VCHRI’s Innovative and Translation Research Awards fund innovative research that will improve health care systems and the well-being of patients across Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care. This year’s recipients are putting new knowledge into practice, implementing research outcomes and turning discoveries into commercial opportunities.
GenXys Health Care Systems, Inc., the global leader in precision prescribing software with embedded pharmacogenetic data, recently finalized another customer deal to advance precision medicine initiatives with Ohio-based Flexsus, the laboratory division of FlexHealth. Combined with GenXys’ best-in-class precision prescribing platform, Flexsus can now perform pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing and report results that identify medication that may be most efficacious for individuals…
Caspase-3 is a widely expressed member of a conserved family of proteins, generally recognized for their activated proteolytic roles in the execution of apoptosis in cells responding to specific extrinsic or intrinsic inducers of this mode of cell death. However, accumulating evidence indicates that caspase-3 also plays key roles in regulating the growth and homeostatic maintenance of both normal and…
Having a high-quality assembled genome—free of errors and gaps—is important for countless biological studies. In comparison to short reads, long reads are better for sequencing highly repetitive DNA regions; however, long reads are also known for their relatively higher error rates. The Birol Lab addresses this shortcoming by developing ntEdit+Sealer, an alignment-free genome finishing protocol ideal for correcting genome assemblies…
Building an inclusive, cross-cutting research immunology and immune engineering community Once a week, Kelly McNagny sits in on meetings with medical doctors at St. Paul’s Hospital’s Centre for Heart and Lung Innovation (HLI), as they discuss their cases and their clinical research. The experience changed how Dr. McNagny, a professor and Immunologist with UBC’s department of Medical Genetics, and the School…
Researcher Kelly McNagny wasn’t working in the field of new and dangerous viruses when the pandemic hit more than two years ago. His team at the University of B.C.’s School of Biomedical Engineering was actually developing new blood-test technology to help doctors predict which children are likely to have issues with allergies. But when the coronavirus swept the globe and…
Researchers from the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) have received $1 million from Canada’s Stem Cell Network to conduct research and a clinical trial for one of the world’s first genetically engineered cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes. The researchers say the study is an important step toward developing a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
Researchers from UBC’s faculty of medicine have been awarded over $2.5 million from Canada’s Stem Cell Network (SCN) to advance six regenerative medicine research projects and clinical trials. The funding is part of a $19.5 million investment by SCN in 32 projects across Canada. The investment is the largest in SCN’s history, made possible through increased funding by the Government of Canada…
Dopamine modulation is thought to underpin some of the therapeutic effects associated with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). However, patient studies have failed to demonstrate consistent changes in the dopamine system in vivo after a therapeutic course of rTMS. Here, we evaluated acute and chronic changes in striatal dopamine release elicited by a clinically relevant course of theta burst (TBS) or sham stimulation using…
Canada’s Stem Cell Network (SCN) announced today $19.5 million for 32 stem cell and regenerative medicine research projects and clinical trials. This investment is SCN’s largest funding injection into the sector in its 20-year history, made possible through increased funding by the Government of Canada in 2021. With in-kind and cash support from 34 partner organizations valued at $22.4 million,…
