Several major childhood allergies may all stem from the community of bacteria living in our gut, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital. The research, published in Nature Communications, identifies gut microbiome features and early life influences that are associated with children developing any of four common allergies —…
Canadian research teams, including several from BC Cancer, will receive a total of $2.4 million to advance cancer research and treatment following new awards in the 2023 Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grant (PPG) competition. Dr. Julian Lum, distinguished scientist at the Deeley Lab at BC Cancer – Victoria, is working with fellow BC Cancer collaborators Drs. Shoukat Dedhar and Poul Sorensen and research…
Researchers at the UBC Faculty of Medicine are leading the Vancouver site for an international study of Alzheimer’s disease in people of Asian ancestry, a population that has been vastly underrepresented in Alzheimer’s research to-date. The project, which recently received a $40.6 million grant from the U.S.-based National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a…
Agricultural pesticides and fine particulate matter air pollution were associated with geographical hotspots for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the province, according to a study by BC Children’s Hospital researchers recently published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.
In 2004, Dr. Tim Oberlander’s attention was drawn to a paper in Science reporting a study by colleagues in New York. The researchers reported that mice with early life exposure to a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were much more anxious in adolescence than mice who had not been exposed to SSRIs. Dr. Oberlander and colleagues had been studying…
Catie Futhey is an MD/PhD student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience under the supervision of Drs. Veronica Hirsch-Reinshagen and Mark Cembrowski. Catie’s research project looks at the neuropathological underpinnings and clinical features of the cognitive impairment observed in Alzheimer’s Disease and chronic schizophrenia. We caught up with Catie to learn more about her research, interests and advice for future students.
Researchers are developing a national epitope-matching protocol to reduce organ transplant complications. Advanced genetic matching technology could result in significantly lower rates of organ transplant rejection, according to ongoing award-winning research led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Paul Keown. “Epitope-matching may soon enable us to limit the use of potent immunosuppression medications and see virtually no organ…
The bacteria in a baby’s gut may play a key role in the development of their young brain, according to a new study by researchers at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. The pilot study, recently published in PLOS ONE, showed that levels of certain types of microbes in babies’ guts were associated with performance in tests of early cognitive development. “Although this…
A new real-time testing tool will help spot contamination in B.C.’s largest health authority by analyzing concentrations of cellular “power plants” left behind on high-touch areas like elevator buttons, washroom door knobs and toilet seats. The tool, announced by Fraser Health Aug. 7, allows management overseeing housekeeping staff to swab surfaces in hospitals and long-term care homes. Those samples are…
CTN Investigators Drs. Naveed Janjua (Canadian lead) and Sofia Bartlett, along with a team of researchers from Canada and the UK, have made a significant observation pertaining to individuals who have been successfully cured of hepatitis C (HCV) infection. The study, which is the largest and most representative of its kind to date, reveals that despite there being a cure for HCV, treated individuals still…