he upward trajectory of the cannabis industry has garnered comparisons to the Internet boom of the early 2000s, as North American sales are on pace to record a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent through 2021, according to Arcview Market Research (1). These comparisons are certainly attention-grabbing, but the full potential of the evolving marijuana market could be even…
Tania Bubela, a health law and policy researcher with an extensive health biotechnology and legal background, is Simon Fraser University’s new dean of health sciences. Bubela joins SFU from the University of Alberta (U of A). A professor in the School of Public Health, she also served as associate dean of research (2014-2016). Prior to joining the school, Bubela clerked…
B.C. researchers are leading an new offensive against sepsis, one of the leading causes of death in Canada. Sepsis is a condition that’s caused by an “overwhelming immune response to an infection,” according to Statistics Canada. That can lead to “widespread inflammation, swelling and blood clotting,” as well as organ damage. When not treated quickly, it can result in organ failure…
BC’s forest products industry faces major challenges due to global competition and the decline in demand for traditional products such as newsprint. At the same time, there is increasing demand across the entire economy for environmentally-sustainable biomaterials. One way to address both of these issues is by converting woody biomass, which includes lignin, to higher valued bioproducts such as renewable…
Marking World Sepsis Day, Sepset Biosciences Inc., announces the commencement of a multi-country, multi-center human clinical study that will validate and refine Sepset’s proprietary gene signature to quickly and accurately identify patients with sepsis. A spin-out of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), Sepset Biosciences, is developing a novel rapid diagnostic test that will enable healthcare professionals to provide…
A recent study by a prolific TFRI-funded team has demonstrated that disrupting ERG transcriptional activity is sufficient to suppress the major characteristics of ERG-transformed prostate cancers. The finding could help develop new therapeutic tools for men battling ERG-expressing metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. There are currently few agents targeting cancer metastasis, and the need to create new therapeutics for these patients…
Effective September 1, Dr. Julie Robillard (pictured, right) has been appointed Associate Director of the National Core for Neuroethics. The National Core for Neuroethics is an interdisciplinary research group with a mission to protect and ensure public good by aligning innovations in the brain sciences with human values. Dr. Robillard’s research focus is on the experience of health care innovation in dementia…
BIOASIS TECHNOLOGIES INC., a biopharmaceutical company focused on overcoming the limitations of therapeutic drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and into the central nervous system for the treatment of neurological diseases and disorders, today announced the appointments of Prof. John H. Krystal, M.D., Jeffrey L. Cummings, M.D. and John P. Wikswo, Jr., Ph.D. to its newly established Scientific Advisory Board…
In emergency medicine, there is a constant need for simple, robust methods to control traumatic hemorrhage. This form of trauma is made especially challenging when hemorrhages occur in remote locations lacking well-equipped medical facilities. With almost half of mortalities related to hemorrhage occurring within the first 24 hours, low-tech strategies to quickly control hemorrhages are crucial in these circumstances. To…
Genome BC has invested approximately $850,000 towards two projects that successfully illustrate the application of precision health in our Province’s public healthcare system. These evidence-based projects demonstrate the impact of genomics on healthcare challenges through increased efficiencies and new treatment options. The first project uses genomics to better prevent the spread of “superbugs” in hospitals and care facilities. Carbapenemase-producing organisms…