Due to their unique optical and electromagnetic properties, inorganic nanoparticles are extremely promising for therapeutics as well as diagnostics (theranostics: therapeutic + diagnostic). For example, iron oxide nanoparticles can be used as an MRI contrast agent but also can generate heat when stimulated by an external electromagnetic and can be used to destroy cancer...
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…
We present the structures of Type IV pili from two bacterial pathogens of major medical importance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. P. aeruginosa use Type IV pili to adhere to the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, causing deadly infections, and N. gonorrhoeae use their Type IV pili to adhere to and invade cells of the urogenital tract to cause the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. These Type IV pili...
We are pleased to congratulate the BCCHR investigators who were recently awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Grants. Dr. Todd Woodward, Principal Investigator: Discovery Grant – Project: “Delineation of a task-demand dependent rostrocaudal gradient in the salience network” Research Tools and Instruments Grant – Project: “High-density neuromodulation using network-based transcranial alternating current stimulation” Dr. Christine Tipper,…
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…
Join us to celebrate November 8th when Business in Vancouver and MacKay CEO Forums present the 2017 BC CEO Awards. Winning CEOs will be profiled in Business in Vancouver on October 10th and honoured at a gala dinner where each winner will share their leadership lessons to an audience of Vancouver’s business community.
In synovial sarcoma, there is a known oncogene, SS18-SSX, but we have no drugs that target it directly. We have found that SS18-SSX acts by changing the epigenome, and it does so by hijacking and redirecting the activity of enzymes that modify histones. We found that a histone deacetylase inhibitor, quisinostat, is able to reverse some of the oncogenes changes, break up the abnormal complexes it forms, and kills synovial sarcoma cells in vitro and in a new mouse...
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…
The federal government is spending over $42 million on science and engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada’s minister of defence announced Friday. Harjit Sajjan, who was speaking on behalf of Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan, said the money is going towards “fundamental” research. The money will be distributed through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s…
