focusing on paediatric patients who need port access. A port is a little reservoir that sits underneath the skin that allows access to blood or medication with the use of a needle. Ports are most commonly used in paediatric cancer patients. Read more.

Team players: FMT and microbiome research could have widespread impact

There is still much to learn about the human microbiome and its role in fighting disease, but ongoing studies at Lawson, including a focus on fecal microbial transplants (FMT), are making strides in harnessing this complex system. FMT is being studied in connection with conditions as varied as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis. Read more.

London researchers adapt MRI technology to image salt within the kidneys

Scientists at Lawson have adapted PET/MRI technology to accurately image salt within the kidneys of patients with kidney disease. Imaging salt within the kidneys has never been accurately accomplished in patients with kidney disease, but Dr. McIntyre and his team developed new technology and software that was adaptable to a PET/MRI machine at St. Joseph’s. Read more.

London researchers discover novel method to diagnose long COVID

Published in Molecular Medicine, researchers at Lawson have found that patients with post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) have unique biomarkers in their blood. The team is now working on developing a first of its kind blood test that could be used to diagnose long COVID. The discovery could also lead to new therapeutics for this condition. Read more.

Largest trial ever done in hemodialysis care examines optimal dialysis temperature

Published in the Lancet findings from a large clinical trial through Lawson, ICES Western and Western University suggest that lowering dialysis temperatures does not lead to improved patient outcomes, despite previous studies suggesting otherwise. Read more.

To learn more about Lawson research studies, please visit our News and Media page

Ashmeet Gill had her first PET/CT scan shortly after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s germ-fighting immune system. She was nervous. Claustrophobia is an issue for the young Stratford resident and the scan, necessary to determine if the cancer had spread beyond the lymph nodes in her neck, would take 34 to 45 minutes, she was told.

Wrapped in a sheet and tucked inside the tube of the PET/CT at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), Ashmeet, then 24, steeled herself to remain calm. But near the end of the scan, a sense of panic set in.

“It was not pleasant but I endured it. I made it through.”

Ashmeet’s next PET/CT scan would be six months later, after six cycles of chemotherapy, to determine if the treatment had worked. She was terrified of another panic episode. By then, however, St. Joseph’s had a brand-new PET/CT – Canada’s first, next generation, state-of-the-art Omni Legend PET/CT from GE HealthCare.

This time, Ashmeet’s scan took “barely 15 minutes or so,” she recalled.

“I thought, seriously? I couldn’t believe I was done. I was so happy.”

With the very first patients scanned with St. Joseph’s new PET/CT machine, it was obvious the breakthrough technology was living up to high expectations.

The machine is fast – decreasing the time it took for a scan from about 45 minutes on the older system to less than 14 – head to toe. Patients are exposed to less radiation, and the ability to precisely detect disease and tiny abnormalities is outstanding.

“This is what we have been waiting for,” says Ting-Yim Lee, a pioneer in the use of machines like PET/CT to gather new, vital information about diseases. “St. Joseph’s new Omni Legend by GE HealthCare is answering the call for patients, clinicians and researchers alike.”

PET/CT is the medical ace in imaging for the assessment and treatment monitoring of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. At St. Joseph’s, the possibilities of this technology took a giant leap forward in August 2023, thanks in part to the generosity of donors and a $1 million contribution from St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation. With the arrival of the new system, St. Joseph’s is set to become Canada’s first national GE HealthCare centre of excellence in molecular imaging and theranostics. This two-pronged approach to diagnosing and treating cancers and other diseases merges molecular imaging with the use of radiopharmaceuticals to identify the location and extent of diseased tissues and selectively destroy the abnormal cells.

“The speed at which we can now do exams means significantly improved comfort for patients while the exceptional image quality changes the game in the hunt for cancerous lesions,” explains Ting, Director of PET/CT Research at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) and medical physicist at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“For young adults undergoing repeat PET/CT exams due to their medical conditions, managing the radiation dose is critical,” explains Dr. Narinder Paul, Lawson scientist and Chief, Medical Imaging, at St. Joseph’s. “These individuals already face an elevated life-time risk of developing cancer from radiation, and this risk further increases with additional exposures.”

For older adults, the time it takes for the examination is also of great concern. Lying still for long periods can be a hardship due to pain from bone metastases or other conditions, and is a challenge for those who have dementia, are claustrophobic or experiencing other issues, adds Dr. Paul.

“Reducing the exam time is a huge improvement in the patient experience for these individuals.”

While patients hail the new PET/CT experience, clinicians and scientists are raving about the machine’s imaging prowess. The advanced AI-driven image formation technology now empowers the precise detection of cancer within lymph nodes and other anatomical structures, “achieving remarkable accuracy even for very small lesions,” says Dr. Paul.

“The advantages we have seen so far are already impressive but what’s on the horizon in research and care – what we will be able to study and do – is even more exciting,” says Ting.

In particular, the new PET/CT is expected to be the catalyst for ground-breaking clinical research for patients facing breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer, epilepsy and obesity. Scientific exploration in these areas is currently being planned at St. Joseph’s that will pave the way for novel treatments, new, non-invasive ways to identify a patient’s risk of disease, the potential to clearly and painlessly view how treatment is working, and the ability to uncover the tiniest abnormalities at play when it comes to diseases and conditions.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s 2017-2018 Annual Report features stories about patients and residents, and their journey of care and recovery.

The following research is highlighted in the 2017-2018 Annual Report:

• Smart tech, smart treatment: Many mobile applications are on the market to help people struggling with mental health issues, but these aren’t necessarily created or used by health care providers. Creating an entire smart mental health system is one of the strategic priorities of St. Joseph’s and Lawson’s Mental Health Research Group led by Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Beryl and Richard Ivey Research Chair in Aging, Mental Health, Rehabilitation and Recovery. Numerous projects have been identified as components of a plan spanning seven years.
• Walking while talking a possible early predictor of dementia: In a new study, researchers at Lawson and Western University are demonstrating that gait, or motion testing, while simultaneously performing a cognitively demanding task can effectively predict the progression to dementia and eventually help with earlier diagnosis. To date, there is no definitive way for health care professionals to forecast the onset of dementia in a patient with memory complaints.

Lawson researchers at Parkwood Institute, part of the St. Joseph’s Health Care London family, work to improve both physical and mental health care based on the understanding that conditions of the body and mind are integrally linked. From studies on mobility after brain and spinal cord injury to treatment-resistant depression, a range of different research areas were highlighted on April 21, 2017 at Parkwood Institute Research’s 2017 Spring Update Half-Day event.

Parkwood Institute Research is a Lawson program that represents inter-disciplinary clinical research. At the second annual Spring Update event celebrating this work, attendees learned about research from across Parkwood Institute’s three core research themes: Cognitive Vitality & Brain Health, Mobility & Activity, and Mental Health Care. New this year was the addition of poster presentations, which provided another opportunity for researchers and trainees to promote and share their work.

Learn more about the work Lawson scientists at Parkwood Institute presented at the event:

Cognitive Vitality & Brain Health

Dr. Stephen Pasternak was one of the presenters in the Cognitive Vitality & Brain Health theme. Dr. Pasternak and his team are conducting a phase 2 randomized controlled trial looking at whether a European over-the-counter cough medicine, Ambroxol, could also treat Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD).

“There are currently no effective treatments for cognitive impairment experienced by PDD patients. Existing treatments only treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but do not stop the disease process itself,” says Dr. Pasternak.

Parkinson’s disease is believed to be caused by the buildup of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. Ambroxol increases the levels of an enzyme called β-Glucocerebrosidase (GCase), which has been shown to reduce the buildup of alpha-synuclein in animal and cell cultures models, suggesting that this could be used as a treatment for PDD.

This trial is well underway and the first participants have completed the first year of treatment. If successful, this trial will be the first to demonstrate that it is possible to change the underlying cause of PDD.

Mobility & Activity

As part of the Mobility & Activity themed presentations, Dr. Dalton Wolfe discussed an initiative supported by the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation and Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation to help improve mobility in patients with acquired brain and spinal cord injuries.

Called the Parkwood Program for Rehabilitation Innovations in Movement Enhancement (PRIME), a key goal of this initiative is to develop and implement a clinical decision support system that integrates approaches to activity-based therapy. Clinicians, researchers, administrators and IT specialists have combined their efforts to initiate development on this system.

“PRIME will provide recommendations for treatment based on patients’ injury level and type, and clinical characteristics,” says Dr. Wolfe. “It will also have suggestions for what to monitor for each patient to challenge them to optimize recovery, as well as to reduce risk of injury or secondary complications.”

This system will also enable electronic tracking of practices and outcomes, moving away from the current paper-based model and creating a practice-based research platform.

Mental Health Care

Dr. Amer Burhan presented his research on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in the Mental Health Care portion of the presentations. TMS is a non-invasive method that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. An electromagnetic coil is held against the head and short magnetic pulses are administered, causing a change in activity level in specific targeted areas and allowing for a study of the function and interconnectivity of the brain. The method has been approved to treat depression resistant to medications and has potential to be used to treat other mental and neurological disorders.

Dr. Burhan’s talk focused on the effectiveness of a certain type of TMS, bilateral theta-burst stimulation, in treating patients with depression who are not responsive to medication. This is a new method of TMS that is designed to facilitate change in brain activity and connectivity more efficiently. He presented preliminary results on the first 60 patients treated with this method. So far the treatment has resulted in significant improvement in over half of the patients.

“More studies are planned to understand predictors of response and facilitate individualized selection of treatment for patients struggling with this very disabling illness,” says Dr. Burhan.