Research

Ambulance with sirens flashing driving quickly past what looks like a hospital setting.

Machine learning and AI used to rapidly detect sepsis, cutting risk of death dramatically

A groundbreaking advance in quickly detecting sepsis using machine learning has been pioneered by researchers in the Hancock Lab.

Pills and medication

UBC researchers train computers to predict the next designer drugs

Research from Dr. Michael Skinnider and Dr. Leonard Foster have trained computers to predict the next designer drugs before they are even on the market, technology that could save lives.

UBC-led researchers uncover how the novel coronavirus escapes a cell’s antiviral defenses

UBC-led researchers uncover how the novel coronavirus escapes a cell’s antiviral defenses

A UBC-led research team has uncovered how the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 escapes destruction in infected cells, allowing SARS-CoV-2 to persist and continue spreading in the human body.

Image of bacteria on a black background

Warding Off the Post-Antibiotic Era: Stimulating the Pursuit to Visualize a Common Antibiotic Target

In a paper by Caveney et al., the antibiotic-free structure of a penicillin-binding protein from the human pathogen Escherichia coli was determined using single-particle cryo-EM.

Illustration of a microscopy image of an endothelial glycocalyx. Illustration by the Centre for Blood Research (CBR).

Developing microchip technology to better answer questions about the endothelial glycocalyx

The Kizhakkedathu Lab and their collaborators developed an improved method for studying glycocalyces by using microfluidic chip technology.

Black and white image of a brain. Credit: Unsplash.

Cancer chemotherapy drug reverses Alzheimer’s symptoms in mice

A drug commonly used to treat cancer can restore memory and cognitive function in mice with Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, Jefferies Lab researchers have found.

A group of doctors or surgeons operating at a table

Innovative coating for blood vessels reduces rejection of transplanted organs

Researchers have found a way to reduce organ rejection following a transplant by using a special polymer to coat blood vessels on the organ to be transplanted.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) logo, which looks like a green leaf with people in the middle, and the text "CIHR Spring 2021 Project Grant Competition"

CBR researchers to investigate type 2 diabetes with CIHR Spring 2021 Project Grant

With this funding, project principal investigator Dr. Edward Conway, co-investigator Dr. Leonard Foster and their teams will study the role of protein CD248 in diabetes and adipose tissue health, an area of research that could aid the development of new therapies.

Dr. Andrew Shih's bio photo on the left, text on the right with a stylized illustration of plasma that reads: "Dr. Andrew Shih is pursuing an innovative project for convalescent plasma process mapping and distribution in BC, which could help manage future pandemics and experimental trials"

Dr. Andrew Shih pursues an innovative project for convalescent plasma process mapping and distribution with Canadian Blood Services funding

Dr. Andrew Shih and his team were recently awarded funding to study both the rollout of CONCOR-1 and distribution strategies for convalescent plasma throughout BC, with the aim of using this unique circumstance to apply learning to future pandemics and experimental trials.

In illustrated style, a ring of circles with illustrated organs surrounding a circle in the middle with a mouse illustration. The circles in the outside ring have stylized drawings of organs like the lungs, the brain, and the heart.

Enhancing the Understanding of How Diseases Occur in One Organ But Not Another

An international team led by UBC researchers — including Dr. Leonard Foster and Michael Skinnider of the CBR — used proteomics to map how proteins interact, revealing how the same protein, expressed in two different tissues, can have dramatically different impacts.