16th Mentored Paper (Fall 2025)

Topics

MPI 16.1: Exploring new paradigms in exercise-induced skeletal muscle angiogenesis- Literature review

MPI 16.2: What is the role of endothelial cell metabolism?

MPI 16.3: What types of quality improvement or redesign initiatives targeting surgical safety checklists (SSCs) currently exist in the literature?- Systematic review.

MPI 16.4: What are hypothesized to be the multiscale mechanisms of depression, and how do they relate? (literature review of gene, cell, circuit, network, and symptom levels)

MPI 16.5: What are the current state- and location-specific EEG/ECOG/MEG biomarkers for depression diagnosis and successful treatment?

MPI 16.6: How can machine learning/artificial intelligence be used to find insights in clinical data?

MPI 16.7: What is the role of mechanoreceptors within the intervertebral disc in tissue homeostasis and disease?

MPI 16.8: What are the roles of sex hormones in skeletal development?

MPI 16.9: Are animal models a good system for studying joint tissues?

MPI 16.10: Discuss the role of APOBEC3 proteins in cancer drug resistance.

MPI 16.11: Discuss the pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic roles proposed for plakoglobin in literature.

MPI 16.12: Which molecular events lead to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle following immobilization or disuse?

MPI 16.13: How do dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists differ from GLP-1 agonists for diabetes management?

MPI 16.14: What role do platelets play in the progression of cardiometabolic disease?

MPI 16.15: How do treatment advances in sarcoma differ between pediatric and adult patients, and what are the implications for clinical outcomes?

MPI 16.16: What mechanisms enable fusion proteins to drive oncogenesis, and how can they inform therapeutic development?

MPI 16.17: How have CRISPR knockout screens advanced drug discovery, and what challenges remain in applying this technology to cancer research?

MPI 16.18: What role does STEM-based social innovation play in promoting economic empowerment and poverty alleviation in marginalized populations?

MPI 16.19: Does cross-training with running and weightlifting produce superior physiological adaptations compared to single-modality training?

MPI 16.20: How do nature (cultural, ancestral or genetics) and epigenetic modifications influence racial disparities in cardiometabolic health outcomes?

MPI 16.21: Mechanobiology is the study of how the mechanical environment affects biological systems, with implications in both physiological and diseased conditions (examples: fibrosis, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, metastasis). In particular, mechanobiology is studied in endothelial cells (vasculature), bone cells, cancer, and embryogenesis. Select a biological system (vasculature, bone, cancer, etc.) of interest and propose a literature review on how mechanical forces shape normal versus pathological conditions during disease.

MPI 16.22: Cancer nanomedicine has the potential to provide crucial roles in cancer detection and treatment, however, many challenges remain. What are some advantages of cancer nanotherapies based on preclinical studies, and their current bottlenecks towards clinical translation? (or) How might the delivery of nanoparticles be improved based on current knowledge of where nanoparticles travel in the body before reaching their targeted destination?

MPI 16.23: Primary breast or prostate cancer patients previously deemed to be cancer-free can undergo metastatic relapse several years after remission due to the presence of dormant disseminated cancer cells, particularly in bone. What signaling pathways are responsible for cancer cell dormancy in the bone microenvironment, and how might the effects of cancer cell dormancy be manifested in clinical studies? Propose a literature spanning both pre-clinical and clinical studies of cancer dissemination to bone.

MPI 16.24: How does inflammation impact recovery post trauma?

MPI 16.25: What is the role of immune cells in the pathophysiology post injury?

MPI 16.26: How do experiences of maternal health care differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in Canada, and what are the implications for health outcomes and healthcare delivery?

MPI 16.27: How does altered microglia activity relate to behavioural and cognitive changes in neurodevelopmental disorders?

MPI 16.28: How do immune responses mediated by microglia impact neurons?

MPI 16.29: What is the impact of urbanization on mental health outcomes in Canadian cities?

MPI 16.30: How do school-based nutrition programs affect childhood obesity rates in low-income neighborhoods?

MPI 16.31: How do experiences of maternal health care differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in Canada, and what are the implications for health outcomes and healthcare delivery?

MPI 16.32: How do nurse-family care programs address the needs and challenges faced by vulnerable mothers in Canada, and how effective are these programs in improving maternal and child health outcomes?

MPI 16.33: How does exercise impact the blood vessels found in the adipose tissue?