Neutron facility could bring new cancer therapies and high-skilled jobs to Windsor Doctoral candidates Stuart Castillo and Maks Dziura stand beside the sample mount of the Neutron Spin Echo instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source. (GENEVIEVE MARTIN/University of Windsor) A University of Windsor researcher is one step closer to building a facility that could deliver cutting-edge cancer treatment, produce medical isotopes and anchor a new industry in Windsor — after securing nearly $2 million to design it. Dr. Drew Marquardt, head of chemistry and biochemistry, has spent years advocating for a compact accelerator-based neutron source (CANS) in Windsor. The funding, announced March 13 as part of a $552-million federal infrastructure investment through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), will support a full scientific and technical design for a prototype facility. “Building this facility would anchor a new industry in Windsor, create high-skill, high-paying jobs, and deliver a level of healthcare infrastructure…
UWindsor researcher tracking the human cost of Canada's retreat from harm reduction Dr. Adrian Guta is a professor in the University of Windsor School of Social Work. (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor) More than 53,000 Canadians have died from opioid-related causes since 2016. As governments scale back harm reduction services, Dr. Adrian Guta wants to understand what happens to the people left behind — and what alternatives could keep them alive. The University of Windsor School of Social Work professor is leading two major studies examining how drug policy, health systems and harm reduction services shape HIV prevention and treatment outcomes for people who use drugs. The work is backed by more than $2.2 million in new funding: a $299,730 Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) grant and a five-year, $1.9-million Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) team grant. “Together, the projects respond to overlapping public health challenges,” says Guta. “While Canada has made progress in reducing HIV, rates are rising again in some communities. At…
Kinesiology students embrace turns and transitions in their research journey The 19th annual Kinesiology Research Day featured keynotes, a poster session and lab tours (MICHAEL WILKINS/University of Windsor) Isabella Anes Rangel knows better than most the necessity of pivoting when life takes an unexpected turn. A talented basketball player from a young age, Rangel’s athletic skill and drive set her on a trajectory from her home country of Venezuela to Canada as a high school student and eventually to the University of Windsor for an undergraduate degree in kinesiology. As a guard on the Lancer women’s basketball team, however, Rangel experienced a career-ending injury, necessitating a sudden shift in how she engaged with sport. This pivot was central to her address as one of four keynotes at the 19th annual Kinesiology Research Day, which took place March 18 in the Faculty of Human Kinetics. Started in 2007 by Dr. Dave Andrews, KRD’s 2026 theme was Turns, Transitions and Trajectories: Research and Experiential Learning in Kinesiology. …
Kinesiology explores impact of circadian rhythms on muscle regeneration Dan Scurto recently led a research project focusing on the impact of circadian rhythms on muscle regeneration alongside faculty supervisor Dr. Matthew Krause (MICHAEL WILKINS/University of Windsor) How does the timing of an injury affect the regeneration of that muscle tissue? That’s what new research out of the Faculty of Human Kinetics sought to explore. In a recently published article in the American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology, Human Kinetics research associate and recent M.Sc. graduate Dan Scurto, along with colleagues including professor Dr. Matthew Krause, investigated how the timing of a muscle injury within the body's daily cycle influences the recovery of that muscle. “Circadian rhythms have been a relatively explosive area of scientific interest in the last 15 years or so, at least in terms of their impact on peripheral tissues like muscle,” explains Krause. “We are now realizing how impactful circadian rhythms are, and how…
Partnership with local soccer clubs to study low energy in female players MSc student Abigail Passy (far left) and supervisor Dr. Andrew Perrotta (far right) met with representatives of local soccer clubs (MANWELA YADKOO/University of Windsor) Playing a 90-minute soccer game requires a lot of energy: sprinting, tackling, recovering and then running some more. That’s not to mention hours a week of on-the-pitch and off-pitch training. When this energy expenditure is not matched by energy intake, relative energy deficiency — commonly known as REDs — can occur. For adolescent female soccer players, REDs may be a growing issue. MSc Kinesiology and Health Studies student Abigail Passy is hoping to help soccer organizations spot red flags to identify and prevent REDs. “REDs within adolescent female soccer players is typically an understudied and underrepresented group,” Passy explains, noting that the field of REDs research in all sports is itself still developing. First described as the female athlete triad — low bone density, lack…
Nursing research at UWindsor drives conversation on improving healthcare access for rural seniors Dr. Noeman Mirza led the ROAR study, advancing research focused on improving healthcare access for rural seniors. (CHERRY THERESANATHAN/University of Windsor) As winter loosens its grip and the first signs of spring emerge, many Canadians are welcoming the change. But for vulnerable older adults, particularly those living in rural communities, the most pressing challenge exposed by the colder months does not disappear with the thaw. For Dr. Noeman Mirza of the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing, winter is more than a backdrop of snow and ice — it is a magnifier. The deeper issue is transportation. Through his team’s Researching Older Adults’ Repositioning (ROAR) study in British Columbia, Mirza and his colleagues have heard repeatedly from rural seniors that simply getting to appointments is one of the greatest barriers to staying healthy. Winter conditions, like icy roads, long distances and reduced availability of travelling specialists intensify that barrier, but they…
WE-SPARK Health Institute Announces 2026 Grants Competition to Advance Health Research in Windsor-Essex WE-SPARK Health Institute has launched its 2026 Grants Competition, inviting health researchers across Windsor-Essex to apply for funding that supports early-stage health research, pilot projects, and collaborative training opportunities. Through this annual competition, WE-SPARK aims to ignite discovery and strengthen the regional health research ecosystem by supporting new ideas that address important health challenges and improve care for communities in Windsor-Essex. Applicants must have a primary affiliation with one of the five WE-SPARK partners: Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, University of Windsor or Windsor Regional Hospital. Igniting Discovery Grants The Igniting Discovery Grants provide seed funding to support novel, early-stage health research and education projects. These grants are designed to help researchers generate preliminary findings that can lead to larger research programs and future funding opportunities. In addition to…
What a nursing student found in a neuroscience lab: Alzheimer's research and a career edge As part of the University of Windsor’s Outstanding Scholars program, nursing student Anna Papanastassiou gains hands-on research experience in a neuroscience lab, contributing to Alzheimer’s-related genetic testing. (ROGERS KOBOJI/University of Windsor) Anna Papanastassiou spends most days in her nursing classes learning how to care for people. But in a quiet neuroscience lab at the University of Windsor, she is also learning how to study the brain through hands-on genetic testing. The second-year nursing student is part of the university’s Outstanding Scholars program, a competitive initiative that pairs high-achieving undergraduates with faculty-led research projects. Although her placement is not directly connected to nursing, Papanastassiou says it has broadened her skills in surprising ways. The role has immersed her in research techniques she had never encountered. “I am mostly doing lab maintenance and genotyping,” she said. “I work with mice to identify their genetic…
Better medicines, local jobs: How a UWindsor chemist is closing the gap between lab and life Dr. Nick Vukotic and his research group are working on making the medicines people already take work better. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor) A University of Windsor researcher is making the medicines people already take work better – and turning that science into jobs, companies and globally commercialized technology rooted in Windsor-Essex. Dr. Nick Vukotic, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and PROTO Manufacturing Industrial Research Chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a 2025 Impact Award-Innovation through the University of Windsor’s Employee Recognition Awards program, recognizing his work bridging academia and industry. This motivation is partly personal, shaped by seeing family members undergo treatments. “Many pharmaceuticals suffer from poor absorption, inconsistent release, or unwanted side effects,” he says. His research group focuses not on discovering entirely new drugs, but on improving what is known…
