About the Invention

Human beings are infinitely complex. Though remarkably sturdy most of the time, our bodies are subject to illnesses and disorders of all kinds. Important innovations and discoveries reveal how bodies and minds work, and open doors to cures using new medicines and treatments.

Dr. Lillian Dyck is a member of the Neuro Psychiatry Research Unit in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. Here, she participates in the development and testing of new compounds which may one day be useful in healing neuro degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. In 1996, she also initiated the concept of beta-alanines as a new class of compounds that may be useful in neuro degenerative and other disorders. After extensive screening and experiments, she filed for a patent in 1998 and still waits this being finalized.

Lillian's interest in the brain and neurochemistry was influenced to some degree by the times in which she grew up. She was part of the hippie generation and heard about and saw the profound effects that alcohol, LSD and marijuana had on her peers.

So far her invention/discovery has not created much change, but it often takes years to develop and put into practice scientific discoveries and inventions.

About the Inventor

Lillian was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. In 1981 she received her Ph.D. in Biological Psychiatry from the University of Saskatchewan. A Status Indian, throughout her life she had to overcome many barriers related to being a minority. "The climate was not always supportive, helpful or welcoming," Lillian says. As a child and young woman, at the persuasion of her mother, she avoided telling people that she was a Status Indian. It was only many years later, after she was awarded her Ph.D., that Lillian felt comfortable admitting to her Indian heritage. Her accomplishment allowed her to feel equal to white Canadians.

Lillian looked to her mother for inspiration. Her mother was a feminist in her own way, and did all she could to make life better for her children - even if it meant denying their heritage. At times, Lillian suffered undue harassment and at her lowest point, thought of her mother. Reflecting back, Lillian says, "If my mother could do what she did in her lifetime - overcome abject poverty and racism, then I'd be damned if I was going to let some man push me out of a job. So from her, I have received incredible strength and determination to keep going, no matter what."

Lillian passes on her mother's legacy daily through her work in science and in public life. In 1999, she received an award for science and technology from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. "Receiving the award has allowed me to be more credible and to help make a difference for other women and Aboriginals who wish to get a higher education."