Hi-Definition HIV Sequencing in the Harrigan Lab
Low levels of drug resistant HIV can emerge when exposed to drugs. Researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS have developed a “deep” sequencing approach that gives an in-depth cross-section of the HIV envelope profile in patients. HIV is extracted from patient blood samples and a portion of the envelope gene (which mediates […]
Multiple PI’s “Platelet Investigators” in the Devine Lab
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) investigators Elena Levin, Craig Jenkins, Brankica Culibrk and Katherine Serrano in the lab of Dr. Dana Devine, and Maria Gyongyossy-Issa from the Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have been studying the quality of platelets, a key blood transfusion component that is essential to prevent bleeding. These CBR scientists designed a […]
Aging in HIV/AIDS: Hélène Côté makes breakthroughs in understanding the risks of HIV therapies
Approximately 3 million HIV-infected women become pregnant every year and approximately 90% of HIV-infected children acquire HIV through mother-to-child transmission. To prevent transmission and/or for their own health, HIV-infected women can receive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) during pregnancy. This greatly decreases the risk of mother-to-child transmission, from 20-25% to <2%. Although the benefits of […]
Kizhakkedathu’s polymer lab is on the road to generating universal donor red blood cells
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are vital for the treatment of a number of acute and chronic medical problems. Identification of donor RBCs that match the prospective recipient who requires transfusion is occasionally difficult, placing the patient at risk if a match is not available. At present no method is available for the generation of […]
Challenging dogma: Jefferies and colleagues uncover new insights into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease
Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). A UBC team led by CBR investigator Dr. Wilf Jefferies has performed studies in mice and humans that challenge current dogma and reveal new ideas as to the underlying cause of the brain dysfunction. They show […]
Protein-protein interaction maps: The Kast lab devises novel approaches to analyze the vast amounts of data
Mapping protein-protein interactions is critical for deciphering complex cellular functions. For this reason, high performance mass spectrometers have been developed, allowing investigators to analyze hundreds of thousands of peptides from thousands of proteins. There is, however, a stumbling block: The ability to generate data in proteomic experiments far outstrips the ability to analyze it. As […]
Blood and guts: McNagny’s team identifies novel pathways involved in inflammatory bowel disease
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is increasing in prevalence, and is characterized by weight loss, diarrhea, bleeding and fever. The disorder features invasion of the intestinal wall with the white blood cells, distortion of normal glanduloar structures, and multiple abscesses. Although it is known that altered regulation of the immune response […]
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 […]
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 […]