New anti-inflammatory compound shows promise to be more than the sum of its parts

The University of Prince Edward Island today licensed a promising piece of medical technology to Carmel Biosciences, a biomedical company based in Tucker, Georgia. The technology is a 'co-drug' with powerful anti-inflammatory activity.

'This novel compound is derived from naturally occurring products with proven safety and efficacy in humans,' said Dr. Tarek Saleh, chair of Biomedical Sciences at UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College. 'We've bonded them chemically and created a unique compound. This new compound shows great potential as an anti-inflammatory for use in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke.'

Dr. Saleh developed the new compound, patent-pending under the name UPEI-100, with Dr. Bobby Khan, a physician and investigator at the Atlanta Vascular Research Foundation and a past visiting Fulbright Scholar to UPEI.

'The Fulbright Scholarship allowed me to meet and build this collaboration with Dr. Saleh,' said Dr. Khan. 'This new technology is one of several exciting yields from this successful collaboration. I'm thankful to John and Judy Bragg, the Fulbright Commission, and Dr. Katherine Schultz for making it possible.'

UPEI-100 is fully owned by the university. Today's agreement licenses the technology to Carmel Biosciences, which will guide it through pre-clinical drug testing.

'We think this compound has an exciting future as a drug for people with neurological disorders,' said Dr. Khan. 'But there are numerous regulatory hoops to jump through before then. I think this partnership is a great step.'

Frank Kelly, a director of Carmel Biosciences and past vice-president of the Coca-Cola Company, said he's impressed by how collaborations around UPEI-100 are helping to streamline pre-clinical research.

'It often takes two years, and more than four-million dollars, to take a drug just through the pre-clinical phases of regulatory approval,' said Kelly. 'Carmel Biosciences has partnered with a well-established contract research organization in India who will be able to do it in half the time, and at a fraction of the cost.'

The licensing deal between UPEI and Carmel Biosciences was negotiated and executed by Three Oaks Innovations Inc., an independent company, and the bridge between UPEI and industry.

'This is another exciting piece of UPEI technology with the potential to make a real difference in people's lives,' said Sophie Theriault, director of Three Oaks Innovations Inc. 'UPEI, through commercialization partnerships such as this one, is a key player in the province's economic development and sustainability. The potential of this agreement is really limitless.'

'Research at UPEI is a driving force behind innovation on Prince Edward Island. This is where creativity and knowledge come together to create exciting new opportunities such as UPEI-100,' said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, president of UPEI. 'I want to congratulate Dr. Saleh and Dr. Khan on this exciting day, and I want to thank Sophie and her team at Three Oaks Innovations Inc. for helping to make it happen.'

UPEI-100 is the first of what is expected to be several new compounds from the collaboration between Dr. Saleh and Dr. Khan, and begins a presence on Prince Edward Island for Carmel Bioscience.

UPEI's Relay for life will take place October 28 at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, giving students, faculty and staff an opportunity to celebrate life and remember those who have survived or died from cancer. The first campus Relay for Life took place in October 2008.

The 12-hour overnight event will get underway at 6 pm and run overnight until 6 am, Saturday, October 29. Everyone on campus is encouraged to attend and contribute-- an especially poignant moment will be the lighting of the luminaries and survivors' walk.

To donate, or for more information, click here.

Dr. Shannon Murray, professor of English and 3M Teaching Fellow at UPEI will be in Halifax, Nova Scotia, tonight to attend the Association of Atlantic Universities' (AAU) annual meeting and dinner, held in conjunction with the AAU Teaching Showcase. Dr. Murray is the recipient of this year's ‘AAU Coordinating Committee on Faculty Development's Distinguished Service Award.'

UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, 'On behalf of UPEI faculty, staff, students and alumni, I extend our congratulations as well as our thanks to Shannon for her dedication to teaching, to the student experience, and to supporting her colleagues through a long commitment to faculty development. We're so pleased the example of high standards in teaching that Shannon has set here on our campus and around the region is being recognized by her peers in this way.'

The ‘Distinguished Service Award' was established to recognize former AAU committee members who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to faculty development through service. Murray proved her commitment to excellence in teaching by dedicating more than six years to the AAU Committee but has also served as assistant director, presenter, and facilitator for UPEI's Faculty Development Office for many years. In 1996-97, she received the UPEI Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching and, in 2001, was presented with a 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

Murray was nominated for the award by Sue Dawson and Jane Magrath, both UPEI colleagues, and received notice of her recognition from AAU Coordinating Committee on Faculty Development chair, Eileen Herteis. 'Having served with Shannon for some of her time on the AAU Committee, and having witnessed her far-reaching commitment to excellence, I'm delighted she was selected to receive the award,' said Herteis.

An expert in Renaissance literature: Shakespeare, John Bunyan, John Milton and children's literature, especially Early Modern English children's literature, Murray also has research interests in learning communities; active learning; and the senior-year experience. On Saturday, she will share insight into effective learning portfolios at the teaching showcase. This year's AAU event takes place October 28-29 at Mount Saint Vincent University.

UPEI has moved four spots from eighth position to rank fourth overall among ‘primarily undergraduate' universities in this year's Maclean's magazine's annual university rankings. The climb is due in large part to UPEI's strong showing in the ‘student awards' and ‘total research dollars' categories, placing the University in a tie with Alberta's University of Lethbridge.

This is the 21st year for Maclean's annual ranking of 49 Canadian universities. Maclean's divides the schools into doctoral, comprehensive and primarily undergraduate categories and ranks them on performance in class sizes, faculty, resources, student support, library resources and the university's reputation.

UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, 'I am very proud of our community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni, and we are thrilled with this news. While the ranking is important, it's not everything, but more a part of the equation. For us at UPEI, we are going to continue to work hard to ensure that we give our students the best quality education possible.'

President Abd-El-Aziz also commented on education in Canada and how proud he is of Canadian universities. 'The difference between the top university and the bottom university in the rankings when it comes to education in Canada is very small. I'm very proud of the quality of education in all Canadian universities. It's really wonderful to see all institutions continuously working towards higher standards of excellence.'

The fourth place position reaffirms that UPEI is a destination university for students, staff, and faculty. It is also hoped the ranking will help the University build upon its already broad community and connect with more people locally, regionally, nationally, and around the world.

Link to Maclean's article

Because of help from generous donors, UPEI's Annual Fund recently replenished the university's nearly empty campus food bank.

UPEI Annual Fund coordinator, Rose Barbour, and five UPEI students went on a shopping spree with donations designated for the food bank, filling six shopping carts to stock the food bank's shelves. In addition, the Charlottetown Superstore generously donated $500 in gift certificates to purchase perishable food items including fresh fruits and vegetables, and dairy and meat products.

Barbour was proud to see students volunteering their time, 'Seeing a student pitching in to help their fellow students was a very rewarding experience.' She added, 'Through this experience, they have been introduced to philanthropy and volunteerism in a very meaningful way. Our donors made that happen, and we are grateful for each and every one of them.'

The campus food bank, housed at UPEI's Chaplaincy Centre, has been in operation for the past 15 years and has helped roughly 50 students each year. This number continues to grow as students face higher costs of living and other financial hardships. While these latest contributions satisfied the immediate need, it is expected that there will be increased demand in the lead up to Christmas.

The food bank is supported by various groups on campus as well as by UPEI's ever-growing community of friends and alumni, including the Charlottetown Superstore, That's Entertainment and the Charlottetown Christian Reformed Church.

For more information on how to make a donation to the food bank, or to other priorities that the UPEI Annual Fund raises money for, please call (902) 566-0615 or visit www.upei.ca/annualfund.

Use your day away from classes on November 10 to experience UPEI in an entirely different way, at two great events designed to teach, engage, and let you meet up with friends while making new ones.

UPEI's Relay for Life was another successful event raising $14,800 in its annual fundraiser to fight cancer. On Friday night, October 28, 145 student, faculty, and staff participants walked the track until 6 a.m. Saturday morning to spread awareness and celebrate the lives of those touched by cancer.

This event marks UPEI's fourth year hosting the Canadian Cancer Society's fundraiser and the 10th year that it's been held on PEI. Relay for Life is the Canadian Cancer Society's signature event, honouring people who have survived cancer, remembering the lives lost, and raising money to help find a cure.

Special thanks to all those who participated, organized and donated to this great event.

If you'd like more information on other upcoming Relay for Life events, contact Gail MacDonald, Relay for Life coordinator, Canadian Cancer Society, PEI division at 566-4007.

The UPEI men's and women's soccer teams finished off their seasons strongly by advancing to the finals, respectively. Unfortunately, both teams were unsuccessful during their final games with the SMU Huskies winning back the AUS men's banner (6-0), and the Dalhousie Tigers taking home the women's banner (2-0). Despite these tough losses, both soccer teams had impressive seasons:

On the men's side
-Finished regular season play in 2nd place with a record of 7-2-4
-AUS coach of the year award: Lewis Page and Bruce Norton
-First Team All-Star: Jimmie Mayaleh, 4th year striker from Charlottetown, PEI
-Second Team All-Star: Jared Murphy, 3rd year midfielder from Charlottetown, PEI

On the women's side
-Finished regular season play in 1st place with a record of 11-1-1
-First Team All-Stars: Chelsie McInnis, 5th year striker from Summerside, PEI, Andrea Archibald, 4th year midfielder from Saskatoon, Sask., Sara Stewart, 5th year defender from Charlottetown, PEI, Chanelle Roy, 4th year keeper from Bathurst, NB.
-Second Team All-Star: Maria Scichilone, 1st year striker from Rothesay, NB.

Congratulations to both teams on their successful seasons!

The Faculty of Education is hosting an open house on Wednesday, November 16 from 4:30-7:30 pm in Memorial Hall (3rd floor). Program presentations will take place from 6:30-7:15 pm.

Come and check out displays on our BEd specializations in Indigenous Education, International Education, BEd (français langue seconde), BEd HRD, CAE, MEd and PhD programs.

Discuss with students, faculty, and admissions committee. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information, please call (902) 620-5154.