Diabetes Canada has announced $9M in funding for 30 new research projects focusing on new developments in diabetes management, care, and risk-reduction. Dr. Elizabeth Rideout, an associate professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences will receive support for a project focused on understanding why women are protected from type 2 diabetes more so than men.
Dr. Natalie Strynadka's team focuses on atomic resolution characterization and analysis of microbial targets, often membrane protein assemblies, that mediate drug resistance or are potential new targets for structure-guided antibiotic design. They used cryogenic electron microscopy to characterize the first atomic structures of a novel receptor that senses beta-lactam antibiotics in the environment, then signals through the membrane to control (via unprecedented direct proteolysis of a repressor), expression of genes underlying broad spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic resistance in drug resistant Staph aureus strains.
Thanks to the IBRO-CBH UBC Indigenous Undergraduate Research Internship Program, Maiara Burgess was able to get hands-on experience working in Dr. Kurt Haas’ lab last summer. A second-year biology student, Maiara is from West Moberly First Nations and also part Bolivian. Through a partnership between the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, this internship…
BC Cancer’s immunotherapy team has developed the expertise and infrastructure to create genetically engineered immune cells (called CAR-T cells) for the treatment of life-threatening blood cancers. BC Cancer was the first academic group to produce and deliver CD19 CAR-T cells to cancer patients in Canada. CAR-T cells have revolutionized the treatment of certain leukemia and lymphomas, ushering in a new era in…
Nine interdisciplinary research projects involving UBC Applied Science faculty are each receiving up to $25,000 in Health Innovation Funding Investment (HIFI) Awards from UBC Health. HIFI Awards enable interdisciplinary groups of health researchers to undertake innovative activities with the potential to create change, catalyzing cross-faculty and cross-campus collaborations across UBC Vancouver and Okanagan. A new health equity stream is supporting seven of…
Novel therapeutics to manage bacterial infections are urgently needed as the impact and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) grows. Antivirulence therapeutics are an alternative approach to antibiotics that aim to attenuate virulence rather than target bacterial essential functions, while minimizing microbiota perturbation and the risk of AMR development. Beyond known virulence factors, pathogen-associated genes (PAGs; genes found only in pathogens…
Researchers at the Vancouver Prostate Centre have discovered that prostate cancer cells use a property in the androgen receptor to enhance the production and spread of the disease. The groundbreaking study, led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Nada Lallous and Dr. Joerg Gsponer, and published in Nucleic Acids Research, lays the foundation to investigate novel therapies to…
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of long-term research staff with this year’s inaugural Research Excellence Staff Award (RESA). This competition acknowledges staff members with 10 or more years of service who have demonstrated research excellence through mentorship, building research culture and upholding the VCHRI values of integrity, accountability, collaboration, equity and community-…
UBC researchers have identified three compounds that prevent COVID-19 infection in human cells, derived from natural sources including a B.C. sea sponge. The discovery paves the way for the development of new medicines for COVID-19 variants made from natural sources. And given nature’s abundance, there could be a wealth of new antivirals waiting to be discovered. In a recent study, an…
Dr. Parvin Bolourani is the Education Program Manager at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR). She implements, coordinates, organizes, and oversees all aspects of the Centre’s educational programs, including the CBR Summer Studentship Program, Graduate Award Program, professional development initiatives, outreach, and alumni engagement.
