Research Grant for Early Detection of Urogenital Disorders

Professor Giuseppe Di Labbio of the Mechanical Engineering Department has been awarded a two-year $250,000 grant from the New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration. The aim is to develop a method for the early detection of urogenital disorders, a major public health issue in Canada affecting over 4 million people. 

Comprising a multidisciplinary team, this research will analyze urinary flow in the bladder using state-of-the-art space-time visualization methods.

Fluid Dynamics to Improve Healthcare

Through the development of ultrasound-compatible indicators, the research team hopes to detect disorders such as kidney stones at an early stage.

The team will use an in vitro simulator, designed by Professor Di Labbio and master’s student Kyarash Mohammadi, to model different urogenital conditions. This innovative device has a patent pending in Canada and the United States. It is designed to conduct parametric studies, imaging analyses and diagnostic correlations, which will then be validated by a small clinical cohort.  

Inter-Institutional Collaboration

Along with Professor Di Labbio, this study benefits from the expertise of Naeem Bhojani, professor at Montréal University and urologist at the CHUM, and Luc Duong, professor in the Department of Software Engineering and Information Technology at ÉTS. 

Major Public Health Issue

Urogenital diseases carry a heavy economic and social burden, affecting more than 4 million Canadians [1], with annual costs exceeding $40 billion [2]. And because they tend to progress without symptoms, they are often diagnosed late, complicating treatment and affecting quality of life.

By focusing on the development of personalized digital models and the increasing integration of ultrasound into front-line medicine, this research could transform clinical practice. It would make diagnosis easier, faster, less invasive and more targeted.

[1] Kidney Foundation of Canada. (2023). Facing the facts. https://kidney.ca/KFOC/media/images/ PDFs/Facing-the-Facts-2023-Highlights-from-the-Annual-Statistics-on-Organ-Donation.pdf

[2] Manns B, McKenzie SQ, Au F, Gignac PM, & Geller LI. (2017). The financial impact of advanced kidney disease on Canada Pension Plan and private disability insurance costs. Can. J. Kidney Health Dis. 4, 205435811770398.