Brooke Belanger
Positions
Research Assistant
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
PhD Candidate
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Contact information
Phone number
Lab: 403.220.8402
Office: 403.220.2673
Background
Educational Background
BSc. Biological Science, Minor in Visual Arts, University of Calgary, 2017
PhD Translational Neuroscience, University of Calgary, 2023
Biography
About me
Originally, my family is from Thunder Bay Ontario, but I have spent most of my life in Calgary. I completed a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science here at the University of Calgary and then continued my studies here in a PhD of Neuroscience.
My research
Brain aneurysms are small pockets caused by broken blood vessels in the brain. They affect 5% of the population. Treatments are only 70% effective, requiring patients to have multiple surgeries and take blood thinners forever. New-age stents combined with stem cells may be the solution. These stents are mesh tubes that the body absorbs, defeating the need for drugs. Stem cells turn into blood vessels and close the aneurysm, removing stroke risk. Tests show stem cells could benefit current treatments, but it is unknown how they work. I am trying to discover how stem cells repair aneurysms and reduce treatment time.
I have a background in plant research and basic research from my undergraduate career. I started in the master’s program at U of C but transferred into the PhD. My supervisor, Dr. Alim Mitha, is a neurosurgeon, and working with him gives our lab very interesting translational research capabilities. Currently he is working on a startup called Fluid Biotech which is moving on to patent the very first bioabsorbable brain stent on the market.
Supervisors: Dr. Alim Mitha, Dr. Arindom Sen
Research
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Awards
- Brain CREATE Graduate Scholarship , NSERC. 2021
- Graduate Awards Competition, University of Calgary. 2021
- Science Communication Skills Grant (Research Assistant and Contributing Member), NSERC. 2021
- Insight Development Grant (Research Assistant and Contributing Member), SSHRC. 2020
- Graduate Citizenship Award, Graduate Student's Association. 2020
- Professional Development Grant, Graduate Student's Association. 2019
- Graduate Representative Council Initiative Award, Graduate Student's Association. 2019
- Profiling Alberta Graduate Students Travel Award, Government of Alberta. 2018
Publications
- Creating Clinically Relevant Aneurysm Sizes in the Rabbit Surgical Elastase Model. Michael B Avery , Arindom Sen, Muneer Eesa , Alim P Mitha. World Neurosurgery. (2021)
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells Exhibit Both a Proinflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Effect on Saccular Aneurysm Formation in a Rabbit Model. Michael B Avery, Amy Bromley, Arindom Sen, Alim P Mitha. Stem Cells International. (2019)
- Innovation in unruptured intracranial aneurysm coiling: At which price or efficacy are new technologies cost-effective?. David Ben-Israel, Brooke L Belanger, Amin Adibi, Muneer Eesa, Alim P Mitha, Eldon Spackman . PLoS One. (2021)
- A Novel Parameter to Predict Supraclinoid Aneurysm Persistence After Flow Diversion with the Pipeline Embolization Device. Sandeep Muram, Muneer Eesa, Brooke L Belanger, Mohammed Almekhlafi, Mayank Goyal, William Morrish, John H Wong, Santiago Gomez-Paz, Yosuke Akamatsu, Mohamed M Salem, Timothy M Robinson, Justin M Moore, Ajith J Thomas, Christopher S Ogilvy, Alim P Mitha. World Neurosurgery. (2021)
- A novel self-expanding primarily bioabsorbable braided flow-diverting stent for aneurysms: initial safety results. Mehdi Jamshidi, Mahmoud Rajabian, Michael B Avery, Uttandaraman Sundararaj , Janet Ronsky, Brooke Belanger, John H Wong, Alim P Mitha. Journal or NeuroInterventional Surgery. (2020)
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