UBC Engineering projects receive $15.8 million investment from PacifiCan for dual-use research
This article was originally posted on the UBC Applied Science website and reposted here. Projects led by UBC Engineering researchers have received over $15.8 million in funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for PacifiCan announced on February 20, alongside the the Honourable Jill McKnight, Minister of […]
Meet the Researcher: Perspectives from a trainee of Dr. Ed Pryzdial
A new “Meet the Researcher” video showcasing the expertise of Canadian Blood Services’ research network is now available on blood.ca! The video features Dr. Ed Pryzdial, a Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and clinical professor in the Centre for Blood research at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. Dr. Pryzdial’s laboratory is located at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) where a partnership between Canadian Blood Services and CBR is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science.
As a complement to the video and to highlight the “behind-the-scenes” view on discovery research activities that Dr. Pryzdial and his team undertake, we invited John Perrier to share his perspectives as a trainee pursuing graduate studies with Dr. Pryzdial’s mentorship.
Meet the Researcher: Dr. Ed Pryzdial
Fly fishing is perhaps one of the most unusual sports. It involves wading into a river and rhythmically waving a rod to cast an imitation insect, hand-fabricated from feathers and tinsel attached to a line, in hopes of fooling a finicky trout. It’s a peculiar mix of artistry, biology and physics. It’s also what brought Dr. Ed Pryzdial, in a round-about way, to his research at Canadian Blood Services.
Lipid-Free Binary Platform Boosts Vaccine and Nanomedicine Delivery
In a ground breaking advancement poised to revolutionize the fields of vaccinology and nanomedicine, researchers have developed a novel binary self-amplifying expression platform capable of producing vaccines and nanomedicines without the need for lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). This innovative technology, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications in 2025, could herald an era of safer, more efficient, and scalable vaccine production by circumventing several limitations associated with current lipid nanoparticle-based delivery systems.
The future of research & education at Canadian Blood Services: Welcoming our new chief science officer
In October 2025, Dr. James (Jim) Zimring joined Canadian Blood Services’ I&PM team as our chief science officer. In this role, Dr. Zimring will provide leadership for the teams of discovery, development, donation policy and studies, and medical microbiology researchers and staff whose efforts support our vision to help every patient, match every need and serve every Canadian. An established scientist himself, Dr. Zimring also continues to undertake discovery research in his lab located at the Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.
Scientists develop first gene-editing treatment for skin conditions
Dr. Sarah Hedtrich and her team examine a skin-on-a-chip model used to test the new CRISPR-based therapy on living human skin samples.
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Travel Award Recipients!
This past year, the CBR was pleased to support 6 award recipients, who attended and presented at conferences and workshops held around the globe. Following their conference attendance, recipients shared their experiences through short reflection blogs on the CBR website, which reflect their educational experiences and key takeaways.
CBR External Travel Awards: Earl W. Davie Symposium 2025 – Mahsa Yazdanbakhsh
Mahsa Yazdanbakhsh shares her experience in the Earl W. Davie Symposium 2025.
Facilitated Access to Drug Safety Information via the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the main cause of poor health outcomes and death. Gisladottir et al. (2025) led a research project examining the use of large language models (LLMs) in drug safety research. LLMs are artificial intelligence systems trained on vast amounts of text to generate human-like language. ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), Llama (Large Language Model Meta AL), and Mixtral are examples of LLMs that were tested in this study. Gisladottir et al. compared the capacity of the mentioned LLMs to pre-existing technologies in retrieving drug safety information from Structured Product Labelling (SPL).
Exploring the Role of Talin Autoinhibition in Platelet Aggregation and Hemostasis
A collaborative project between the Tanentzapf and Kim labs investigated how the disruption of talin regulation affects platelets and hemostasis 1.