PROVINCE FUNDS BIOMATERIALS RESEARCH AT U OF S

Provincial funding of more than $145,000 will help the University of Saskatchewan set up a special biomaterials program to advance medical research.

The provincial investment in this $412,000 project will enable the university's Department of Chemistry to buy research equipment to produce and analyse new biomaterials and nanomaterials (structures smaller than one-billionth of a metre). These materials have many potential applications including the treatment of artificial heart valves and other medical implants to ensure they are compatible with the body and resistant to infection.

Provincial support comes from the Innovation and Science Fund (ISF) and matches the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) contribution under a program to assist new faculty members acquire the infrastructure needed to conduct world-class research.

"Researching biomaterials will result in exciting discoveries and intensify competitive opportunities for Saskatchewan firms," Industry and Resources Minister Eldon Lautermilch said. "Saskatchewan will also be making important contributions to new solutions for environmental and biomedical problems shared globally. This funding reinforces the university's important role in keeping us at the forefront of a highly competitive, knowledge-based marketplace."

An estimated 17 million people in the US and Canada have benefited from biomaterials technology, generating a $40 billion per year medical device industry. The University of Saskatchewan's innovative research will focus on a class of new and versatile biomaterials, which can be tailored to suit specific needs.

"This facility will bring together some of Saskatchewan's top researchers in the field of nanotechnology," President and CEO of the CFI David Strangway said. "Its equipment is of the cutting-edge quality required to truly bolster Canada's innovation capacity."

"The design of new materials, biomaterials in particular, is a high research priority for the university and for Canada," Acting U of S Vice-President of Research Bryan Harvey said. "This state-of-the-art equipment will also complement facilities at the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, the Facilities for Biomolecular Research, and the Canadian Light Source."

The research will be led by Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz, associate professor of chemistry, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Biomaterials.

The ISF provides support to Saskatchewan universities, colleges, and research institutes on projects receiving approval and funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to strengthen the capacity for innovation in Canadian universities and research institutions.

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For More Information, Contact:

Bob Ellis Industry and Resources Regina Phone: (306) 787-8277 Email: rellis@ir.gov.sk.ca	Suzanne Quinn Canada Foundation for Innovation Ottawa Phone: (613)996-3160 Email: julie.carl@innovation.ca
Kathryn Warden University of Saskatchewan Research Communications Saskatoon Phone: (306)966-2506 Email: wardenk@duke.usask.ca