Researchers at the centre are using tissue microarray technology to systematically validate whether certain biomarkers – cellular or molecular substances found in cancers – can be used to improve cancer diagnostics or predict the course of disease. With the ability to test hundreds of tumour samples at a time, researchers can assess the potential value of potential biomarkers with an efficiency that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
Year: 2004
Nutrition Research Program
Dietary components are powerful determinants of health, affecting every aspect of human function from regulation of gene function to growth, physical and cognitive performance as well as our susceptibility to and ability to recover from disease. The Nutrition Research Centre at the Child and Family Research Institute on the site of BC’s Children’s & Women’s Health Centre is exploring the development of innovative nutritional strategies for preventing and managing disease, and for supporting children to achieve their maximum potential for physical and neurological development and health throughout life.
Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia Care
This unit is studying the effectiveness of a “personhood-centred” approach to the care of people with dementia. Unit researchers are examining whether focusing on the individual and their social interactions rather than the disease process can reduce disability, lessen the agitation associated with dementia, help people better maintain their sense of personal identity, and improve quality of life.
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Stem Cell Physiology
Researchers in the Stem Cell Physiology Research Unit, located at The Biomedical Research Centre at UBC, are studying the biology of bone marrow stem cells and the immune system. They are focusing on understanding the molecular mechanisms that control how bone-marrow stem cells self-renew and how they differentiate into and function as specific types of blood cells. Their long-term goal is to understand how defence, repair, and regeneration are regulated and how this knowledge can be exploited to benefit health and offer new treatments for disease.
Childhood Diabetes Research Unit
More than 1,000 children in BC have Type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which typically has been regarded as the adult form of the disease, is on the rise in children. Researchers in this unit are investigating new ways to predict, prevent and treat diabetes in children, with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.
PC-TRIADD: The Prostate Centre’s Translational Research Initiative for Accelerated Discovery and Development
PC-TRIADD is a new initiative of the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, where scientists and clinicians work together to translate discovery research into clinical practice through the development and implementation of clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of new gene therapies. The centre contains the largest prostate tumor bank in Canada, and was the first organization in B.C. to construct and use “high throughput microarrays,” which enables researchers to study thousands of genes simultaneously from tissue samples. Scientists at the centre have already identified five key genes that cause prostate cancer to progress, and have developed targeted drugs that are currently being tested in clinical trials.
Child and Youth Developmental Trajectories Research Unit
Economic circumstances, family environment, neighbourhood conditions, cultural influences and biology all play a part in child and youth development. Because health, education, community and socioeconomic data have traditionally been tracked separately, researchers have not had the capacity to fully investigate the complex factors that affect the development of children and youth in BC. The new data system developed by the unit will change that, giving BC greater capacity than any other jurisdiction in the world to track the factors that support or undermine children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, from the prenatal period through to early adulthood. This dedicated research team will expand the work of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) based at UBC, which is an interdisciplinary network of more than 150 faculty, researchers and students from universities across BC that examines development across the lifespan.
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Identification of the roles played by NIMA-related kinases in flagellar, microtubule, and cell cycle regulation and signalling in Chlamydomonas
NIMA-related kinases are a diverse family of proteins found in virtually all eukaryotic cells. Single-celled eukaryotes, such as yeast, have a single NIMA family member that helps regulate cell division. A recent discovery that Chlamydomonas, a single-celled green algae, has at least seven family members strikingly contrasts with other unicellular organisms. What sets Chlamydomonas apart from the other unicellular eukaryotes studied to date is the presence of cilia. Mutations in some NIMA kinsases can produce kidney cysts, as do mutations in the proteins essential for assembling cilia, short, hair-like structures that protrude from cell walls and sweep mucus up and out of lungs. In earlier research, Brian Bradley helped identify six new genes in Chlamydomonas. These algae are found all over the world, and are often used for research in cell and molecular biology. Now Brian is using the algae to study the assembly and function of cilia. Brian’s research could help explain the role of NIMA-related kinases in development of kidney disease.
Effects of acute and chronic exercise on mental health, sexual functioning and hormone level in premenopausal women
Regular aerobic exercise can significantly improve physical and mental health. Exercise helps prevent and treat heart disease, hypertension and stroke. It also alleviates stress, anxiety and depression. Yet little research has been undertaken to access the impact of exercise on sexual functioning in women, even though sexual health is increasingly recognized as an important part of overall well-being and quality of life. Research involving men suggests regular aerobic exercise can enhance sexual desire, frequency and satisfaction. Amanda LaMarre is investigating how short-term and regular aerobic exercise affects sexual arousal and functioning in women, with a focus on physical, hormonal and psychological changes created by exercise. The results could help women with satisfactory sexual functioning and those experiencing sexual difficulties learn how to enhance their sexual, physical and emotional health.
Examining day-to-day stress and coping among individuals with spinal cord injury: effects on mood, functional ability and health status
Spinal cord injuries lead to a variety of outcomes because of the unique nature of such injuries. Although the level of injury accounts for many of the differences in recovery among people with spinal cord injuries, it doesn’t fully explain differences in functional ability and adaptation to life after an injury. Evidence suggests the way people cope with a life-altering spinal injury may be as important to their recovery and health status as the extent of their injury or the care received. Sharon Lee is studying the impact of different coping behaviours on rates and extent of physical and mental recovery from spinal injury. Through face-to-face and telephone interviews, Sharon is investigating the relationship between stress, coping strategies and social support in people with spinal cord injuries. Results from the research could be used to develop therapies that help newly injured individuals cope and readjust to life with the best possible health status.