Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

10/07/2019

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019 has just announced, what is your thoughts? And what may be the implication of the findings in your current research?

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2019/prize-announcement/

07/22/2019

It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Dr. Bruce Verchere as the Director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT).

Dr. Verchere is a highly accomplished researcher and Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Surgery. He is a prominent member of both the UBC and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) communities.

Over the course of its twenty-year history, CMMT researchers have made significant achievements advancing the state of health research and making changes to the lives of children and families in BC and beyond. As a Faculty of Medicine Senate-approved centre, CMMT currently supports ten principal investigators dedicated to understanding the genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors that contribute to disease and translating this specialized knowledge into new prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies. As a scientist and academic of international standing and an experienced administrator with a long track record of success, Dr. Verchere is uniquely well suited to build on this exceptional legacy and advance CMMT's vital mission.

As head of the Canucks for Kids Fund (CFKF) Diabetes Research Laboratories since its creation in 2002, Dr. Verchere has established BC Children's as a national leader in the field of pediatric diabetes research. During his time in this role he has built a multi-disciplinary team of over 100 world-class researchers, trainees and staff, secured several major infrastructure grants, and developed an engaged provincial network to further research into understanding the causes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and improving treatments. Throughout this time, Bruce has continued to pursue his own leading-edge research on the functioning of insulin-producing beta cells and how their dysfunction or failure contributes to type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

A well-respected leader, Dr. Verchere has offered tireless service to BC Children's and UBC, as well as the larger research community in Canada. He is currently a member of BCCHR's Research Leadership Council and the Faculty of Medicine Faculty Academic Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. He has also served on the national boards of Diabetes Canada and Partners in Research and on the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes Institute Advisory Board.

In the coming weeks, BCCHR will begin recruitment for a new head of the Canucks for Kids Fund Diabetes Research Laboratories. Dr. Verchere will continue in this role until a successor is identified.

On behalf of CMMT, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and the UBC Faculty of Medicine, please join us in congratulating Dr. Verchere on this appointment.

03/26/2019

The SBN Biotech Expo is a major annual event that showcases the best and the brightest of the BC Biotech and Life Sciences industry

03/26/2019

The latest volume of Human Gene Therapy features the research findings published by the joint effort of the Simpson and Wasserman labs at Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics.

Figure caption: In vivo fundus autofluorescence (FAF) demonstrated intense expression (white) in the perifoveal ring, optic nerve, and nerve fibers.

03/20/2019

The Simpson and Wasserman labs used computational biology and mined the human genome for the best genes from which to develop a novel minimal promoter element(s) designed for expression in restricted cell types (MiniPromoter) to improve the safety and efficacy of retinal ganglion cell gene therapy.

To read more about their latest exciting findings:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/hum.2018.118

Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

Human Gene TherapyVol. 30, No. 3Research ArticlesOpen AccessOpen Access licenseNew MiniPromoter Ple345 (NEFL) Drives Strong and Specific Expression in Retinal Ganglion Cells of Mouse and Primate Retina Elizabeth M. Simpson, Andrea J. Korecki, Oriol Fornes, Trevor J. McGill, Jorge Luis Cueva-Vargas,....

02/28/2019

Four positions available in the Wasserman lab to work in the enticing Silent Genomes Project (https://www.bcchr.ca/silent-genomes-project):

01/31/2019

11/27/2018

Recently published in FASEB journal, the Hayden Lab identified a novel caspase protease site that regulates mutant HTT aggregation, indicating caspase-1 might be target to promote mutant HTT clearance in Huntington disease.

ResearchIdentification of a novel caspase cleavage site in huntingtin that regulates mutant huntingtin clearanceDale D. O. Martin, Mandi E. Schmidt, Yen T. Nguyen, Nikola Lazic, and Michael R. HaydenDale D. O. MartinDepartment of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The....

11/13/2018

A layer of tissue that’s only a single cell thick is all that that separates our intestines from the world of microbes living inside our gut. Until recently, scientists believed this layer, which is called the intestinal epithelium, was just a simple protective barrier. Thanks to work done in Dr. ...

11/09/2018

New Times Higher Education global subject rankings have been released, with UBC at 26 in Life Sciences, 52 in Physical Sciences, 12 in Psychology and 30 in Pre-clinical, Clinical & Health. http://ow.ly/as9R30mxqid

11/08/2018

The Department of Medical Genetics is holding their annual Research Day at Life Sciences Institute tomorrow (Nov 9th), please see poster below for detail:
University of British Columbia
UBC Faculty of Medicine

10/30/2018

How do vaccines work at a population level? How can Canadians address health inequities beyond our own borders? Check out the video of Dr. Julie Bettinger's and Dr. Gina Ogilvie's presentations from last week's Mini Med School to learn about these topics and more:bit.ly/2OZb1DW

10/30/2018

This year our Department of Medicine Research Expo will be held at the Paetzold Health Education Centre, Vancouver General Hospital on November 7, 2018.

10/24/2018

seminar this Wednesday at 12 pm at LSC3; Dr. Elizabeth M. Simpson from Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics: "CRISPR for Gene Therapy and Novel Mouse Models"

10/22/2018

An enterovirus could be the cause, but proof is elusive

10/12/2018

Join us! Our Research Services team is looking for a full-time Administrative Coordinator. Check out this great opportunity: bit.ly/2yu3q5y

10/04/2018

We are looking forward to hosting Prof. Surani and Dr. Murray during the Gairdner symposium on Oct 22.

Gairdner Foundation
University of British Columbia

2018 Gairdner International Symposium Time: 3:30- 6:00 pm, Monday, October 22, 2018 Venue: LSC2, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6…

10/03/2018

"Gladish said there was a "striking" difference in tagging between those who'd been abused and those who had not."

University of British Columbia
CMMT - Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

Children who are abused can be left with physical, "molecular scars" on their DNA that last well into adulthood, according to a new study from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia.

10/03/2018

Children who are abused might carry the imprint of that trauma in their cells – a biochemical marking that is detectable years later, according to new research from BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia and Harvard University.

10/03/2018

In a joint effort with our partner academic institutes, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute is recruiting new faculty in a variety of research areas.

10/01/2018

Therapies based on the discovery by Tasuku Honjo – awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize – proved to be strikingly effective in the fight against cancer.

Honjo discovered PD-1, a protein expressed on the surface of T cells, in 1992. Determined to unravel its role, he meticulously explored its function in a series of elegant experiments performed over many years in his laboratory at Kyoto University.

The results showed that PD-1, similar to CTLA-4 – the protein discovered by fellow 2018 Medicine Laureate James P. Allison – functions as a T-cell brake but operates by a different mechanism. In animal experiments, PD-1 blockade was also shown to be a promising strategy in the fight against cancer. This paved the way for utilising PD-1 as a target in the treatment of patients.

Clinical development ensued, and in 2012 a key study demonstrated clear efficacy in the treatment of patients with different types of cancer. Results were dramatic, leading to long-term remission and possible cure in several patients with metastatic cancer, a condition that had previously been considered essentially untreatable.

Honjo has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with James P. Allison “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.”

Learn more about the discovery: https://bit.ly/2OpzIIS

10/01/2018

10/01/2018

BREAKING NEWS
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.”

Cancer kills millions of people every year and is one of humanity’s greatest health challenges. By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumour cells this year’s Nobel Laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.

James P. Allison studied a known protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realised the potential of releasing the brake and thereby unleashing our immune cells to attack tumours. He then developed this concept into a brand new approach for treating patients.

In parallel, Tasuku Honjo discovered a protein on immune cells and, after careful exploration of its function, eventually revealed that it also operates as a brake, but with a different mechanism of action. Therapies based on his discovery proved to be strikingly effective in the fight against cancer.

Allison and Honjo showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer. The seminal discoveries by the two laureates constitute a landmark in our fight against cancer.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/2OpzIIS

09/28/2018

On next week! Discovery Talks is coming up on Friday, October 5, with guest speaker Dr. Nim Tottenham from Columbia University. Dr. Tottenham's research examines brain development underlying emotional behaviour in humans. Learn more: bcchr.ca/discoverytalks

09/26/2018

New therapies, including RNA-based and gene therapies, are poised to change the therapeutic landscape for Huntington disease. In this article, Hayden and colleagues review the progress that has been made in the past 25 years in developing therapies for this disease and highlight the pitfalls and potential of future treatments.

CMMT - Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2018 Sep 21. doi: 10.1038/nrd.2018.133. [Epub ahead of print] Review

09/21/2018

Congratulations to Alex from the Taubert lab on receiving the Canucks for Kids Graduate Studentship!

A brief introduction about Alex: In Dr. Stefan Taubert’s lab, Kadhim will study the molecular processes involved in the final stages of the development of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. He will specifically study the role of a protein called MED15, which plays an important role in the process of decoding DNA, and may be critical to development of healthy beta cells. The failure of pancreatic beta cells causes diabetes. By studying how beta cells form, Kadhim is contributing to efforts to successfully grow these cells in a lab, so they can be transplanted into patients with diabetes.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 Outstanding Achievement Awards & BCCHR Studentships and Fellowships! Learn more about their exceptional work: http://bit.ly/2pkUivE

09/21/2018

Nature

09/21/2018

Learn more about "Enroll HD", a worldwide observational study for Huntington’s disease families, how to enroll in this program and how University of British Columbia and CMMT - Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics take part in this meaningful study.

Huntington’s disease research news. In plain language. Written by scientists. For the global HD community.

09/17/2018

Join our team! The Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) is looking for a part-time Research Coordinator to work with a dynamic and vibrant lab. Learn more: bit.ly/2MFBsbT