Islet macrophages reside in the perivascular space next to islet blood vessels. They are long-lived and self-renewing, maintaining about two to ten macrophages per islet [1]. However, more than three decades after the first description of islet macrophages [2], our knowledge regarding the biological role of these cells is limited (reviewed in [3]). Emerging evidence indicates that islet macrophages are…
TxCell SA a developer of cellular immunotherapies based on regulatory T cells (Tregs) for inflammation, autoimmunity and transplantation, today announces details on the new proof-of-concept preclinical data presented at the 18th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), held in Barcelona, Spain, on September 24-27, 2017. The oral presentation made by Prof. Megan Levings describes positive data obtained with proprietary…
Dr. Srinivas Abbina, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kizhakkedathu research group, has been awarded the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee Award. Dr. Abbina was among 32 postdoctoral researchers selected from a highly competitive applicant pool in Biomedical, Clinical, and Population Health research across British Columbia. The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) was established in memoriam of Nobel…
Dr. Louise Lund is a recent graduate who studied in the laboratories of Drs. Leonard Foster and Charles Haynes at the University of British Columbia. Upon finishing her studies, Dr. Lund opted to leave the bench to become a scientific recruiter at STEMCELL Technologies. We sat down with Dr. Lund to discuss her career choice, and her journey from bench…
In this study we used a mouse model of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common pediatric malignancy, to identify the components of an immune response that are necessary to achieve a long-lasting remission. We found that while a response directed against a single target antigen was able to exert early control over leukemia, it was not sufficient to sustain remission; prolonged survival required that the immune response...
Each year, the Faculty of Medicine recognizes faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research, administration, innovation and public service. This includes the Applegarth Staff Service award, the Bill and Marilyn Webber Lifetime Achievement Award, the Clinical Faculty Awards for Career Excellence in Teaching, Distinguished Teaching Awards, and Killam Teaching and Research Prizes.
This week Conversations That Matter features the remarkable Dr. Allen Eaves, the founder, CEO and president of Stemcell Technologies, Canada’s most successful biotech company. It is is playing a pivotal role in fostering a community of biotech startups. “We’re very keen to support an ecosystem of biotechnology here and be closely related with the universities, especially UBC and SFU, and you know,…
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre cares for approximately 1,200 premature or ill infants annually. Many have underlying genetic disorders — the leading cause of infant mortality. Genome-wide sequencing (GWS) is a powerful technology that can test for thousands of genetic diseases at one time and has the potential to save lives. Although…
While looking for a postdoctoral position, Michael Mitchell could have joined any number of small, intimate labs with a couple of colleagues and an ever-present lab leader. Instead, he decided to go big. In 2014, after earning a PhD in biomedical engineering, he accepted an offer from Robert Langer, also a biomedical engineer, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)…
In this study we inserted lumbar drains in patients with acute SCI, and evaluated how monitoring of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure around the spinal cord could assist in optimizing the hemodynamic management of these patients. By showing that the monitoring of CSF pressure (and subsequent calculation of spinal cord perfusion pressure) was a better predictor of neurologic improvement than our standard monitoring...
