Highlights from Catalyst Grants completed prior to January 2020

Catalyst Grants have provided seed funding for the collection of pilot data on several important aging research initiatives, including:

The development of a comprehensive framework for the conceptualization of physical mobility to be utilized in the assessment and treatment of older adults

“The experience we have gained from this funding has allowed us to incorporate mobility measures into two clinical studies, one of which will test a novel exercise and education program for older adults undergoing knee replacement.”

Ayse Kuspinar

A study of the implications of driving cessation amongst Canada’s older adults living in rural and small urban communities

“Labarge-funded work has enabled several new research projects and connections, including participation in other MIRA-funded projects (i.e., EMBOLDEN) that focus on mobility issues, as well as other research networks.”

Bruce Newbold

An analysis of the transition from driving to driving cessation in older Canadians

“MIRA and Labarge support has helped place McMaster University and its Institute for Transportation and Logistics as a leader in transportation research, especially as it relates to our aging population. The grant helped us to solidify our research on the mobility of older Ontarians and helped us achieve a critical mass.”

Saiedeh Razavi

The study of whether supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched fish oil can mitigate the atrophy that accompanies skeletal-muscle disuse in a cohort of older women

“MIRA and Labarge funding enabled us to analyze muscle mass using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the gold standard for measuring muscle mass. In addition, this funding enabled us to utilize gas chromatographic/ mass spectrometric techniques to measure integrated rates of muscle protein synthesis.”

Stuart Phillips

The development of a wearable, easyto-use multi-sensorbased smart knee monitoring system to record and assess mobility-related parameters from the knee joints, and the development of a database to develop a classification model to classify knee joint and gait characteristics by sex, body-mass index, and knee/leg health condition

Jamal Deen

An examination of the ultrastructure of osteoporotic bone and its medical implications in aging populations and the development of a new method of diagnostic imaging to measure nanoscale biomarkers for disease in osteoporosis to track disease progression and therapy efficacy

Kathryn Grandfield

An examination of different definitions of mobility and immobility in an aging population

Meridith Griffin

The creation of a co-designed artsbased rehabilitation program (ABLE) to enhance physical health and mood in older adults

Paula Gardner