Tiny Tumours and Oscillating Oxygen
Using 3D tumour spheroids, Dr. Karen Cheung and other UBC researchers sought to better understand how tumours behave within the framework of hypoxia and how they react to treatment – which is especially important, because hypoxia seems to hamper various kinds of therapy.
Cloud computing support accelerates COVID-19 vaccine improvements
For the last 11 months, UBC biochemistry and molecular biology professor Prof. Leonard Foster and his team have been studying how SARS-CoV-2 – the virus responsible for COVID-19 – attacks the human body, in hopes of developing a more targeted vaccine with fewer side effects.
Busting Deadly Blood Clots: Using siRNA Gene Therapy as a New Approach
Blood clots play a part in many severe health issues, from causing strokes and heart attacks to influencing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. We chatted with lead authors Dr. Christian Kastrup and PhD Candidate Amy Wong Strilchuk about their research, and how their findings might help dissolve clots safely.
Predicting the Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Proteins: Insights into Ongoing COVID-19 Research at the CBR
The overarching goal of this work is to the predict and identify potentially detrimental mutations in SARS-CoV-2 using a combination of artificial intelligence, sequence-based prediction algorithms, and atomic resolution structural biology.
Just Keep Swarming
Members of the Hancock lab recently published a study detailing the multidrug adaptative antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa swarming cells. They explored the role of swarming in the development of resistance to a variety of antibiotics, and the genetic mechanisms behind this adaptive resistance.
New algorithm can identify cells that humans can’t
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed an algorithm that can accurately identify different types of cells pictured in microscope photos, even when those cells are indistinguishable to the human eye.
Challenging the dogma of innate lymphoid cell (ILC) development
New research from the McNagny Lab finds that type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), which play a key role in mucosal immunology and allergic lung disease, may develop in the thymus rather than the bone marrow, thus rewriting the “life-story” of ILC2 development.
An Alternative Take on Summer Student Research Projects: The “Going Viral” Video Series
Mahtab Gill, Loïc Caloren, Nicolas Gauthier, and Nancy Yang have used their collective scientific knowledge and laboratory experiences to communicate everything a lay person should know about HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
A Step Towards Improved Lubricants: Mega-HPGs and Arthritic Diseases
Intact synovial fluid is critical for lubricating joints in the human body. It prevents the cartilage covering the bones at the joints from being damaged by friction caused by everyday movement.
Peptide-based Drugs: A SPOT More Stable
Host defense peptides – in addition to their synthetic analogues, innate defense regulator (IDR) peptides have recently gained attention as a new strategy for treating challenging infections.