Introduction of CBR Training Awards Program
In ongoing efforts to provide translational research opportunities for young scientists and to encourage interactions between CBR groups, the CBR is offering 2 awards to trainees (MSc, PhD, post-doc, clinical fellows), each worth $15,000 per year for 2 years. This new program requires that 2 CBR PIs collaborate in supervising the trainee in a project […]
Hancock laboratory seeks novel anti-infective therapeutic strategies
Infectious diseases are responsible for a third of all deaths on the planet, and current therapeutifc approaches are under severe threat due to antibiotic resistance. The laboratory of CBR member Bob Hancock is engaged in research to address this growing problem. By using systems biology approaches to understand the mechanisms of action of antimicrobial petides […]
Leitch and Vickars identify survival benefits of iron chelation
Myelodysplastic syndromes and primary myelofibrosis are bone marrow failure disorders with a heightened leukemia risk. Affected patients require chronic red blood cell transfusions which leads to iron overload. Excess iron can cause damage to and faillure of the heart and live, and diabetes. In a series of publications, CBR investigators Heather Leitch and Linda Vickars […]
CBR Research Day 2010
One of the unique and valued features of the CBR is that it fosters translational research across multiple disciplines, with a focus on solving clinically relevant problems related to blood, blood diseases and blood processes. Multiple CBR events throughout the year encourage and facilitate interactions between CBR group members. The annual CBR Research Day is […]
Burtnick and colleagues unbury the mysteries of buried actin-binding sites
The dynamic and tightly regulated interactions of actin and actin-binding proteins determine the sape and function of all mammalian cells. Loss of integrity of these proteins and their capacity to modulate cell function under different pathophysiologic conditions are associated with a range of diseases. It is therefore critical to delineate the mechanisms underlying these interactions […]
Rossi lab finds elusive repair cell
Following damage, many organs regenerate and return to their original state. When regeneration fails, a fibrous scar tissue, often containing scattered fat cells (adipocytes), replaces the functional tissue and interferes with organ function. Preventing this process remains a challenge, and requires identification of the source of the fibrous tissue and characterization of the adult stem […]
Karsan group identify microRNAs that are important in a maligant blood disease
A study published in Nature Medicine, led by CBR investigator Aly Karsan, Professor and Medical Director of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory, BCCA, and Head of Clinical Genomic Diagnostics at the Genome Sciences Centre reveals the role of two microRNAs (miRs) in a subtype of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). MDS comprise a group of malignant hematopoietic stem […]
Apheresis Program of BC: A new name for a life-saving service
Apheresis is a process in which the blood of a donor or patient is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation. The first unit in BC over 20 years ago was stored in a mobile trailer in front of the emergency department of Vancouver General […]
Overall and Kizhakkedathu are on the TAILs of orphan proteases
Simple and reliable approaches to characterize the N-termini of proteins not only promise to provide insight into the regulation and functions of gene products, but they can also provide a convenient way to identify the cleavage products generated by proteases with poorly defined specificities. The substrates of proteases often provide important insights into their in […]
The VGH Apheresis Program to help test new treatment for TTP-HUS
Thrombotic-thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are devastating clinical syndromes characterized by low platelets, anemia, fever, neurologic symptoms and kidney failure. Daily plasma exchange is the first-line treatment for patients with TTP-HUS. Unfortunately, a significant number of patients fail to respond and second line therapies are not well established. The Apheresis Program of […]