The Personalized OncoGenomics Program (POG), co-led by Drs. Janessa Laskin and Marco Marra, is a patient-centric research initiative that uses genomic data to study cancer growth, metastasis and response to treatment. A publication in Annals of Oncology presents clinical data from 570 adult patients with advanced or metastatic cancer enrolled in the program from 2012-2017, the largest report on POG clinical findings to date.
Since 2017, the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 500 students annually. However, the school currently operates classes and labs in 24 buildings scattered across UBC’s Vancouver campus. UBC is building a new purpose-built facility for the school, aided by this $25 million grant from the Government of British Columbia. The province’s investment…
At the same time a prized delicacy and a virulent pest, the fungus Ustilago maydis delights epicureans while frazzling farmers and scientists. Known as huitlacoche to Mexican chefs, the soot-like masses that form tumours within maize cobs are prized for their rich, smokey flavour and have been served in a variety of traditional dishes since the time of the Aztecs. Commonly known as corn smut to…
UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) and Amgen are pleased to announce the inaugural 2022 Amgen Golden Ticket at SBME Innovates, providing a launchpad for two promising UBC spin-off ventures, Arrowsmith Genetics (AGx) and SeraGene. SBME is the first Canadian organization to host the Amgen Golden Ticket program. As the sponsor, Amgen provides mentorship to two teams selected by UBC for the period…
STEMCELL Technologies Inc. and PBS Biotech Inc. have announced their supply partnership to make the PBS-MINI Bioreactor available through STEMCELL Technologies for researchers looking to scale up their human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) cultures. By enabling the reliable and scalable suspension culture of hPSCs, this partnership will help scientists obtain the quantity and quality of cells needed to advance their research.
UBC’s Life Sciences Institute (LSI) has become a designated UBC Global Research Excellence Institute (GREx) and is launching a new Biological Resilience Initiative (BRI) aimed at transforming human and environmental health. The BRI is the first initiative in Canada to study life science questions through the lens of innate resilience. Across 4 billion years of evolution, all living organisms, from…
The highest morbidity and mortality from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection occurs in young infants. Immunization of expectant mothers during pregnancy has the potential to substantially reduce the burden of RSV disease in a majority of infants. Correlates of protection (COP) are important in guiding the development of maternal RSV vaccines and the design of maternal RSV vaccine trials, as…
Simon Fraser University (SFU) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) is pleased to announce assistant professor Graeme Koelwyn as its Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Public Health ‘Omics in Exercise and Disease. This chair is the fourth CRC held at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Koelwyn, who joined FHS in 2021, is concurrently appointed as a principal investigator at…
Genome Canada has launched a new $30 million Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems genomics initiative to reduce the carbon footprint and support the economic growth of Canadian agriculture and food systems. Climate change poses a significant risk to our agriculture, aquaculture and food production systems and will increasingly impact the availability of food and other vital resources. Innovative new technologies,…
Cell surface calcium (Ca2+) channels permit Ca2+ ion influx, with Ca2+ taking part in cellular functions such as proliferation, survival, and activation. The expression of voltage-dependent Ca2+ (CaV) channels may modulate the growth of hematologic cancers. Profile analysis of Ca2+ channels, with a focus on the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) and L-type CaV channels, was performed on RNA sequencing data from lymphoma cell lines and samples derived…
