Genome BC is investing in a cancer research project that aims to speed up genetic tests of tumours through the development of a robotics system. Genomic testing of cancerous tumours enables better, more informed treatment for many of BC’s cancer patients. Analysis of a patient’s tumour, specifically the study of its molecular composition, offers more insight into how it will…
CHÉOS’ new Scientist Dr. Shirin Kalyan, a translational immunologist, used to sit in her undergraduate immunology courses in suspended disbelief. “When I went to physics and math, there was a pretty clear formula and you sort of get it after a while,” she said. “But when I was listening to this idea of how T cells and B cells with unique receptors are…
The general focus of our UBC Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) research group is to improve diagnosis and advance treatment of FTD via better understanding of the genetics, pathophysiology and natural history. My personal area of interest is the molecular basis of FTD and ALS.Our recent discovery of TIA1 mutations as a cause of ALS and FTD advance our understanding of the molecular basis of these two related...
We tested our lead anti-AR DBD inhibitor, VPC-14449, on a panel of anti-androgen resistant prostate cancer cell lines that had AR mutations or expressed constitutively active, truncated AR isoforms. VPC-14449 was rationally designed to block DNA binding based on the X-ray structure of the AR. VPC-14449 reduced...
Medical cannabis production is one of the fastest growing agri-biotech industries in BC, a province which is home to over 20% of Canada’s licensed producers of medical cannabis. The federal Cannabis Act, which is currently before parliament, will legalize the non-medical use of cannabis and further expand cannabis production and distribution into a regulated, multibillion-dollar industry. However, a major issue for…
MSFHR has announced 11 award recipients in the first Innovation to Commercialization (I2C) competition. These awards will help BC health researchers bridge the gap between discovery and practical application to improve health outcomes in BC. The I2C Program is designed to help researchers advance discoveries or inventions towards commercialization by supporting commercialization activities that strengthen the value of their intellectual…
Approximately 10% of rare genetic diseases are caused by nonsense mutations, in which a stop codon is introduced and the synthesis of the full-length protein is terminated prematurely. Alireza Baradaran-Heravi and colleagues from the Strynadka lab revealed that a minor component of the antibiotic gentamicin has the potent ability to suppress nonsense mutations to promote formation of the full-length protein.…
These gene mutations are the latest discovered in epilepsy, and enable a much faster more accurate diagnosis in children and their families. In general, the results provide critical information to neurologists on how to best to treat these patients, and before it’s too late. For the Province and its health economy, the results mean a stop to further testing and the costs associated with it.
Canadian fruit growers need the best varieties of plants to be successful. In the case of Canadian strawberry growers, they grow the best varieties of plants, which foreign buyers demand. The import and export of fruit plants, however, must go through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to test for potentially devastating plant viruses. Currently, this testing and quarantine process takes…
With Canada’s 150th birthday squarely in the rear-view mirror, we should now look to our future. Our government has been staking much on an “innovation economy” – if the regular speeches by various ministries are anything to go by. So how do we get there? Follow the government’s own evidence and part of the answer is clear: invest in research.…
