The Canadian scientific community gathered in Ottawa this week to engage in a national dialogue on science, technology and innovation policy at the annual Canadian Science Policy Conference. Just prior to the Keynote Address at this event by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, Merck Canada Inc. and CDRD – The Centre for Drug Research and Development, announced the…
Genome BC is pleased to announce a staged investment of $750,000 into CuePath Innovation (CuePath) through its Industry Innovation (I²) Program. CuePath is developing a connectivity platform for patients, their family members and professional caregivers, built around a novel form of smart medication packaging. By combining smart blister packs, cloud analytics and mobile applications, CuePath is increasing prescription adherence and…
Applications are now open for MSFHR’s 2018 Scholar competition. The letter of intent deadline is December 1, 2017, with full applications due February 2, 2018. Since 2001, the MSFHR Scholar Program has supported more than 400 early-career health researchers as they establish independent research careers, build leading health research programs and train junior scientists. Each award provides salary support for up…
Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. The incurable disease slowly impairs cognitive function, such as the ability to think and remember. Because of these devastating effects on the brain, it has long been assumed that Alzheimer’s originates in the brain. But new research has found that Alzheimer’s might be a disease that originates in other parts of the…
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) represents a group of diseases often referred to as bone marrow failure, which usually develops in older people. In Canada alone, up to 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The median survival for these patients ranges from 0.5 to 6 years after diagnosis. In healthy individuals, the bone marrow produces immature blood cells, which subsequently mature…
In an interview with the University of British Columbia student newspaper nearly 20 years ago, research scientist Chris Shaw said the last thing an academic wanted was to be “associated with something iffy.” Reminded of that quote recently, Shaw said: “I guess I should’ve taken my advice.” Shaw is a professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences whose research revolves around…
For Dr. Rankin (pictured, right), a leader in the field of habituation research, understanding the way that habituation occurs in a simple organism has implications for a range of brain disorders in humans. C. elegans, the worms researchers in the Rankin lab study to understand learning and brain development, are nematodes that are widely used in neuroscience research for the similarities between their cell…
Sierra Oncology, Inc., a clinical stage drug development company focused on advancing next generation DNA Damage Response (DDR) therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Andrew Allen to its Board of Directors, effective October 23, 2017. “With the proven success of PARP inhibitors in treating cancer, significant attention has been focused on identifying and advancing the…
Informing a grieving family that their child has suddenly died of unexplainable causes is a painful task for all coroners. Yet that’s the sad reality in an estimated 700 pediatric deaths each year in Canada. But recent SFU alumna Laura Dewar, a former B.C. coroner who graduated from SFU last December with a PhD in biomedical physiology and kinesiology, says her…
InMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of novel, cannabinoid-based drug therapies, announced today results from a study co-sponsored by InMed (Dr. Sazzad Hossain, Chief Scientific Officer) and the University of British Columbia (laboratories of Profs. Ujendra Kumar and Vikramaditya Yadav). The InMed-UBC study is the first ever to report hydrogel-mediated cannabinoid nanoparticle delivery to the eye, resulting in enhanced drug uptake…