“This is actually the first iteration of it, the first time it’s ever been offered,” says Majewski, adding that his group feels lucky to have been selected.
The NOVA grant is designed for early-career, researcher-led collaborative projects. While these projects are based in Quebec, researchers collaborate with colleagues outside the province.
Majewski is working with professors Annie Castonguay from the Institut nationale de la recherche scientifique in Quebec City and Leyla Soleymani from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The group is looking at solar-energy conversion and aims to apply some of the materials they use in biological sensing.
“We’re going to make new biosensors. And biosensors, of course, are important because we’re very interested in the efficient and sensitive detection of disease biomarkers,” Majewski explains.
By searching for specific DNA or RNA proteins, the group plans to create a cheap and straightforward device that can be used for disease diagnosis, particularly in remote or developing communities.
“We just want to make it readily accessible.”