Summary of Applications by Institution This report provides a summary of information currently provided to MRIS concerning Notices of Intent for Round 9 of the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence program. Baycrest Randy McIntosh Phone: 416-785-2500 x3522 Email: [email protected] Paus Thomas Cross-generational E Health Prevention Platform PROPOSAL OVERVIEW A handful of conditions contribute to the number of years lived with disability; among those, cardio- metabolic and psychiatric disorders stand out due to their early onset, chronicity and high prevalence. In many cases, causes of these disorders are related to health behaviours, inadequate coping strategies and poor management of symptoms (when present). Furthermore, physical and mental health influences each other; failing health in one domain precipitates health problems in another. Finally, many cardio- metabolic and psychiatric disorders cluster in families; this may due to shared family environment (in addition to genes). Given recent advancements in personalized (or precision) medicine and information & communication technologies, E-Health strategies represent a promising solution for preventing (or mitigating) cardio-metabolic and psychiatric disorders. Here we propose to apply and evaluate a combination of health coaching with a smartphone-based application developed by our partner, a Danish company Monsenso (https://www.monsenso.com/). This E-Health preventive platform would help individuals to manage their everyday lives in three domains: (1) health behaviours; (2) mental health; and (3) physical health. Given the life-long trajectories of health problems associated with many cardio- metabolic and psychiatric conditions, and their family clustering, we propose to implement our preventive platform in multi-generational families, targeting adolescents, their middle-aged parents and, in turn, their aging parents. The Monsenso solution "promotes self-care, facilitates prevention and early intervention, and enables high-quality remote care based on superior insights". It uses a smartphone for self- monitoring, communication with a health coach, nudging and electronic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (eCBT). At present, we are working with Monsenso in adapting their platform for facilitating healthy behaviour and coping with symptoms in youth at risk of mental illness. At a technical level, the platform consists of an application installed on a smartphone (iPhone or Android), and a server for storing, analysing and visualising data and enabling communication between a health coach and the client (through secure connections). At a data-flow level, it contains two loops: (1) a client-based loop whereby information about healthy behaviour and symptoms flows from the smartphone to the server, and feedback and support suggestions that flow from the server to the smartphone; and (2) a health-coach based loop whereby aggregate information about the client’s behaviour is presented to the health coach, and personalized support goes from the health coach to the client. The proposed project has the following three goals: 1. To adapt the Monsenso platform for facilitating healthy behaviours, coping with symptoms of mental illness and management of physical illness in multi-generational context; 2. To pilot the adapted platform in multi-generational families (at least two generations per family); 3. To evaluate effectiveness of the platform in a 6-month Randomized Controlled Trial in such multi-generational families. Through these activities, we will learn who benefits most from using the platform and how we can enhance its future use. ORF Application Stream: General Keywords: Prevention, E-health, Health Behaviour, Lifespan, Obesity, Depression, Stress, Sleep, Physical Activity Summary of Applications by Institution This report provides a summary of information currently provided to MRIS concerning Notices of Intent for Round 9 of the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence program. Brock University Ryan McCarthy Phone: 905-688-5550 x5686 Email: [email protected] Michael Holmes Examining Human and Climatic Factors for Enhanced E-bike Technology PROPOSAL OVERVIEW With an increase in urbanization and the emergence of large metropolitan areas like the Greater Toronto Area, traditional views of transportation are being challenged. From high infrastructure costs of mass transit to environmental concerns of personal transportation, municipalities and regional transportation authorities are in need of alternatives. Cycling is a popular mode of transportation and a desired choice for many individuals. The future of cycling is now recognized as an integral part of urban mobility and global electric-assisted (e-bike) production and sales are increasing rapidly. However, this mass adoption has not yet been realized in North America. E-bikes are motor and battery driven to provide pedaling assistance when the user exerts a force onto the pedals. E-bikes are gaining popularity and their frequency of usage and distances covered are twice those of traditional bicycles. In addition to the environmental impact of using e-bikes, there is also a health benefit. It has been suggested that, despite this assistance, e-bikes provide light to moderate intensity physical activity that can lead to health improvements. Assisted bikes may also be an attractive choice for sedentary individuals or those with lower levels of fitness. With environmental and health benefits in mind, the potential economic benefits to mass e-bike adoption is substantial. To promote mass e-bike adoption, improvements in current e-bike technology (ergonomics, motor design) is required, as well as a better understanding of physiological demands during use. The e-bike's ability to alter the level of assistance for the user and the desired end- user effect is critical. For example, a user commuting to work may require greater assistance than when riding for leisure. Cycling performance is affected by the environment, mechanical, and human factors. To optimize the human-machine interaction, research expertise in Kinesiology and Engineering are needed. This work will bring together researchers from Brock University’s Department of Kinesiology (environmental physiology, biomechanics, ergonomics) and UOIT’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (aerodynamics, mechanical) to create a multidisciplinary team that will take an integrated approach to exploring e-bike solutions. These include the development of novel techniques to evaluate rider performance. The multidisciplinary approach will include maximizing rider performance through biomechanics, aerodynamics, and physiological principles, while also optimizing rider performance and comfort through ergonomic and human factors evaluations. This work will utilize state of the art and world leading facilities from 2 Ontario institutions. Brock University’s climatic chamber and Ontario’s premier climatic wind tunnel facility (UOIT, Automotive Center of Excellence) will allow for the creation of high- fidelity simulations. By simulating environmental factors specific to Ontario, these facilities will allow for testing of human performance and optimization in controlled conditions. The objectives of this proposal will include: 1) Developing novel techniques for testing aerodynamics and climate factors of e-bikes, 2) Perform ergonomic evaluations for the optimization of user functional capacity, physical demands and comfort, 3) Use human performance data and climatic conditions to derive guidelines for enhanced e-bike motor output. ORF Application Stream: General Keywords: Ergonomics, Human Factors, Environmental Physiology, Biomechanics, Mechanical Engineering Summary of Applications by Institution This report provides a summary of information currently provided to MRIS concerning Notices of Intent for Round 9 of the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence program. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Tara McDonald Phone: 416-535-8501 x30108 Email: [email protected] Etienne Sibille Solving the Therapeutic Drug Pipeline Impasse in Neuropsychiatric Disorders PROPOSAL OVERVIEW Neuropsychiatric disorders are a leading cause of disability and a major economic challenge worldwide. In Ontario, neuropsychiatric disorders affect 10-15% of the population and have an estimated economic burden of $50 billion in health care costs, lost revenue and reduced economic growth per year. This burden is compounded by a lack of treatment options; the drugs currently used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders were discovered by chance decades ago and work at best in half of the patients. There is a dire need for new medications that are informed by and that address the pathology of brain illnesses. Recent landmark studies show that genetic, molecular and cellular pathologies are partly shared across brain disorders. These overlaps suggest novel strategies for drug development with therapeutic potential across psychiatric (e.g. depression and schizophrenia) and neurodegenerative (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease) disorders. This new model for brain disorder nosology and associated therapeutic strategy has parallels in major medical illnesses. For instance, high cholesterol is a risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases, especially when combined with additional biological and environmental factors. Hence, targeting high cholesterol can protect subjects against these families of diseases. Over the past 15 years we have identified several such targets for major depression and other