Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), characterized by accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain, can be caused by age-related failures to clear Aβ from the brain through pathways that involve the cerebrovasculature. Vascular risk factors are known to increase AD risk, but less is known about potential protective factors. We hypothesize that high-density lipoproteins (HDL) may protect against AD, as HDL…
Three of Canada’s leading researchers in heart health, brain health and cancer have been singled out by the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine for their accomplishments, and for their potential to make further contributions in their fields. The seventh annual Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize will be given to Stanley Nattel of the University of Montreal, for his…
Dr. Ying Tam is the Director of Preclinical Development at Acuitas Therapeutics, a Vancouver-based pharmaceutical company specializing in systemic delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics. Prior to his career in industry, Dr. Tam held a faculty position in the department of Hematology and Oncology at Rush-Presbyterian Medical Centre in Chicago, Illinois. We sat down with Dr. Tam to discuss his journey…
A deceptively simple device invented at the University of B.C. is saving lives in the world’s most impoverished places. Called the Phone Oximeter, it clips onto a person’s fingertip and is connected by wire to a smartphone’s audio port. By measuring blood-oxygen levels and heart and breathing rates with unprecedented simplicity, portability and affordability, it’s enabling easier diagnosis of illness…
cGMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) sensing has emerged as a key regulator of innate immune responses to both exogenous and endogenous DNA. Recent studies reveal critical roles for this pathway in natural antitumor immunity across cancer types as well as in immune checkpoint blockade therapy. However, it is also clear that some tumors evade cGAS-STING-mediated immune responses, and…
Sitka Biopharma Inc., a preclinical biotechnology company focused on developing its breakthrough nanoparticle platform technology to increase absorption of drugs in difficult-to-penetrate tissues, is pleased to announce that Dr. Kristine Swiderek and Dr. Jack Geltosky have joined its Board of Directors. Dr. Kristine Swiderek is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of venture-backed OncoResponse, focusing in immuno-oncology. She brings deep…
This article’s title sounds elementary but despite decades of research, there are still many questions surrounding HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention that lack their more satisfying partners: the answers. If we are to discover solutions to public health crises, we need to start with a solid foundation of evidence-based scientific research. Here at UBC’s Centre for Blood Research and the School…
We utilized the fruitfly model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, to discover novel relationships between two proteins that connect pathways important for protein homeostasis (proteostasis): autophagy, the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), and apoptosis. We found that the heat-shock protein Hsp83 normally suppresses autophagy by maintaining low levels of the effector caspase Dcp-1 with the support of...
Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing, advancing and promoting differentiated products, announced today that it has received positive feedback from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pursue the abbreviated 505(b)(2) clinical pathway for the company’s once-weekly transdermal aripiprazole patch, AQS1301, in development for the treatment of certain psychotic disorders. Upon review of…
Dr. David Granville at the Institute for Heart and Lung Health at St. Paul's Hospital is one of eleven Vancouver researchers to be the recipient of MSFHR Innovation to Commercialization Awards. Find out who else in Vancouver won grants, awards, fellowships, and scholarships in the month of August...
