Search

From the moment the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, our teams at Lawson Health Research Institute have been at the forefront. Researchers at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London immediately began to work towards understanding the new virus in an effort to discover lifesaving health-care solutions.

To date, dozens of research projects have been advanced through Lawson with some receiving international attention as ‘world firsts’.  As we mark the three-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), we share with you  COVID-19 research highlighted over the past year.

Study finds acute kidney injury associated with severe COVID-19 leads to high mortality rates

Severe cases of a COVID-19 infection can cause a host of serious complications, including acute kidney injury. In a published study, scientists at Lawson found that acute kidney injury in patients with a severe COVID-19 infection leads to a high mortality rate. 

By accessing data collected through the Ontario Renal Network (ORN), Dr. Peter Blake, Lawson Researcher and Provincial Medical Director at the Ontario Renal Network, and his colleagues examined 271 people at 27 renal programs across the province, including patients at LHSC, who received dialysis for acute kidney injury due to a COVID-19 infection. Read more.

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

In published findings from Lawson, more than half of Canadian Veterans reported a decline in their mental health over the course of the COVID-19 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. 

To examine the potential impacts the research team launched a longitudinal study recruiting Canadian Veterans and spouses of Canadian Veterans. Participants complete online questionnaires every three months, with questions focused on mental health and virtual health care services. Read more.

Virtual care associated with significant environmental and patient cost savings

A study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at ICES, Lawson and Western University found 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.
Findings show that for more than 10 million patients with at least one appointment during the study period (63 million visits in total), virtual care was associated with estimated savings of:
•    3.2 billion kilometers of patient travel;
•    545 to 658 million kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; and
•    $569 to $733 million (Canadian [US $465-$599 million]) in expenses for gasoline, parking, or public transit. Read more. 

London researchers discover novel method to diagnose long COVID

Published in Molecular Medicine, researchers at Lawson 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.

The researchers studied 140 blood samples from participants at LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, including St. Joseph’s Post-Acute COVID-19 Program. Participants were those with presumed long COVID, hospital inpatients with acute COVID-19 infection and healthy control subjects. Read more.

Researchers are combining new technologies to examine blood proteins in COVID-19 patients

Published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, a team at Lawson discovered unique patterns of blood plasma proteins in critically ill patients that may help develop a more personalized approach to treating severe COVID-19.

Called the plasma proteome, the proteins studied are released by cells that often play an important role in the body’s immune response to viruses. The research team studied how they adapt and change to a COVID-19 infection. Read more. 

HealthCareCAN held its third annual Lobby Day “H on the Hill” event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

Canada’s hospital CEOs and vice presidents of health research joined HealthCareCAN - the national voice of Canada’s healthcare organizations, community and research hospitals - to meet with MPs, Senators and senior government staff.

Collectively, they issued a call for federal action to unlock the tremendous economic potential of the health and life sciences sector to support better health for Canadians.

Dr. David Hill, Scientific Director for Lawson and Integrated Vice President of Research for London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, participated in the lobby day. Dr. Hill currently sits on the Board of Directors for HealthCareCAN.

Image

Image

 “Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations @Carolyn_Bennett, Parliamentary Secretary for Science, Sport, and Accessibility @KateYoungMP, and Dr. David Hill, catching up over lunch at #HontheHill #CDNpoli #CDNhealth”

Meeting participants stressed the need for action on HealthCareCAN’s recommendations for the 2019 federal budget, specifically:

• Setting a minimum 25% funding floor for the indirect costs of research under the Research Support Fund;
• Granting eligibility to federal infrastructure funding competitions to healthcare organizations, and;
• Investing in digital health platforms to support care, training, and research in healthcare organizations.

Diverse areas of the health and life sciences sector and key health issues were discussed, including:

• Health and science research, granting councils;
• Hospital infrastructure;
• Health innovation;
• Electronic health technology;
• Opioid crisis response;
• Mental health;
• Aboriginal health; and,
• Home care.

Read Dr. Hill’s recent column in Hospital News on bridging the gap from discovery to patient care.

Image

HealthCareCAN provides high-quality policy research advocacy and leadership development services to our members while championing healthcare system transformation in Canada. Visit www.healthcarecan.ca to learn about our solutions to health and healthcare challenges. Follow us on Twitter: @HealthCareCAN

Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) has long been a leader in biomedical imaging. The first Canadian magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a human occurred at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s). The country’s first positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) scanners were also installed at St. Joseph’s. New developments in imaging research continue to enhance the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of a wide range of diseases, from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder.

On May 23, Lawson hosted a Café Scientifique event where a panel of Lawson Imaging scientists discussed their cutting-edge work. Guests had the opportunity to ask questions as part of an open-forum discussion to gain insights from the speakers, and from one another.

In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary as a nation, this event is the first of a two-part series focusing on the future vision for health care in Canada and the legacy that research at Lawson will leave.

Imaging of the heart: Seeing the cause of chest pain more clearly

By Dr. Ting-Yim Lee, Lawson scientist, Medical Physicist at St. Joseph’s, professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and scientist at Robarts Research Institute

When patients with chest pain arrive in the emergency department, they are given an electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood test. These diagnostic tests determine if the pain has a non-cardiac cause (such as heart burn), if it is caused by a heart attack, or if the patient has angina (plaque formation in the coronary arteries that either reduces or temporarily cuts off blood flow to the heart) but did not have a heart attack.

If a patient has angina, they are then given additional diagnostic testing to see whether a blood clot has formed and where it is located. This is determined by two different imaging techniques: x-ray imaging (angiogram) and nuclear imaging. This process is invasive and means that patients must be scheduled for two different exam days. Using two techniques also means that there can be image misalignment, and the images often provide poor detail.

Dr. Ting-Yim Lee’s lab has pioneered a Computed Tomography (CT) method for imaging blood flow to the heart muscle (CT Perfusion), which can help patients avoid unnecessary tests and treatment, as well as reduce health care costs.

“CT imaging is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses x-rays to create high-detail cross-sectional images of the body. Using this method, we can evaluate the degree of blockage in coronary arteries – with one diagnostic test instead of two,” says Dr. Lee.

Using light and sound to improve breast surgery

By Dr. Jeffrey Carson, Lawson scientist and associate professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

“Most women diagnosed with breast cancer undergo surgery, and months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They must deal with the discomfort, side-effects, emotional stress and financial burden of treatment. Almost one in four surgeries for breast cancer must be repeated, meaning many women have to go through this all over again,” says Dr. Jeffrey Carson.

In breast conserving surgery, there is a high chance of repeat surgery as the surgeon must see and remove 100 per cent of the tumour in order for it to be successful. They are not able to determine whether the entire tumour was removed until after the surgery has been completed.

Dr. Carson and his team at St. Joseph’s have developed a technology called Intraoperative Photoacoustic Tomography (iPAT), which has the potential to reduce the chance of repeat surgery for breast cancer. The technology is able to image surgery specimens in the operating room during surgery, allowing surgeons to determine whether the whole tumour has been removed before the surgery is complete.

How imaging can improve the management of epilepsy

By Dr. Udunna Anazodo, postdoctoral fellow at Lawson

Most patients with epilepsy are effectively treated with antiepileptic drugs. However, 36 per cent will not respond to the drugs. For these patients, surgery on the area of the brain that is causing seizures is the standard of care – if patients are good surgical candidates.

“If patients with epilepsy are to undergo surgery there must be a good indication of where the seizure focus is and it must be possible to determine that removing this portion of the brain will not affect brain function,” says Dr. Udunna Anazodo.

To see whether they are good candidates for surgery, patients must undergo an invasive procedure called intracranial monitoring, where electrodes are placed on the brain.

Dr. Anazodo has been studying how PET/MRI can be used to map seizures with the goal of minimizing the need for invasive intracranial monitoring. This technique makes it possible to locate areas in the brain that cause seizures and to see if the seizures affect brain functions.

See photos from the event on Lawson’s Facebook page.

Image

Above: Café Scientifique presenters (from left to right): Drs. Jeffrey Carson, Frank Prato (moderator), Ting-Yim Lee and Udunna Anazodo.