UBC researchers are part of an international collaboration that has discovered how to control the stickiness of adhesive bandages using ultrasound waves and bubbles. The breakthrough findings, published in the journal Science, could lead to new advances in medical adhesives, especially in cases where adhesives are difficult to apply such as on wet skin. “We were surprised to find that by…
Carolina Tropini, a fellow in CIFAR’s Humans & the Microbiome program, gives insights in studying the human microbiota, and the potential it holds in precision medicine In graduate school, Carolina Tropini originally wanted to stay as far away from studying bacteria as possible. “The work that I saw first hand was just people researching E. coli. And I thought, this system is…
A study involving Centre for Blood Research and Canadian Blood Services researchers Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari, research associate, and Dr. Dana Devine, chief scientist, is helping to answer questions about the effect of infusion pumps on red blood cells (RBC) and make it easier to evaluate the safety of these pumps for this use. Published in Transfusion, the Journal of AABB, this research…
As he heads into his final month as President and CEO of Genome BC, Pascal Spothelfer ‘hasn’t taken his foot off the gas. He has been busy preparing Genome BC for a leadership transition to incoming President and CEO Suzanne Gill, speaking about the expansion of scientific research and biomedical technology and the role of Genome BC in an appearance on…
Spinal cord injuries put people at much higher risk for heart disease over their lifetime. Dr. Alexandra Williams, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical cardiovascular physiology at UBC’s International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), is studying the link between the cardiovascular and nervous systems to understand how we can use innovative treatments that target the heart to improve outcomes among individuals…
A multidisciplinary study led by Vanja Nagy (LBI-RUD/CeMM/Medical University of Vienna) and Josef Penninger (UBC/IMBA) characterized a novel gene, known as FIBCD1, to be likely causative of a new and rare neurodevelopmental disorder. Using data from two young patients with neurological symptoms, the researchers from both groups found evidence of a novel function for the FIBCD1 gene in the brain, and a…
Ali Mirza is working on his PhD in Dr. Helen Tremlett’s lab and is co-supervised by Dr. William Hsiao. His work is funded by the endMS Personal Award from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. We caught up with Ali to learn more about his latest research and his other hobbies outside of the lab.
The aorta is the largest artery in the body and connects the heart to the vital organs. In 1 in 100 people, the closest part of the aorta to the heart widens, becoming an aneurysm. In the majority of cases, an aneurysm of the aorta forms when it is weak. People with an aneurysm of the aorta are at risk…
Collaborating with colleagues from UBC and UCLA, BC-CfE researchers, in a novel study, looked at whether people living with HIV (PLWH) and (COPD) experience an acceleration of aging in their airways, independent of their smoking history. The study, titled “Airway Aging and Methylation Disruptions in HIV-associated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” was recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical…
Global life sciences leader Cytiva opened a new 126 200 ft2 (11 724 m2) site in the greater Vancouver area to expand manufacturing capacity of aseptic filling machines by over 200%. The machines, known as workcells, provide gloveless, robotic aseptic filling capability for final drug product into vials, syringes, and cartridges. The site will serve as a Center of Excellence…