Tel Aviv University establishes the first satellite observatory for quantum optical communication

An Israeli first: One of world’s most advanced satellite observatories

Business Announcement

TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: THE GROUND STATION'S TELESCOPE view more 

CREDIT: TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

The Center for Quantum Science and Technology at Tel Aviv University has built the first ground station in Israel – and among the most advanced in the world – for tracking, sensing, hyperspectral imaging, and optical and quantum communication with satellites in orbit around the Earth. The station includes a satellite observatory dome with a diameter of 4.25 meters, a tracking system, a primary high-speed camera and secondary tracking cameras, laser equipment, single-photon detectors, and a tracking robot that can carry two telescopes simultaneously. At this stage, the robot arm holds a 24-inch telescope, and in the next stage, the observatory will be equipped with another telescope designed for photography in the infrared range, as well as thermal and hyperspectral cameras.

Video about the ground station:

https://youtu.be/atZD3sUypYA

“The ground station is designed for observing satellites, which are small bodies 400-500 kilometers high that move at about 30,000 kilometers an hour,” says Prof. Yaron Oz, head of the Center for Quantum Science and Technology at Tel Aviv University. “The ability to track satellites is a very precise skill. The satellite passes by very quickly, and during this time you have to photograph it in the center of the image and in several different ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to learn details about it. This is the first and only satellite observatory in Israel, and it is among the most advanced in the entire world.” 

In addition to regular optical communication, which uses lasers or LEDs of different wavelengths, the new ground station will also enable the conduction of experiments in quantum optical communication. Advanced communications use the quantum properties of individual photons to transmit encrypted information.

“Theoretically speaking, quantum communication is completely encrypted,” explains Prof. Oz. “It is impossible to launch a cyber attack and copy the information, because in quantum mechanics there is a principle that prevents copying. As soon as a third party tries to intercept a message, they destroy the original signal – for example, by changing the polarization of the photons – and both communicating parties will know that someone tried to listen in on them. That's how it works in theory. In practice, there are quite a few research questions that need to be answered. For example, what do we do with interference in a signal that is not created as a result of attempted eavesdropping, but rather, for example, from the weather? Should we use qubits or qudits, photons that have more than two states? And more generally, how much information can be transmitted this way within the limited transmission time in which the satellite passes over the ground station? The list of unanswered questions is long. It must be understood that quantum communication is a completely experimental field. There are protocols from experiments conducted in laboratories, but the only country that has successfully demonstrated such communication is China, which did so already in 2016. The Americans also apparently succeeded in this, but they published nothing about it in scientific journals. Apart from these two superpowers, a few countries like Germany, Singapore, and now Israel are preparing to demonstrate this capability.”

In the first phase of the project, the Tel Aviv University researchers will try to establish optical communication followed by quantum communication between ground stations, between ground stations and drones, and then between ground stations and a satellite of one of their international partners. Within two to three years, the researchers hope to raise the funds to build a dedicated “blue and white” quantum satellite.

“We are employing the ‘tower and stockade’ method,” says Prof. Oz. “In the beginning, we will place a transmitter on the roof of the second building of the School of Physics, in an attempt to produce an immune quantum key with a rate of hundreds to thousands of bits per second, with the aim of learning and improving the positioning, switching and synchronization capabilities of the light sources and the single-photon detectors. Later, we would like to reduce the size of the transmission system and integrate it into an airborne system, initially with drones, and establish a network of quantum communications. Ultimately, we would also like to launch our own satellite, which will try to establish quantum communication with the ground station and with a similar satellite in Singapore.”

Prof. Ady Arie of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Haim Suchowski and Prof. Erez Etzion of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics, director of the optical ground station Michael Tzukran, and research students Dr. Georgi Gary Rozenman, Yuval Reches and Tomer Nahum are also participating in the groundbreaking project. The project is being funded by the university’s Center for Quantum Science and Technology, led by Prof. Yaron Oz and under the administrative management of Ms. Ronit Ackerman, and by the Israel Space Agency under the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

Left to right- Dr. Georgi Gary Rozenman Michael Tzukran

CREDIT

Tel Aviv University

Genomic methods aid study of Seattle 2017-2022 Shigella outbreak

Analysis of the outbreak shed light on its origins and transmission patterns and helped assess treatment and infection control.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE/UW MEDICINE

 

IMAGE: SHIGELLA COLONIES ON A CHROMAGAR PLATE CULTURE MEDIUM ARE TEAL, WHILE E. COLI COLONIES ARE PINK. THIS PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE HARBORVIEW MEDICAL CENTER MICROBIOLOGY LAB IN SEATTLE WAS TAKEN JAN. 30, 2023. view more 

CREDIT: JASON MATSUMOTO, HARBORVIEW MICROBIOLOGY LAB

A genomic study of a sustained, multidrug-resistant Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle enabled scientists to retrace its origin and spread. Additional analysis of the gut pathogen and its transmission patterns helped direct approaches to testing, treatment, and public health responses.  

The genomic reconstruction of the 2017-2022 outbreak and a review of the patient care and public health interventions used are reported Jan 30 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

“The aim of the study,” the Seattle researchers noted, “was to better understand the community transmission of Shigella and spread of antimicrobial resistance in our population, and to treat these multi-drug resistant infections more effectively.”

Shigella outbreaks are more frequent in countries without sufficient public health and sanitation resources.  But the researchers called Shigella an opportunistic pathogen that can also emerge in regions of high-income countries when conditions allow.

They explained that sustained Shigella outbreaks in urban areas pose a substantial public health challenge for populations trying to cope with harsh living conditions and lack of hygiene facilities.

The lead authors on the paper are Dr. Giannoula S. Tansarli of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and Dr. Dustin R. Long, of the Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, both at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The senior and corresponding author is Dr. Ferric C. Fang, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and of microbiology at the UW medical school.  He oversees the clinical microbiology lab at Harborview Medical Center and conducts basic science research on how bacteria cause disease. He was assisted by his UW Medicine colleague Dr. Stephen J. Salipante, a molecular genetics pathologist and an expert on next-generation DNA sequencing technologies.

Shigellosis is caused by Shigella bacteria, which can produce inflammation in the lining of the intestine. Its symptoms include fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea, and, in the worse cases, dysentery and dehydration. Some people with Shigellosis become severely ill and require hospitalization.  Shigellosis is highly contagious. The transmission of just a few bacteria is sufficient to cause disease.

From 2017 to 2022, all 178 cases of Shigella identified by the clinical labs at Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center were characterized by species identification, susceptibility testing, and whole genome sequencing. For the study, the researchers retrospectively examined the demographics and the clinical outcomes of the infected patients.  

Of the 178 cases, 78, or 45.6%, were in men who have sex with men, and 88, or 51.5% were in persons experiencing homelessness. About half of the Shigella isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotics.

The researchers also had data on 143 patients who received antimicrobial therapy. Despite the high presence of drug resistant Shigella, nearly 70 percent of patients were found to have received suitable antimicrobial therapy for their Shigella infection. The researchers added that rapid diagnostics and culturing of the bacteria for patients seeking care for severe diarrhea, along with assessment of risk factors and detailed local understanding of the populations affected, led to high rates of appropriate treatment. The approach to care improved over time, as clinicians gained more experience with the disease.

The genomic analysis portion of the study revealed sequential outbreaks of several distinct lineages of two species of Shigella, S. flexneri and S. sonnei. The various at-risk populations were found to carry Shigella of different lineages with different drug-resistance traits.  This information helped clinicians develop effective treatment guidelines.

How did this Shigella outbreak appear in Seattle? The researchers’ genomic findings suggest that it came originally from international travelers from areas where Shigella was common. It then spread locally and quickly among at-risk groups.

The researchers explained that multi-drug resistant Shigella has become a growing global health concern with many outbreaks worldwide. Most of these have affected men who have sex with men. A variety of gut pathogens can be transmitted between men in this way.

However, in the past few years Shigellosis outbreaks also have occurred among people experiencing homelessness in West Coast cities of the United States and Canada.

Whole-genome sequencing enabled the researchers to determine that new S. sonnei and S. flexneri  strains first appeared in Seattle among men who have sex with men. This was quickly followed by transmission within the local population of people experiencing homelessness. This was evidenced by the significant increase in Shigellosis after 2020 in the Seattle-King County area among this population.

The outbreaks were worse in winter, a seasonal characteristic of Shigella which might be due to greater overcrowding in shelters and other locations during cold weather. Dr. Fang noted that Shigellosis cases caused by a different S. sonnei strain are now being encountered in Seattle this winter.

The Seattle outbreaks followed patterns characteristic of those reported earlier in other countries.

Several public health measures were instituted to limit the spread of Shigella. The first was to check for possible sources for contracting Shigella. Signs were placed to discourage people from drinking water from decorative fountains in downtown Seattle. Local homeless service providers received prevention resources and guidance. Outreach teams visited encampments and overnight shelters to offer health education and improve the availability of clean water, toilets, handwashing stations, and other sanitation measures.

Many public facilities, such as restrooms, sinks, and drinking fountains, had been closed as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Public health officials requested early re-opening of these facilities near encampments and districts where people lived on the streets. They also increased environmental cleaning of alleyways in downtown Seattle that had been used in lieu of restrooms.

The authors noted that the study of the Shigella outbreak in Seattle represented the collaborative efforts of local health-care facilities, clinical and academic laboratories, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, and public health teams.

The study received no outside funding, and the researchers declared no competing interests.

 

 

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

DOI

10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00879-9 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Genomic reconstruction and directed interventions in a multidrug-resistant Shigellosis outbreak in Seattle, WA, USA: a genomic surveillance study

UBC Okanagan engineers examine drinking water management strategies

Climate change, economic sustainability can impact water distribution systems

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA OKANAGAN CAMPUS

 

IMAGE: UBCO RESEARCHER HAROON MIAN HAS DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK THAT CAN HELP WATER DISTRIBUTORS SUPPLY SAFE DRINKING WATER, WHILE DEALING WITH ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY. view more 

CREDIT: UBCO

While residents in California are still dealing with damage from last month's floods—after years of devastating droughts—UBC Okanagan engineers are looking at better ways to manage the delivery of safe drinking water to homes.

Things to consider include a changing climate, costs and sustainability.

Dr. Haroon Mian, a Postdoctoral Research Associate with UBCO's School of Engineering, says municipalities and water utilities all have drinking water management strategies to ensure the water they provide is safe and plentiful. However, a natural disaster, a breach in the supply or contamination at the treatment plant can put water supplies—and human health—at risk.

"Freshwater is essential to sustain ecosystem health and our survival," says Dr. Mian. "But Earth's once plentiful freshwater resources are now under increasing pressure due to population growth, urbanization and climate change."

As water supplies become more threatened, not only is providing safe water a priority, but suppliers must also ensure that doing so will have low environmental and economic implications.

"The quality of drinking water is contingent on several important attributes such as water extraction, treatment, delivery, cost and the disposal of used water," says Dr. Mian who conducts research in UBC's Life Cycle Management Lab. "Those factors can all be impacted by climate change. And they have a significant environmental influence in terms of natural resource depletion, waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions."

Dr. Mian and his fellow researchers have developed an integrated assessment framework that combines water quality with lifecycle assessment techniques. Working with data from small and medium-sized communities, they provided a way to assess the long-term applicability of water systems that can provide safe drinking water to people.

According to Dr. Mian, the framework provides a different lens into a more holistic view of drinking water management and its components.

"We measure factors such as water quality, changes to the environment and potential costs to determine performance data and benchmarking, thereby providing important tools to ensure these systems experience long-term effectiveness and sustainability," he adds.

By considering these key factors, water can flow to a community at a reasonable cost while conserving natural resources and ensuring environmental protection.

The study evaluated the overall performance of several water distribution systems by combining the above-mentioned criteria. Water distributors can apply the framework to determine the best distribution management system that will provide safe drinking water to their consumers with minimal environmental and economic costs.

The framework continues to be tested to ensure it is flexible based on any setting, community or system.

"There are no perfect decision-making techniques. The results often vary based on the available data and assumptions," Dr. Mian adds. "But this framework can be useful for all water distributors."

The research was conducted in the School of Engineering's Life Cycle Management Lab in collaboration with Universite Laval with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It was published in the January edition of the Journal of Environmental Management.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Environmental Management

DOI

10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116537 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Drinking water management strategies for distribution networks: An integrated performance assessment framework

University of Alberta and Amii usher in a new wave of broadened AI research with the recruitment of 20 new AI Chairs

Global hiring initiative will lead to new discoveries in the fields of Health, Energy and Indigenous Leadership

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

 

IMAGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESIDENT BILL FLANAGAN (LEFT) AND AMII CEO CAM LINKE WERE AT AMII'S DOWNTOWN EDMONTON HEADQUARTERS TO ANNOUNCE $30 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR 20 NEW CANADA CIFAR AI CHAIRS. view more 

CREDIT: COOPER & O’HARA

The University of Alberta and Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) are ushering in a next generation of Canadian AI research through the planned recruitment of 20 new Canada CIFAR AI Chairs at the U of A.

Amii is investing $30-million over the next five years in support of the initiative, with a special focus on next-generation science in health, energy, and Indigenous initiatives in health and humanities. The funding is made possible by the research investment of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy through the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), a Canadian-based global research organization, for Canada’s three National Artificial Intelligence Institutes – Amii in Edmonton, Mila in Montreal, and the Vector Institute in Toronto.

“The exponential growth of artificial intelligence is transforming all areas of our society – from energy and food security to healthcare and Indigenous initiatives,” says U of A president and vice-chancellor Bill Flanagan, “This historic investment in AI keeps the U of A and Amii on the leading edge of this worldwide trend, and positions us - and all of Alberta - for continued success.”

Two of the CIFAR Chairs in AI focused on health are also being funded through generous philanthropic support from The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation.

Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest technological advances of our age and already has a significant impact on the daily lives of Canadians. The hiring initiative builds upon the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, a federally supported program aimed at recruiting the world's leading AI researchers to Canada, while retaining existing top talent. 

Anchored in the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, the global hiring initiative will see Amii and U of A deepen its collaboration; where Amii is tasked with advancing Canada’s AI potential, and U of A is a primary driver of Amii’s AI research excellence. By focusing on globally impactful domains, this research will accelerate opportunities for responsible commercialization of AI to propel Canada to the global forefront of applied AI and drive future economic growth.

“Our position as leaders in fundamental AI research is known globally,” says Cam Linke, CEO, Amii. “With this investment, Amii looks forward to growing this model to include a focus on areas that can be transformed by breakthroughs in AI and solve the world’s biggest problems: pandemics, food insecurity, climate change, and healthcare. Our collaboration with U of A continues our ambition in research, and Amii is positioned to translate this research into industry for maximum impact.”

The U of A has a long history of excellence in the field. It launched Canada’s first computing science department in 1964, and over the past 25 years has ranked first in Canada and in the top three globally for AI. 

Since Amii’s inception in 2017, it has worked with more than 300 companies to translate knowledge, talent and technology into industry. In that time, more than 200 technologies have been created, including algorithms, architectures, theories, methodologies, approaches and applications.  In addition, Amii alumni have secured $600M+ in venture financing, including $450M raised by Canadian-based companies. 

The continued focus and investment in AI is paying dividends in Edmonton, which has been cited as North America’s fastest-growing tech market over the past five years. U of A alumni and CIFAR AI Chairs are helping drive that growth, with multiple innovations and AI-related companies having spun out of the university. 

Recruitment for the new Canada CIFAR AI Chairs will be ongoing.

Entrepreneurship and urban research the focus of new centre launched in Mumbai by University of Toronto with Tata Trusts

The new centre brings together leading scholars and innovators from Canada and India to develop ground-breaking research and innovation to benefit people in India and around the world

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

The University of Toronto launched The University of Toronto Centre in India today in Mumbai in partnership with Tata Trusts, one of India’s largest philanthropic organizations.

Tata Trusts has been a longstanding collaborator with U of T, supporting researchers across the university to address health care, water, energy and poverty challenges. The new centre will give focus to this collaboration with an emphasis on urban research and entrepreneurship, bringing together leading scholars and innovators from Canada and India to develop ground-breaking research and innovation to benefit people in India and around the world. 

ABOUT THE U OF T CENTRE IN INDIA

• As part of urban research at the centre, the University of Toronto School of Cities will establish an alliance to build a network of Canadian and Indian researchers who will collaborate on addressing critical urban issues in India and around the world.
• The centre’s entrepreneurship hub will help connect innovators and entrepreneurs from U of T and India, offering opportunities to share knowledge and resources and providing access to new markets. 
• The centre will work closely with Tata Trusts and Social Alpha, an initiative supported by Tata Trusts, to co-ordinate reciprocal student exchanges and competitions, support emerging startups and develop networks in both innovation ecosystems.
• While the centre will not be a satellite campus it will open doors and create opportunities for students, researchers and startups in both countries. 

ABOUT THE LAUNCH

As the first expression of the U of T Centre in India, U of T President Meric Gertler announced its launch at a Feb. 1. roundtable in Mumbai on urban transitions, held in partnership with Social Alpha, a multistage innovation curation and venture development platform for science and technology startups supported by Tata Trusts. The roundtable discussion highlighted key challenges faced by Indian cities in their journey towards net-zero emissions, and outlined the role of research-backed deep science innovations in enabling cities to solve for the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

QUOTES

R Pavithra Kumar, chief programme director, Tata Trusts, says: “Collaboration for development and to magnify the effects of innovation has been at the heart of the Trusts’ strategy to bring about sustainable change for communities who need it the most. This partnership with the University of Toronto and the establishment of the University of Toronto Centre in India will amalgamate new research and innovations with historical knowledge of community engagement to develop skills, address urban environmental and economic issues and develop a model for success that can be replicated across communities in India.”

Meric Gertler, president, University of Toronto, says: “Our faculty are deeply engaged in partnerships with academic and industry leaders here in India and across the globe. The University of Toronto Centre in India will play a vital role in expanding and building on these collaborations, creating new opportunities for scholars and innovators from both Canada and India to share knowledge, collaborate on research and develop solutions to pressing social development and economic challenges.”

Diedrah Kelly, consul-general of Canada in Mumbai, says: “I am pleased to witness the launch of this collaboration between the University of Toronto and Tata Trusts. The focus on urban research will provide great value to both Canada and India, which will grow into engagement between Indian and Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers. I look forward to following this initiative and the contributions it makes to the shared goal of sustainable economic growth with environmental consciousness.”

U OF T’S ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIA

• U of T welcomed more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students from India last year, including high-achieving, low-income students through our partnership with Karta Initiative, also one of Tata Trusts’ partners.
• More than 300 U of T students travelled to India for academic, research and professional experience over the past five years.
• U of T has an ongoing educational partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay that includes the Indo-Canadian Entrepreneurship Exchange, an exchange program that aims to develop a two-way innovation talent pipeline.
• U of T partners in IC-IMPACTS, the only Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to the development of scientific collaboration between the academic and corporate sectors in Canada and India.
• The India Innovation Institute at the Rotman School of Management is a hub for researchers focused on how India is using innovation to transform itself
• The Canada India Initiative on Sustainable Rural Development (CIISRD) is a joint multidisciplinary research effort between U of T’s Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) and the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA) at IIT-Bombay, which tackles pressing issues of sustainable development in India such as sanitation, nutrition, and water supply.
• A partnership between U of T, IIT-Bombay and the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd. to find technology-based “smart solutions” for the city of approximately six million.

ABOUT TATA TRUSTS

Since inception in 1892, Tata Trusts, India’s oldest philanthropic organization, has played a pioneering role in bringing about an enduring difference in the lives of the communities it serves. Guided by the principles and the vision of proactive philanthropy of the founder, Jamsetji Tata, the Trusts’ purpose is to catalyse development in the areas of health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, livelihood, digital transformation, migration and urban habitat, social justice and inclusion, environment and energy, skill development, sports, and arts and culture. The Trusts’ program, achieved through direct implementation, partnerships and grant making, are marked by innovations relevant to the country.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada’s best university and Top 20 globally, with a long history of challenging the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity and resolve of its faculty, students, alumni and supporters.

University of Manitoba neurologist wins Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research

Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie honored for deepening our understanding of factors that influence multiple sclerosis

Grant and Award Announcement

NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY

 

IMAGE: RUTH ANN MARRIE, MD, PHD, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, IS THIS YEAR'S WINNER OF THE BARANCIK PRIZE FOR INNOVATION IN MS RESEARCH. HER RESEARCH TAKES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND HOW MS AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR UNIQUE LIFETIME EXPERIENCES AND EXPOSURES. THESE MAY INCLUDE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, COMORBIDITIES (OTHER DISORDERS ALONG WITH MS), HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND OTHER FACTORS. UNDERSTANDING HOW DIFFERENT FACTORS IMPACT THE ONSET AND EVOLUTION OF MS MAY OFFER NEW AVENUES FOR PERSONALIZED APPROACHES TO STOPPING MS AND FOR FINDING WAYS TO PREVENT IT. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

[New York, February 1, 2023] - Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, PhD, a neurologist and researcher at the University of Manitoba, is winner of this year’s Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (U.S.) awarded Marrie for watershed discoveries that deepen the understanding of how and when multiple sclerosis evolves, paving the way to more personalized medicine to stop and even prevent MS.

Marrie is a Professor of Internal Medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, where she holds the Waugh Family Chair in Multiple Sclerosis. She is also a Professor in the department of Community Health Sciences, and an Adjunct Scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the University of Manitoba.

Marrie’s research takes a holistic approach to understand how MS affects individuals in the context of their unique lifetime experiences and exposures. These may include adverse childhood experiences, social circumstances, comorbidities (other disorders along with MS), health behaviors, and other factors. Understanding how different factors impact the onset and evolution of MS may offer new avenues for personalized approaches to stopping MS and for finding ways to prevent it.

The impact of comorbidities had not been meaningfully explored in MS before Marrie began her work. In 2010, she published the first report suggesting that comorbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol could increase disability and its progression in people with MS. Her team has since shown that various comorbidities affect all aspects of the MS experience including time to diagnosis, severity of disability at diagnosis, the use of health care, relapse rates and mortality. Her findings have informed treatment guidelines by the American Academy of  Neurology, the Canadian Network of MS Clinics, and the international MS Brain Health group.

Marrie broke new ground in 2012 with the publication of a landmark paper showing that people with MS increased their use of health care (doctor visits) during the five years before their first symptoms of MS occurred. These key findings led to the recognition that MS has a “prodrome,” an early phase of unspecific symptoms indicating a high risk for future diagnosis of MS. Further work to map out the prodrome may enable opportunities to intervene and prevent the development of full-blown MS.

“Dr. Marrie brings her perspective as a neurologist to ask research questions that are very relevant to improving people’s quality of life and providing answers that will increase our ability to stop and even prevent MS in the future,” said Bruce Bebo, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research Programs at the National MS Society, which administers the award. “She is also incredibly generous and very effective as a volunteer who provides critical leadership to MS research initiatives on a global scale.”

“It is an honor to receive this award recognizing the contributions of our team, and I am grateful to the Awards Committee and the Barancik Foundation” said Marrie.

Marrie is a coauthor of the Pathways to MS Cures Roadmap, a global collaboration led by the National MS Society that outlines the most promising research to stop MS, restore function, and end MS by prevention. She also played a key role in the National MS Society’s MS Prevalence Initiative, in which leading experts developed a feasible estimate of the number of people living with MS in the U.S. They showed that nearly 1 million people are living with MS in the U.S. – more than twice the previous estimate.

“Dr. Marrie is truly an exceptional clinician scientist whose work in MS research has  demonstrated outstanding innovation and originality,” said Helen Tremlett, PhD, Professor, Division of Neurology, at the University of British Columbia, who nominated Marrie for the Barancik Prize.

Marrie received her undergraduate degree in chemistry and her medical degree from Dalhousie University, both with Distinction. She completed neurology training at McGill University. This was followed by a fellowship in MS at the Cleveland Clinic, supported by a Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowship Award from the National MS Society. She later obtained a PhD in Epidemiology from Case Western Reserve University. Marrie serves in several leadership roles including Vice Chair of the Scientific Steering Committee for the International Progressive MS Alliance and Scientific Director of the NARCOMS Registry. She is past Chair of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS and former Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for the MS Society of Canada. Marrie has been named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and is a recipient of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Award and the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation Distinguished Scientist Award.

Marrie will be honored and deliver the Prize lecture at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum on February 24, 2023.   

# # #

About the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research The Barancik Prize seeks to recognize and encourage exceptional innovation and originality in scientific research relevant to multiple sclerosis, with emphasis on impact and potential of the research to lead to pathways for the treatment and cure for MS, and scientific accomplishments that merit recognition as a future leader in MS research. The international prize is administered through the National MS Society (U.S.) and made possible by the generosity of the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation.   

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (U.S.) The National MS Society, founded in 1946, funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, and provides programs and services to help people affected by MS live their best lives. Connect to learn more and get involved: nationalMSsociety.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or 1-800-344-4867.   

About Multiple Sclerosis  Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. There is currently no cure for MS. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to mobility challenges, blindness and paralysis. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men. 

Kessler Foundation team to study impact of strategy-based cognitive training on new learning and memory in individuals with multiple sclerosis  

Double-blind randomized clinical trial will assess efficacy of a protocol based on Kessler Foundation Strategy-based Training to Enhance Memory (KF-STEM™)    

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KESSLER FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: DR. CHIARAVALLOTI IS DIRECTOR OF THE CENTERS FOR NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE, AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY RESEARCH AT KESSLER FOUNDATION. view more 

CREDIT: KESSLER FOUNDATION

East Hanover, NJ. February 1, 2023. Despite the prevalence of disabling cognitive deficits in the population with multiple sclerosis (MS), few treatment protocols are supported by Class I research evidence. To address this need, MS researchers at Kessler Foundation plan a double-blind, randomized trial of an 8-session protocol for cognitive rehabilitation based on the Kessler Foundation Strategy-based Training to Enhance Memory (KF-STEM™).

Their open access article, "Kessler Foundation strategy-based training to enhance memory (KF-STEM™): Study protocol for a single-site double-blind randomized clinical trial in multiple sclerosis” (doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.101026) was published online November 3, 2022, in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865422001430. The authors are Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, PhD, Erica Weber, PhD, Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, Amanda Botticello, Ph, MPH, Yael Goverover, PhD, Nancy B. Moore, MA, and John DeLuca, PhD, of Kessler Foundation.

The team plans to enroll 120 individuals with MS-related impairments in new learning and memory. All will undergo neuropsychological evaluation (for objective cognitive performance), assessment of global functioning (to assess everyday functioning and quality of life), functional magnetic resonance imaging (to examine impact of treatment on patterns of cerebral activation). Longer term efficacy will be assessed by 6-month follow up, and whether booster sessions can maintain efficacy over time.

Cognitive deficits often have a negative impact on the lives of persons with MS, according to Dr. Chiaravalloti, director of the Centers for Neuropsychology, Neuroscience, and Traumatic Brain Injury Research. “Treating these deficits can improve how they function in their everyday lives, at home, at work, and in their communities. Through this rigorously designed trial, we plan to complete the bench-to-bedside translation of our scientific research and maximize its real-world benefits for individuals living with MS.”

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (1R01HD095915).

About Kessler Foundation

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JOURNAL

Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications

DOI

10.1016/j.conctc.2022.101026 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Kessler Foundation strategy-based training to enhance memory (KF-STEM):Study protocol for a single-site double-blind randomized clinical trial in multiple sclerosis

Academic medical centers are linked to better health outcomes at neighboring hospitals, researchers find

Patients treated at non-teaching hospitals had lower mortality in markets with academic medical centers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER

BOSTON – An academic medical center (AMC), sometimes called a teaching hospital, is a hospital that is integrated with a medical school and that serves as the principal site for the education of medical students and trainees. Many studies provide evidence that AMCs in general have better patient outcomes than non-teaching or community hospitals. However, how the presence of AMCs may affect their neighboring community hospitals has been unknown.  

A new study led by researcher-clinicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) suggests that the presence of academic medical centers within a healthcare market is linked to better outcomes for patients treated at nearby community hospitals. Findings published in JAMA Network Open show that receiving care at a non-AMC hospital in a market with AMC presence was associated with lower mortality and a greater number of healthy days at home. These associations were greatest in markets with the highest AMC presence, indicating that AMCs may have a positive impact on outcomes for patients treated at neighboring non-teaching hospitals. 

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically examine the potential indirect clinical benefits of receiving healthcare at a non-teaching hospital with greater proximity to one or more AMCs across a wide range of conditions,” said lead author Laura G. Burke, MD, MPH, an emergency medicine physician at BIDMC. “Identifying strategies by which AMCs may enhance care for patients in the entire region has the potential to improve health outcomes for underserved populations.”   

In their retrospective cohort study of older Medicare beneficiaries who received care from U.S. acute care hospitals from 2015 to 2017, Burke and colleagues looked at more than 22 million total hospitalizations. Nearly 19 million of these, or nearly 84 percent, were at non-teaching hospitals. They calculated mortality within 30 and 90 days of an inpatient stay. They also calculated patients’ healthy days at home during the follow-up period, defined as the number of days during which the patient was not at an inpatient or long-term facility, outpatient emergency department or deceased. 

Next, the team created four healthcare market categories. In a market with no AMC presence, zero patients who were admitted to a hospital were admitted to an AMC. In a market with low AMC presence, up to 20 percent of patients admitted the hospital went to an AMC. In moderate AMC regions, AMCs managed 20-35 percent of cases; and in high AMC markets, more than 35 percent of hospitalized patients were admitted to AMCs.  

Burke and colleagues saw stark disparities in the demographic characteristics of the overall populations residing in the four markets, with those with no AMC presence having the lowest median income, lowest mean population, highest mean poverty rate, and highest proportion of white residents. Before accounting for the negative impact poverty and other regional characteristics can have on health, the scientists saw significant association with lower mortality for treatment in markets with high and low AMC presence compared to markets with no AMC presence.  

However, when Burke and colleagues adjusted their model for patient characteristics and demographic factors, the association strengthened. Patients hospitalized at non-AMCs had lower 30- and 90-day mortality and more healthy days at home at 30 and 90 days when they received care in markets with greater AMC presence.  

By contrast the team found no relationship between market-level AMC presence and outcomes for patients treated at the AMC themselves; that is, the presence of more AMCs in a given market did not impact outcomes for patients of AMCs.   

“Taken together these results suggest a spillover effect of AMC's on outcomes for neighboring community hospitals and that the benefits of AMC for the broader community may be greater than is traditionally recognized,” said Burke, who is also an instructor in the department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. 

Burke and colleagues speculate that AMCs may have a positive impact on neighboring community hospitals in a few different ways. Given that physicians tend to practice in close geographic proximity to where they trained, it is possible that the presence of an AMC may lead to a more robust physician supply. Indeed, Burke and colleagues’ analysis revealed that markets with the greatest AMC presence have more nurses and physicians per capita. 

Similarly, formal and informal affiliations between AMCs and non-AMCs within the same market may encourage diffusion of knowledge, innovation as well as sharing of best practices and even clinicians who work at multiple sites. Perhaps most obviously, patients admitted to community hospitals in regions with greater AMC availability may be more likely to be transferred to a teaching hospital should their conditions warrant tertiary care. 

“This study extends prior work examining the role of AMCs in driving acute care outcomes,” said Burke, who is also an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The findings are consistent with other studies demonstrating geographic disparities in healthcare access, and highlights the degree to which rural regions have less access to AMC services. The presence of AMCs may enhance care for patients in rural and remote locations and further research may identify strategies that have the potential to improve health outcomes for underserved populations and widen the reach of the nation's academic healthcare institutions.” 

Co-authors included Ryan C. Burke, PhD, MPH of BIDMC; E. John Orav, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Jose Figueroa, MD, MPH and Ciara E. Duggan of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH of Brown University School of Public Health.  

This work was supported by a grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Institutes of Health (R56AG075017). Burke reported serving as a consultant for the Emergency Medicine Policy Institute outside the submitted work.  Figueroa reported receiving grants from Commonwealth Fund, National Institute on Aging, Episcopal Health Foundation and Arnold Ventures foundation outside the submitted work. This manuscript was written prior to Jha’s government service. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and are not made on behalf of the federal government.  
 

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. 

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education. 

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54559 

ARTICLE TITLE

Association of Academic Medical Center Presence With Clinical Outcomes at Neighboring Community Hospitals Among Medicare Beneficiaries

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Feb-2023