Biomedical innovation is a six-step process from scientific discovery through to the development of patient-ready medicine. Learn more about the six steps and how we can accelerate them to bring lifesaving treatments to patients, sooner.
What if the world’s deadliest cancer could be quickly and easily detected using something as simple, and painless as a breath test? That’s the big question driving the work of Dr. Renelle Myers, a clinical associate professor in UBC’s department of medicine.
Right now, people in Canada wait up to an average of five years — and in some cases much longer — before they receive a diagnosis and treatment. UBC’s Dr. Paul Yong is helping ignite change for thousands of people faced with the painful disorder.
Right now, fewer cancer drugs are considered safe for children, so when a conventional treatment, like chemotherapy fails, or if the cancer returns, the road ahead for children and their families can seem daunting.
An innovative stem cell-based treatment for Type 1 diabetes can meaningfully regulate blood glucose levels and reduce dependence on daily insulin injections, according to new clinical trial results from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
The retina is our bridge to the visual world, transforming the light that enters our eyes into the images we see. Dr. Eduardo Navajas, clinical associate professor and director of resident research at UBC’s department of ophthalmology and visual sciences, is working to preserve this precious gateway for thousands of British Columbians.
On October 10, the Government of B.C. announced an expansion of the province’s clinical trial capacity that will enhance access to cutting-edge medical treatments for British Columbians and allow local researchers and biotech companies to test their discoveries within the province.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer have identified a previously unknown gene that drives the aggressive behaviour of high-risk neuroblastoma.
MSL’s Leslie Lab is focused on developing a better understanding of single-cell and molecule interactions that could improve medical therapies.
UBC Okanagan, Michigan State collaborators help identify, capture, clean airborne viruses, including coronavirus
A breakthrough UBC study reveals how superbugs like MRSA develop antibiotic resistance, paving the way for new therapies.
A UBC-led team has received more than $23 million in federal funding to develop precision radiopharmaceuticals that promise to transform cancer treatment
Canada’s biotech ecosystem is poised for a major boost with the federal government announcement today that B.C. will be home to Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH).
A team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that predicts cancer patient survival more accurately and with more readily available data than previous tools.
A drug originally designed to prevent osteoporosis is now expected to save and improve the lives of millions of people with breast cancer, thanks in part to decades of foundational research by Dr. Josef Penninger, a professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and director of the Life Sciences Institute.
With roots in UBC research, Alpha-9 Theranostics is developing cancer radiotherapies that target tumours while avoiding healthy tissues.
A breakthrough paper from the Zandstra lab has scientists excited about the potential impacts of their findings on personalized medicine.
Research from the UBC Faculty of Medicine could stop the disease in its tracks — and even reverse its devastating effects
UBC researchers at the BC Cancer Research Institute have made an advancement in genetic testing that allows for more accurate prediction of which parent’s genes led to an individual’s increased cancer risk.
Researchers at UBC’s Life Sciences Institute have identified a compound that shows early promise at halting infections from a range of coronaviruses, including all variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the common cold. The findings, published this week in Molecular Biomedicine, reveal a potential path toward antiviral treatments that could be used against many different pathogens.
A $33.8 million gift has been donated to the UBC Faculty of Medicine and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation for multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care — the largest known donation ever for MS research worldwide. At UBC, $29.85 million will be used to establish the B.C. MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network, or MS Research Network, a world-class research and patient-care hub that will use the latest advances in cell and gene engineering to develop, manufacture, and test next-generation cell-based therapies.
UBC researchers, Drs. Stephen Withers, Jay Kizhakkedathu and Peter Rahfeld have developed a process that could very well make blood types obsolete. To bring it to the world, the three created a company to help navigate regulatory requirements and enter the marketplace.
UBCO’s Dr. Christopher West is part of an interdisciplinary team exploring how implantable technologies can help people with spinal cord injury live longer, healthier lives
Researchers from UBC and the BC Cancer Research Institute (BCCRI) have uncovered new insights into how a dangerous subset of breast and ovarian cancers evolve — insights that could help us better understand how to treat these aggressive cancers.
Ovarian cancer impacts over 3,100 Canadian women each year, making it the most lethal of all female reproductive cancers. A new study led by Dr. Ali Bashashati, a UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher, reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) can aid in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Megan Levings and her team at UBC are engineering cell-based therapies that could transform the way we treat everything from Type 1 diabetes to multiple sclerosis.
Funding of $11.1 million for two UBC projects to improve pathogen response and boost the impact of B.C. biotechnology on the global stage.
Transformative technology developed at the Vancouver Prostate Centre is putting cell analytics into the hands of scientists around the globe. The technology — an artificial intelligence-driven smartphone app called SnapCyte — produces data for cell growth medical research faster and at a fraction of the cost compared to current technology.
New UBC research could make diagnosis, treatment and prevention more effective for everyone — especially women.
A team of University of British Columbia researchers working on developing oral insulin tablets as a replacement for daily insulin injections have made a game-changing discovery.
Researchers at the Michael Smith Laboratories and the School of Biomedical Engineering have published a breakthrough paper in Science Advances that just might change the game.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a key vulnerability across all major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the recently emerged BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron subvariants.
Dr. Nika Shakiba explains how emerging cell therapies could treat cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and more.
Using advanced neuroimaging, UBC scientists are changing how we understand and treat mental health disorders.
UBC researchers are playing a central role in a new international collaboration aimed at developing innovative treatments for osteosarcoma — a highly malignant bone cancer that commonly affects children and adolescents.
Researchers at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and BC Cancer have developed a new blood test that provides unprecedented insight into a patient’s cancer make-up, potentially allowing doctors to better select treatment options that will improve patient outcomes.
Researchers at UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering have discovered that an existing cancer drug could have potential as a treatment for muscular dystrophy.
A new Northern Centre for Clinical Research (NCCR) is being launched to create more opportunities for clinical and biomedical research in the north and to improve care for northerners.
As a GREx Institute, LSI will pursue the Biological Resilience Initiative, integrating foundational, cross-disciplinary and collaborative research, across multiple scales to elucidate the mechanisms of resilience in biological systems.
Last year, an interdisciplinary team led by UBC Nursing professor and Canada Research Chair in Senior Care Dr. Lillian Hung set out to help make ventilators more accessible. What they created is an effective, affordable ventilation device that costs only $100 to produce and weighs in at just six kilograms — ideal for use in remote care settings and patient transports like ambulances.
UBC Faculty of Medicine professor and Academy of Translational Medicine chair Dr. Poul Sorensen has received the 2022 Herman Suit Award for his lifesaving work on human sarcomas.
Researchers from the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) have received $1 million from Canada’s Stem Cell Network to conduct research and a clinical trial for one of the world’s first genetically engineered cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes.
Clinical Trials BC announced the recipients of two provincial clinical trials achievement awards.
Dr. Poul Sorensen’s breakthrough cancer research has saved countless lives. But he thinks we can cut the time from discovery to treatment by 50% — or more.
From cancer treatments to vaccines, Dr. Anna Blakney is working to unlock the enormous potential of mRNA.
UBC researchers have engineered the world’s fastest drug screening technology. It could revolutionize COVID-19 treatments — and more.
Scientists at UBC are determined to reduce ovarian cancer deaths and suffering by 50 per cent over the next decade.
Using 3D bioprinting technology, UBC researchers are working to grow tissue models of patients’ own brains. This could revolutionize Alzheimer’s treatments.
Dr. Megan Levings and her team are training the immune system to tolerate invaders. Their work could reduce the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
UBC researchers have developed a promising new treatment for one of the world’s most stubborn and debilitating diseases.
UBC researchers are developing an antiviral medication to stop the virus from replicating and limit progression of the disease.
Dr. Alexandra Williams, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical cardiovascular physiology at UBC’s International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), is studying the link between the cardiovascular and nervous systems to understand how we can use innovative treatments that target the heart to improve outcomes among individuals with spinal cord injury.
Vanessa Porter, a PhD candidate in UBC’s department of medical genetics, is using a cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology to understand how cervical cancers evolve and how this knowledge can inform future treatments for individual patients.
Dr. Soh Ishiguro, a postdoctoral fellow at the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering, is working on new genome editing tools that could one day cure rare and debilitating diseases from blood disorders to heart disease.
UBC Medicine professor Dr. Pieter Cullis helped pave the way for mRNA vaccines and other life-saving treatments thanks to his work on lipid nanoparticles.
Building an inclusive, cross-cutting research immunology and immune engineering community
"How hydrogel sensors work is they produce voltages and currents in reaction to stimuli, such as pressure or touch — what we are calling a piezoionic effect. But we didn't know exactly how these voltages are produced," said the study's lead author Yuta Dobashi, who started the work as part of his master's in biomedical engineering at UBC.
UBC Medicine researchers have found a ‘silver bullet’ to kill bacteria and keep them from infecting patients who have medical devices implanted.
The specially designed compound prevents the virus from entering human cells, and could be used as a broad-spectrum treatment against other viruses which use the same mechanism.
A high-tech mouthguard worn by UBC Thunderbird hockey players will record every big hit of the upcoming playoffs to capture data for UBC researchers who study c
UBC researchers at the Vancouver Prostate Centre are working to develop solutions for currently untreatable forms of male fertility.
The drug could be a game changer in the treatment of mental illness
Safoora Khosravi, a PhD student in UBC's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has developed an advanced wearable glucose sensor that could reduce the need for painful finger pricks by people living with diabetes.
B.C. is home to a booming biomedical sector that is turning scientific discoveries into life-saving treatments and preventions. But what if we could bring these new health innovations to patients in half the time?
Modern life wreaks havoc on the friendly microbes living in our guts. But bioengineering could help get our collective health back on track.
When the body heals improperly, scar tissue develops. But new tools to help immune cells communicate could extend patients' lifespans.
UBC scientists have proven it’s possible to safely convert the blood type of donor organs in an important step towards creating universal organs that could be life-saving for patients on waitlists.
Gandeeva Therapeutics, a Vancouver-based company led by UBC professor Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, is integrating cryo-electron microscopy and artificial intelligence to bring new treatment options to patients.
How do humans navigate their surroundings? Understanding this mechanism could help treat conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's.
A multidisciplinary team led by UBC researchers is working on a novel approach to heal spinal cord injury using biomaterials.
When the spirit of engineering comes forth to tackle some of the biggest challenges in medicine, incredible developments can happen.
A groundbreaking advance in quickly detecting sepsis using machine learning has been pioneered by researchers in the Hancock Lab and the department of microbiology and immunology at UBC.
UBC researchers received the Order of Canada — latest awards further highlight UBC’s and Vancouver’s emergence as a global hub for bio-innovation.
It's an emerging field, but what is it all about, and what kind of promise does it hold for patients? We talk to one of the pioneers of the field.
The findings shed new light on the variant’s high transmissibility and will help accelerate the development of more effective treatments.
The test could assist with earlier and more accurate diagnosis, giving patients and their families much needed answers and assistance with planning.
A team of UBC researchers has demonstrated that a stem cell-based implantable device can produce insulin in the human body – a major milestone towards a treatme
UBC researchers have engineered the fastest, AI-enabled technology of its kind to identify novel medications for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The test can more easily diagnose the most common malignant childhood brain tumour, paving the way for personalized treatment options for children suffering from the disease.
UBC researchers have discovered that Axitinib, a drug commonly used to treat cancer, can restore memory and cognitive function in mice that display symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
UBC researchers have uncovered a weakness in solid tumour cancer cells that will pave the way for new treatment strategies to limit the progression of tumours.
The breakthrough could one day improve quality of life for transplant patients and improve the lifespan of transplanted organs.
The trial will assess whether a simple blood test can detect circulating tumour DNA after surgery to better select chemotherapy for patients with stage III colorectal cancer.
UBC scientists are turning their attention to the future of mRNA technology, which could transform how we treat and prevent a wide range of diseases, and positioning British Columbia as a global biotech hub for cutting-edge vaccines and therapeutics.
Cancer patients in northwest B.C. undergoing a high-precision radiation treatment may have the opportunity to participate in a new pilot project that would bring access to care closer to home.
A recent discovery has uncovered the potential to prevent an aggressive and and often fatal form of childhood cancer from spreading beyond their primary tumour site.
Millions of Canadians have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, but what many may not realize is that a key component of the injection was developed at the UBC Vancouver campus.
The company, co-founded by UBC professor Dr. Peter Zandstra, is strengthening B.C.’s position as a global biotech hub.
ABOzymes Biomedical is helping realize a world where blood type is no longer a constraint for those receiving a life-saving transfusion or organ transplant.
This landmark development will usher in a new era for patients in Canada and around the world who rely on these isotopes for critical diagnostic procedures
The team is developing algorithms to assist radiologists and cancer researchers in the detection and assessment of tumours in PET/CT images.
UBC scientists have discovered a vulnerability in cancer cells that may offer a new treatment possibility for people diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer.
AbCellera, a local biotechnology company founded at the University of British Columbia (UBC), has developed a new method that can search immune responses more deeply than any other technology.
New discoveries in tissue engineering present 3-D-printed options for skin, organs, joints and ligaments. School of Engineering researchers are exploring processes to improve patients’ chances for successful tissue transplants.