Program: Match Funding

The University of British Columbia Genes, Cells and Circuits (UBC-GC2) platform for next-generation multiscale brain research

Brain dysfunction – which impairs both physical and mental health – is one of the greatest challenges to individual and societal well-being today. There is an urgent need for research that deepens our understanding of human brain function, and to use this knowledge to accelerate therapeutic breakthroughs. The University of British Columbia Genes, Cells, and Circuits (UBC-GC2) Platform will address this challenge by uniquely integrating cutting-edge microscopy and gene-expression technologies, enhancing brain research across distinct experimental settings. Led by Dr. Mark Cembrowski and a team of researchers at UBC with support by expert personnel, UBC-GC2 will establish a pipeline that combines functional mapping of cellular-resolution neuronal activity with static data-rich snapshots of neural circuits, cell types, and constituent molecules. Key infrastructure components of UBC-GC2 will include a Two-Photon Imaging Foundry for microscopy to record cellular activity at wide fields of view, and a Cleared Tissue Processing and Imaging Suite with microscopy and genomics equipment for high-sensitivity examination of brain tissue. The UBC-GC2 platform will enable groundbreaking experimental paradigms across a variety of brain disorders and diseases, applied in both living human brain tissue as well as in vivo and ex vivo analyses of rodent models. UBC-GC2 is a BC-based project, but our research deliverables will be available to local, national and international researchers, facilitated by a variety of remote access options as well as an in-person “Collaborative Residency” program. Consistent with our commitment to Open Science, UBC-GC2 will provide freely accessible data, results, analysis methods, and technological advances to the neuroscience community. With cutting-edge technology, expert personnel, and an integrated and open approach, UBC-GC2 holds immense potential to advance fundamental neuroscience knowledge and drive breakthroughs in the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics.

This project is supported by the Brain Canada Foundation, via an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, and is further supported by the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering.

Blocking the tumour-promoting effects of Fusobacterium nucleatum by eliciting an effective immune response against the tumour-binding Fap2 lectin

This Health Research BC and GlycoNet co-funded project focuses on Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), an oral gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium that can spread in the blood to colonize colorectal adenocarcinomas and other cancer types. Fn is found in ~50% of colorectal tumors and is associated with chemoresistance, metastasis, recurrence, and generally poor patient outcomes. Our overarching hypothesis is that immune interventions against Fn can mitigate its tumorpromoting effects. Tumour colonization by Fn is mediated by Fap2, a large (400 kDa) lectin that binds to host cell GalGalNAc, over-expressed by CRC tumour cells. Our objective for this project is to create recombinant, truncated forms of Fap2 with native conformation, which will serve as immunogens for the generation of candidate vaccines and mAbs that will then be tested in murine challenge models. In future work, we will aim to advance promising candidates to academic clinical trials.

Platform for Regulatory Science, Innovation, and Equitable Health Systems (PRISm)

Canada’s life sciences sector is poised to turn research into health solutions for addressing health threats. There is a central challenge: existing practices, policies, and processes slow patient access to new technologies.

 

With support from Genome BC’s Immunoengineering Strategic Initiatives (GISI) and Health Research BC, a new initiative aims to change that.

 

The Platform for Regulatory Science, Innovation, and Equitable Health Systems (PRISm) will position British Columbia—and Canada—as a global leader in regulatory science. By engaging communities and tapping into BC’s robust data ecosystem, PRISm will make sure that new health discoveries reach patients sooner.

 

Led by Dr. Dean Regier, Director, Academy of Translational Medicine, University of British Columbia and Senior Scientist at BC Cancer, PRISm brings together scientists from different fields to collaborate in an innovative way, driving systems change. This research will:

1. Simplify data capture and access, finding new ways to share crucial information across health systems.

2. Fast track product development, producing clinical, economic, and equity evidence that makes downstream healthcare decisions easier.

3. Quickly transition innovations to the market and to health systems, focusing on equity, safety, value, and sustainability.

4. Mentor students and new researchers, building the next generation of experts.

 

Community engagement is central to PRISm. Together, we will ensure that the evidence we produce responds to the needs of diverse populations. Collaborations with governments and industry will make our research findings policy-relevant and immediately actionable.

 

Through inclusive research, training, and decision-making, PRISm will help build a learning health system for Canada—one that is equitable, evidence-driven, and resilient in the face of health threats.

“DeCIDE” – short for “Designer Cellular Immuno-Engineering for Infectious Disease Elimination”

The Zandstra and Levings research groups are excited to receive matching funds from Health Research BC to support our Immunoengineering Strategic Initiative from Genome BC. This funding will support our vision to incorporate cell-based immunotherapies into British Columbia’s pandemic response preparedness.

 

This project is led by Dr. Peter Zandstra, director of the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC, and Dr. Megan Levings, Investigator and Lead, Childhood Diseases Theme, BC Children’s Hospital. We are pleased to collaborate with Amgen, BioCanRx, Breakthrough T1D, CCRM, and CIHR on this exciting study.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to complement vaccine development with cell therapies. For the clinically extremely vulnerable (~200,000 people in BC), the risk of viral infection is a daily reality. Among people living with a transplant, mortality approached 20% early in the pandemic, and many (>50%) are unable to mount good antibody responses even after receiving two-dose vaccination. Other immune suppressed individuals and older adults also have poor vaccine responses. Poor viral control can also trigger new diseases, such as long COVID, multiple sclerosis, and Lupus, all characterized by inflammation and tissue damage.

 

Our vision is to harness advances in stem cell biology, genome engineering, and biomanufacturing to produce modular immune cell therapies that can be delivered quickly anywhere in Canada. Such “off-the-shelf” cell therapies will: 1) have immediate applications for immune-compromised people and those at-risk of, or experiencing, severe infection-related complications; and 2) be poised to be rapidly pivoted to pandemic response.

Microbiota for Pandemic Interventions and Exploration (MiPEx)

This project is supported by the Genome BC Immunoengineering Strategic Initiative (GISI), with funding from Genome Canada and matching funds through Health Research BC. It is a BC-based initiative with national and international collaborations. 

 

Dr. Carolina Tropini, the BC Principal Investigator from the University of British Columbia, leads a multidisciplinary team alongside co-leaders Dr. Bruce Vallance and Dr. Lisa Osborne. Together, they are tackling a serious health threat: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR makes infections harder to treat and is expected to cause 10 million deaths per year globally by 2050. Many of these infections begin in the gut, where harmful bacteria can thrive when the body’s natural defences are weak. 

 

The MiPEx project focuses on strengthening those defences by harnessing the human gut microbiota—the collection of helpful microbes that live in our digestive system. Some people naturally carry beneficial microbes that help fight off harmful bacteria. This research aims to identify and develop those helpful microbes into “live biotherapeutics,” a new kind of treatment that uses good bacteria to block infections. 

 

The team will use advanced lab techniques and models that mimic the human gut, including gut-on-a-chip technology and germ-free mice, to test how well these microbes work. In the future, this approach could help protect vulnerable individuals, reduce the need for antibiotics, and strengthen Canada’s preparedness for future pandemics. 

 

By developing innovative, sustainable treatments, MiPEx contributes to BC’s health care and biotechnology sectors and supports healthier outcomes for all Canadians. 

 

A Pathogen-ready Arsenal of Next-generation lipid nanoparticle (LNP) messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics

RNA-based genetic medicines have enormous potential to transform disease prevention and treatment. However, RNA molecules are very unstable, and the analytical methods available to assess them can’t accurately predict how effective a new genetic medicine will be. A lot of time and money is therefore spent on testing each RNA in labour-intensive functional experiments, slowing drug optimization efforts. 

 

This project titled A Pathogen-ready Arsenal of Next-generation lipid nanoparticle (LNP) messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics (PAN-RNA) funded by Genome BC Immunoengineering Strategic Initiative aims to develop two new genetic medicines (for autoimmune disorders and cystic fibrosis), and a comprehensive analytical platform designed to accelerate their development and optimization. We will screen viral genomes to identify sequences that increase RNA stability and expression in specific target cell types, such as lung cells for the cystic fibrosis drug. We will then experimentally assess the functional performance of therapeutic RNAs that incorporate these viral elements. In parallel, we will use advanced imaging-based measurement techniques to comprehensively characterize genetic medicines containing different RNAs. Correlating the resulting data with our functional data on the same RNAs will allow us to develop sophisticated mathematical models that can predict the effectiveness of RNAs using our analytics methods alone, vastly reducing the amount of time and money spent on functional testing. 

 

The immediate outcomes of the project will be two new candidate genetic medicines for further development, a validated analytics platform, and mathematical models to predict genetic medicine performance. However, our work will also serve as proof-of-concept that can be rapidly applied to the development of numerous other genetic medicines. These outcomes will help the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors accelerate their genetic medicine development pipelines, ultimately creating new medicines to fight pandemics and help Canadians living with autoimmune disorders, cystic fibrosis, cancer, and other diseases. Our work will also help create new Canadian biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry jobs, companies, and revenue streams, providing additional economic benefits. 

 

The BC-based PAN-RNA project is led by UBC co-directors Eric Jan (Life Sciences Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and Sabrina Leslie (Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Physics). PAN-RNA has assembled a team of expert leaders including Pieter Cullis, a world leader in LNP delivery technology and Laura Evgin, an ECR-expert in CAR-T therapies, Leonard Foster, a proteomics/mass spectrometry expert with extensive experience running a core platform, and collaborators Selena Sagan (molecular virologist), Sarah Hedtrich (lung epithelial gene therapy), Marco Marra (world leader in genomics), and Robin Coope (high-throughput instrumentation). The PAN-RNA project is co-funded by CIHR and NSERC. 

The Trans Healthcare Research Co-Lab

The Trans Healthcare Research Co-Lab is a research program focused on transgender and nonbinary people’s health and healthcare experiences. The aim of this collaborative research endeavor is to conduct community-controlled research that informs practice and supports the health and well-being of trans and nonbinary people in BC and across Canada. The project is led by Leo Rutherford and utilizes connections to the Community-Based Research Centre and Trans Care BC and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Transition to Leadership Award. While research on the topics is burgeoning, very little research has actively involved community members in designing and carry out projects about health and healthcare. Projects undertaken by the Trans Healthcare Research Co-lab then, will be based on trans community-identified needs and priorities and utilize community-based participatory and patient oriented approaches. The mission of this program is to positively impact the lives of trans and nonbinary people by creating valuable research and knowledge that is given back to the community who needs it most. We will utilize both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect data about community identified research priorities. Through this work we will also create a foundation for future research about gender-affirming healthcare.

Progress Report – May 2025

 

Progress
  • Consulted community members on research design, including feedback on data collection tools, methods, recruitment approaches, and knowledge translation strategies.
  • Hired a research assistant to support tool development and administrative processes; an REB application has been drafted.
  • Established a community engagement committee to support ongoing project activities.
  • Formed active collaborations with the Community-Based Research Center (CBRC) and the Center for Research, Education and Advocacy for Transgender Equity (CREATE), which are enhancing reach, recruitment, and knowledge translation.

 

Achievements
  • Presented a research poster at a conference, outlining the study’s aims and potential impacts on transgender health care.
  • Strengthened community-grounded research capacity by embedding patient-oriented practices from the outset.
  • Broadened the accessibility and reach of project findings through partnerships that offer mentorship, in-kind support, and strategic guidance in community-based research.

Development of 3D-printed cardiac organoids for -omics applied to personalized medicine

Our project, made possible with matched funding from Michael Smith Health Research BC, has been funded by Genome Canada’s Canadian Biotechnology Innovation and Commercialization program. This is a BC-based project, in collaboration with Axolotl Biosciences of Victoria. Axolotl is a start-up specializing in producing bioinks for 3D-bioprinting of stem cell-based tissues for applications in disease modeling. In this project, we will develop a bioink meant for stem cell-based heart tissues, to allow us to study heart diseases.

 

In the Laksman lab, we use personalized stem cells to produce heart tissues for in vitro studies. These stem cells are often from individuals with heart rhythm diseases such as atrial fibrillation, and who may have genetic variants of interest. Using our custom-engineered imaging system, we can measure several properties of the heart tissues at the same time – including both electrical and physical properties of the tissue. The ability to 3D-print heart tissues using a novel bioink will increase the speed and consistency of our studies, and enable high-throughput applications such as drug screening.

 

To carry out this work, we will use our multi-parameter imaging system in combination with studies of gene expression, and we will identify bioink formulations that produce 3D tissues that more closely resemble adult human hearts than current heart tissue models. This will have potential value in both drug discovery and drug toxicity assays. Ultimately, this project will allow us to identify therapies for patients.

Longitudinal, Deep-Phenotyped Pediatric Databank of Medical and Drug Therapy Outcomes

This sequencing project will enable improvements to drug safety and effectiveness for children by making genomic data on their responses and adverse reactions to various medications more widely accessible to researchers and health regulatory agencies.

Abstract: This project will leverage the existing resources of the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety (CPNDS) to bring a pediatric component to the Pan Canadian Genome Library and allow CPNDS to continue its work in making medications safer for children locally, nationally and internationally. Over the past 20 years, the CPNDS has collected DNA and biological samples from over 12,350 patients together with comprehensive demographic and clinical data that characterize their responses to over 100,000 medication uses and over 10,000 severe adverse drug reactions. This number is remarkable given that pediatric diseases like cancers are rare and severe adverse drug reactions are rare occurrences as well. Some patients have more than 40 years of longitudinal data. These patients were recruited and enrolled from 14 academic health centres in geographically diverse locations across eight provinces in Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland). This funding is critical for the continuation of this network.

This project has four primary objectives to support the Pan-Canadian Genomics Library (PCGL):

1. Contact previously recruited patients in the CPNDS databank and re-consent them for inclusion of their de-identified clinical and genomic data into the Pan-Canadian Genomics Library (PCGL)

2. Continue to prospectively recruit and enroll patients at our 10 existing study sites over the course of this four-year project (n=4,000). This additional recruitment will be conducted through the lens of significantly enhancing inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) of the cohort. These samples are being added to ensure that future research beyond this project has a richer and more diverse database of clinical and genomic data to work with.

3. Improve the genomic data holdings from genome-wide genotype typing data (GWAS) to whole-genome sequencing data – short-read sequencing will be conducted for n=10,985 and long-read sequencing will be conducted for n=1,000. This will allow for much more in-depth investigations of drug-induced harm.

4. Conduct genomic analyses using the generated whole-genome sequencing data to explore and identify biomarkers that are predictive of drug-induced harm associated with seven severe adverse drug reactions experienced by pediatric oncology patients in Canada while facilitating dialogue and engaging with the multidisciplinary team assembled for this project. The generation of this data will facilitate research and innovation to improve drug safety and effectiveness in children by making these data more widely accessible to researchers from academic, charitable organizations, health centres, for-profit private companies and health regulatory agencies.

Link: https://genomecanada.ca/project/longitudinal-deep-phenotyped-pediatric-databank-of-medical-and-drug-therapy-outcomes/

Optimization of a tumor-specific antibody for the treatment of cancer

The McNagny and Roskelley research teams are thrilled to receive generous Matching Funds from Health Research BC in support of our 2025 GlycoNet Strategic Initiatives Grant from the Canadian Glycomics Network Centre of Excellence. This critical funding, made possible through Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence and Strategic Science Fund programs, will accelerate our mission to develop novel groundbreaking cancer immunotherapies.

 

Led by Prof. Kelly M. McNagny from the School of Biomedical Engineering and co-applicant Prof. Calvin Roskelley, both at the Vancouver Campus of the University of British Columbia, this project merges world-class academic expertise and cutting-edge industrial innovation. We are proud to collaborate with MetaStem Therapeutics (a UBC startup) and iProgen Biotech, two pioneering BC-based companies committed to bringing the next-generation of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapies to the clinic. Their invaluable industry expertise and in-kind support will help drive this research forward to meet a critical unmet clinical need in treating patients with metastatic cancer.

 

Our work builds on groundbreaking insights into the function of the stem cell glycoprotein, podocalyxin, a key driver of aggressive tumor cell behavior and an effective predictor of poor outcomes in most types of solid tumors. From these insights, we have developed a prototype ADC-based immunotherapy engineered to selectively bind and eliminate tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues. Based on these crucial findings, we will now refine and optimize our ADC to enhance its effectiveness against recurrent ovarian and pancreatic cancers, laying the foundation for the rapid transition of this therapy into clinical trials.

 

Our ultimate goal is to develop more effective, less toxic treatment options for patients battling these devastating cancers. Thanks to this generous support, we are one step closer to making this very novel therapeutic approach available to those patients for which there are currently few effective clinical options.