APRIL 2017

TREATING
DRUG
RESISTANT
BACTERIA
MAJOR EVENTS
VANCOUVER
BIOTECH

UNLOCKING THE
TROUBLESOME
BEE GENOME
 Notes from the Conway Chair
Throughout 2016, CBR research teams have
continued to build on foundational strengths,
yielding major breakthroughs, many of which hold
promise of positively impacting on patient care.
The Faculty of Medicine recently published
the Strategic Plan which underlines the critical
value of building upon foundational strengths,
remaining agile in the face of change, promoting
and facilitating collaboration, and securing
additional funds for strategic priorities – all
aimed at promoting excellence in training of
our next generation of health professionals, and
toward solving urgent biomedical and medical
problems. These are simple yet wise precepts,
ones to which the CBR adheres…. indeed, it has
positioned us well, even through a climate of
unprecedented fiscal challenge.
Throughout 2016, CBR research teams
have continued to build on foundational
strengths, yielding major breakthroughs, many
of which hold promise of positively impacting
on patient care. To name but a few, these
include gaining novel insights for treating
inflammatory bowel disease, identification of
potential new therapeutic targets for obesity
and diabetes, generation of defense peptides
to treat inflammatory and infectious diseases,
development of anti-osteoporosis drugs,
high-resolution imaging of components of
infectious organisms toward generation of novel
antibiotics, creation of safer and more effective
clot dissolving agents, optimizing drug protocols
to treat thrombosis, gaining perspectives on
personalized approaches to improve the care
of patients with hemophilia, creative uses of
polymers to reverse bleeding, new technologies
to detect cancer risk, advances in polymer-
mediated immunocamouflage for safer blood
transfusion, devising new techniques for
pathogen inactivation of platelets, and the list
goes on. These advances come from strong
collaborative efforts, and the leadership of
our world-class basic and clinical investigative
teams.
Although research funding rates underwent
major dips nationally, CBR investigators largely
skirted the devastation by garnering support
through excellence, innovation, creativity and
quality output. From the undergrad through to
the PI and professor, all ranks of CBR members
have received prestigious support from the
CIHR, the CRC, the CFI and other major
granting agencies. Our infrastructure continues
2
to improve, highlighted by Dr. Strynadka’s
efforts to bring cryo-EM to the CBR and LSI.
Still partly in boxes, this initiative has everyone
excited, with the promise of gaining new
insights that will impact on many diseases and
therapeutic strategies. Other awards include
Banting postdoctoral fellowships, Vanier
Awards, a Governor General’s Gold Medal,
Banting and Best Graduate Scholarships, 3M
National Student Fellowships, ACS Chemistry
Championships, a Killam Research Prize, and
numerous travel awards.
Beyond the traditional funding agencies,
the CBR has been agile at seeking alternative
sources of support. Partnerships with industry
have flourished, and we are deeply appreciative
of their investments and their trust. These have
not only yielded excellent and highly productive
research opportunities, but also led to reliable
participation of pharma in CBR educational
programs and symposia. A prime example is
the Bayer-sponsored UBC Bleeding Disorders
Collaboratory, a CBR initiative that is positively
influencing hemophilia research and patient care
throughout the province. These relationships
also allowed us to further improve the quality
of our internationally recognized Earl Davie
Symposium, the Norman Bethune Symposium,
and the Annual CBR Research Day, increasing
attendance to record numbers, and even
attracting the attention of UBC’s new bow tie-
sporting President Ono! Our long-term partner,
the Canadian Blood Services (CBS), remains a
key player in supporting the CBR’s infrastructure
and education and training programs, and has
also fostered wonderful research collaborations
in transfusion medicine-related research. We
have many friends!
As the CBR gains wider recognition locally
and nationally, our individual donor base is also
expanding. 2016 was the year we lost Dr. Shelly
Naiman, a dear friend of the CBR and a longtime
colleague in hematology. But he and his late
wife, Dr. Linda Vickars, devotees of the CBR,
left a legacy that will be felt for generations to
come. Through their generosity, a substantial
endowment fund was established that will build
on their investment, ensuring that the CBR will
flourish with world-class research, education
and training in non-malignant hematology.
With the future of the CBR resting in
the hands of our students, we continue to
emphasize programs that will nourish the
aspirations and career-developing needs of
this next generation of scientists and clinicians.
Indeed, the CBR works hard to remain an
attractive destination for the best and the
brightest students. In the past year, Education
Program Manager, Anna Sinova and her
assistant, Amarpreet Grewal, ably expanded
the CBR’s innovative enrichment program
that is helping undergraduate, graduate,
medical and postdoctoral students develop
skills necessary to achieve their potential
within and beyond academia: the Knowledge
Translation committee, a Career Development
program, the Blood Labs Outreach program,
the Graduate Award program, and many more.
These initiatives were strategically designed to
build proficiencies in science communication,
mixed media, program development, teaching
and mentoring, event planning, fundraising,
and networking. They provide opportunities for
students to demonstrate their diverse and
Dr. Ed Conway
 APRIL 2017 ISSUE

Contents
extraordinary talents.
Where to go in 2017? The CBR
looks to further reach out to the
community, increasing awareness of
the valuable work that is being done,
and learning from those whom we
aim to serve. This will be achieved
by organizing more public events
such as World Thrombosis Day,
hosting lunch-and-learn sessions
with members of the community,
partnering with relevant advocacy
groups, and further engaging patients
and the public in our academic
symposia. Our experiments in social
media are also paying off – we are no
longer just followers, but are now the
followed!

06 Stressing the
11 Predatory

07 12
bugs Publishers

OPINION
A priority in 2017 will be to
facilitate stronger translational
links between the lab and the clinic Blood bag Vancouver

08 14
by reaching out to physicians and texture Biotech
physician-scientists throughout UBC,
RESEARCH

and by forging associations with

similar-minded research groups at
UBC, in Canada and the US. 2017
HIV Crispr

09 16
will see some CBR PIs “wind down”
their labs. We need to engage those research Implications
PIs with important roles at the CBR,
while filling vacant lab space through
meaningful partnerships that will
bring new and valuable technologies Bee Earl Davie

10 18
and expertise – whether that be in
genomics, biomedical engineering,
genome Symposium
chemical biology, or diabetes –
EVENTS

wherever and however our core

strengths will benefit.
Student
For our successes in 2016, you Novel device Biotech

05 19
are all to be congratulated, with coating Network
special thanks extended to our CBR
Office Manager, Hana Kim, without
whom we could not function. And Postdoc
for 2017? President Ono often Faculty Research
AWARDS

15
speaks of working together to move
from “excellence to eminence”….. For
awards Day
the CBR, that seems like a reasonably
achievable goal. C

Ed Conway Trainee
awards
3
 ABOUT CBR
The CBR aims to improve the health and well-being
of patients through innovative research in blood and
blood-related processes.

GOALS
CBR Research & Clinical Goals
• Improve the quality and safety of blood
product collection, storage and delivery
• Create new knowledge to better treat
bleeding and clotting disorders
• Develop novel approaches to
modulate the immune system to
treat inflammation and infections and
promote wound repair
Patient-driven. Innovative. Community.
Over the past year, donor support has helped us develop novel approaches
to battle severe bleeding in rural areas, delineate the mechanisms of
inflammatory diseases, and increase the quality of blood products used in
transfusions – only a few examples among many pioneering discoveries.
With your continued support, the CBR will further transform innovative
ideas into life-enhancing solutions.
The CBR needs you to help fund our programs that range from $50 to
$100,000. We invite you to explore opportunities at the CBR where your
partnership with us will result in positive impacts on education, training and
meaningful research. Examples of initiatives that need your support include:

Reward leadership in students and staff with the Neil $50

Mackenzie Mentorship Award
Expose trainees to diverse career opportunities with the $1,000
CBR Career Night E D U CAT I O N
Jumpstart a postdoctoral fellow’s career with the $5,000
CBR Education Commitment
Postdoctoral Transition Award
• Support student research through
Support a clinical fellow in Translational Research Studies $75,000
competitive undergraduate, graduate,
and postgraduate awards
Make a CBR Symposium possible $25,000- • Offer a range of stimulating educational
$100,000 symposia, workshops and seminars
Explore further: CBR.ubc.ca/support-us • Provide cutting-edge career
Edward M. Conway, MD, PhD development opportunities for our
Director, Centre for Blood Research trainees
Tel: 604.822.4252 | Email: ed.conway@ubc.ca

4
 awards

Award and Grant Recipients

PUBLISHED BY
Knowledge Translation Committee By JENNY CHIK
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF  Anna Sinova
DESIGNER  Jenny Chik
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Abhinav Ajaykumar
Andrew Alexander
Corrie Belanger Congratulations to the Faculty members who received
George Butler
Diana Canals prestigious awards and project grants!
Rolinda Carter
Deb Chen
Jenny Chik
Ulli Felgenhauer Jacob Biely Research Prize and
Tara Fernandez
May Ho Research Funding from BC government
Anthony Hsieh Dr. Natalie Strynadka was awarded the Jacob Biely Research
Jenny Huang
Michael Hughes
Prize in recognition of her pioneering work on proteins and
Prashant Kumar protein assemblies essential to bacterial pathogenicity and
Chanel La antibiotic resistance. She also received research funds from
Victor Lei
Bryan Lin the provincial government to undertake renovations at the
Houra Loghmani Life Sciences Centre and purchase cutting-edge research
Alison McAfee
Ido Refaeli equipment. Research enabled by these technologies will
Sara Saberi promote design of new therapeutics and lead to development
Anna Sinova
Erika Siren Dr. Natalie Strynadka of new antibiotics and vaccines.
Solmaz Sobhanifar
Shawna Stanwood

COVER PHOTO  Scott Meixner

BLOG cbr.ubc.ca Genome British Columbia and Genome Canada
FACEBOOK /cbrubc
TWITTER @CBR_UBC
awards $7.3 million to BeeOMICs project
INSTAGRAM @CBR_UBC Dr. Leonard Foster, a professor at UBC’s Michael Smith
Laboratories, is co-leading a $7.3 million BeeOMICS
CBR magazine is published by the
Knowledge Translation Committee, which project that will develop protein biomarkers to selectively
is a group of CBR graduate students, breed honeybees for twelve economically valuable traits.
postdoctoral fellows, and research
associates, who are interested in science The project’s goal is to reduce the annual Canadian over-
writing, blogging and mixed media wintering loss from 30 per cent to 10 per cent. The bees are
communications. It is distributed free of
charge to CBR and UBC alumni, friends,
not genetically modified but are selectively chosen using
and the scientific community. Opinions molecular tools in order to breed more effectively.
expressed in the magazine do not
necessarily reflect the views of the centre
or the university. Dr. Leonard Foster
Address correspondence to:
The Centre for Blood Research
4th Floor, Life Sciences Centre
2350 Health Sciences Mall Renewal of Canada Research Chair in Endothelial Cell
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3
The KT Committee publishes weekly Biology
at CBR News (cbr.ubc.ca) and covers a Dr. Conway was the first to discover the importance of
wide range of topics: from recent research
highlights and opinion pieces on science thrombomodulin for our immune response to infections
and academia, to event coverage and and for inflammation. He is currently working to further
CBR initiatives. If you are interested in
participating in the KT Committee, email
understand the exact role that it and others play. Dr. Conway’s
Anna at: anna.sinova@ubc.ca or talk to research could have a wide impact, leading to new genetic
one of the members! All grad students insights to explain both common and rare diseases, and to
and PDFs are welcome to join.
develop innovative treatment approaches.
Knowledge
Translation
Committee
Dr. Edward Conway
Science beyond academia

CONTACT
anna.sinova@ubc.ca

5
research Methicillin resistant S. aureus bacteria

Stressing the Bugs: New

Treatment Targets for Multidrug
Resistant Bacteria
By PRASHANT KUMAR, PhD Candidate in
Kizhakkedathu Lab

An abscess is a collection of pus “The major discovery of this publication is that the
in the skin, which can eventually cause bacterial stress response is a critical determinant in abscess
skin lesions. Many different bacteria pathology.” – Sarah commented.
can cause abscesses but methicillin Targeting this pathway to reduce the severity of abscess
resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has become infections is an approach that is entirely different from every
a major contributor. Conventional known antibiotic. It can now serve as a novel strategy for
antibiotics are not effective against combating multidrug resistant bacteria.
abscesses and the overuse of antibiotics The next step in the research is to determine whether
has already resulted in the emergence this peptide can be used in combination with conventional
of multidrug resistant bacteria. antibiotics. Synergistic formulas can help to substantially
Regulatory mechanisms that govern reduce the dose of antibiotics required to eradicate infections,
abscess pathology are currently not well potentially decreasing antibiotic resistance.
understood. This publication was also covered by Metro News and
Sarah Mansour In a study published in UBC News.
EBioMedicine, Sarah Mansour and her EBioMedicine 12 (2016): 219-226 C
colleagues in the Hancock lab at the CBR discovered that resistant abscesses can be
treated by targeting the bacterial response to stress. Methicillin resistant S. aureus bacteria
“Bacteria produce a stress response in order to thrive in the hostile skin
environment. This response is also important for forming biofilms, which are slimy
clusters of bacteria that become significantly more resistant to traditional antibiotic
treatments.”- explained Sarah Mansour, a PhD candidate.
The Hancock lab also demonstrated that a small synthetic peptide, called
DJK-5, can inhibit the formation of MRSA biofilms. Due to the mechanistic
overlap, the authors decided to directly inject the peptide into the abscesses formed
by MRSA and saw that DJK-5 drastically decreased the skin damage in mice.
They showed that DJK-5 peptide acts by suppressing the production of a
major S. aureus toxin, which is activated under stress conditions and promotes
bacterial survival. The peptide was effective against both Gram positive and Gram
negative bacteria.

6
 research

Can Blood Bag Texture

Affect Transfusion safety?
By ANDREW ALEXANDER, PhD Student in
Strynadka Lab

Platelet transfusions are an important part of a well-functioning the plasma bag cannot be smooth as this can cause
healthcare system, such as the one we are accustomed to in Canada. Specifically, them to adhere to each other during production, this
platelet transfusions can be crucial in situations involving excessive blood research shows that there are distinct benefits to be
loss or where the body is unable to produce adequate numbers of platelets. gained by making the bottom, inner surface, of the
Thrombocytopenia, or low platelet levels, can arise during traumatic injury, bag smooth.
surgery, or chemotherapy, necessitating a platelet transfusion. Storing the plasma bags smooth side down
All blood transfusions carry a small risk of infection to the recipient which makes it harder for bacteria that are in solution to
can be especially problematic in those who are immunocompromised. Making attach and form a biofilm once they fall to the bottom
blood transfusions safer is therefore an active area of research. of the plasma bag. Hence, improvements in pathogen
Despite standardization of collection and manufacturing procedures, as detection can be achieved by changing the surface
well as rigorous product testing, the risk of bacterial contamination in platelet texture of the bottom platelet bag wall.
products cannot be eliminated and continues to challenge the safety of the This relatively easy modification in platelet bag
blood supply and post-transfusion patient outcomes. storage has the potential to significantly improve
Sometimes, when only few bacteria are present in solution, tests can give transfusion safety and positively impact public health.
negative results. Tests for bacterial contamination are further complicated by Transfusion 56.11 (2016): 2808-2818 C
the fact that some bacterial species can form biofilms, a layer of bacteria that
strongly adheres to surfaces instead of remaining in solution. When bacteria are
not in solution they can be hard to detect in platelet samples. Detecting bacteria
that can form biofilms is especially important as these bacteria are often more
virulent and can be much harder for the immune system and antibiotics to
eliminate.
Narges Hadjesfandiari and colleagues in the Brooks and Devine labs
in the CBR were interested in whether the internal surfaces of the plasma bags
used for storage could influence bacterial biofilm formation. Some plasma bag
producers make the top and bottom panels with a rough interior surface while
others make one inside panel smooth and the other rough.
Recently published in Transfusion, Narges discovered that S. epidermidis
bacteria, the most common source of hospital infections, adhere less to
smooth platelet bags compared to rough ones. While both interior surfaces of

Narges Hadjesfandiari

7
research

Challenges of HIV research today:

Interview with Richard Harrigan
By JENNY CHIK, Postdoctoral Fellow in Foster Lab

Dr. Richard Harrigan, a member of the CBR, is a Professor in the
Department of Medicine and the Director of Research Laboratories
in the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. At present, he runs a
lab with 3 postdoctoral fellows and 6 graduate students focusing on
monitoring drug resistance in HIV and hepatitis C patients.
Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Professor Harrigan about
the present challenges and future of HIV research. The interview has
been edited and trimmed for clarity and conciseness.
How did you come to be interested in HIV/AIDs? People were dying
of HIV in the early ‘90s and it was an area where it was clear that there
needed to be a lot of research. I didn’t know that we were going to
make the progress that we did but I’m very glad that we did.
What is the main research focus of your lab? We are developing tools
for monitoring treatments of HIV and HCV (hepatitis C) – developing
them from research and putting them into practice in the clinic.
HIV infection. I am not too convinced that is coming in the short term.
What we can do with the efforts that we are making as a province is
reduce the number of cases of AIDS to virtually zero and continue to
reduce the number of new infections with HIV. While we don’t cure
anybody, we can do some tremendous good. We’ve been watching
over the past 10-15 years, the number of new cases is steadily coming
down so it’s pretty much a huge victory – so far. That all depends on
the drugs continuing to work.
Do you have any final thoughts or comments? Although we have
made tremendous strides in HIV – as immediate massive public health
emergency drops off the coverage in the media, people stop paying
attention. If you stop paying attention, you are in trouble. We have to
pay attention to reduce the risk through behavioural change, better
drugs, and everything that we can possibly think of.
We thank Professor Richard Harrigan for his time and involvement in
this interview. C

In the general public’s mind, HIV is not the death sentence it used to
be because of antiviral drugs. In your point of view, why is HIV/AIDs
research still important today? That’s a pretty easy one. It’s certainly
true that the drugs available now are extending life – so that if you are
HIV infected now, you can really expect to live as long as if you were
uninfected. Our experience though is that there is a risk of developing
resistance to the drugs. There are worries that we can actually lose
the activity of the drugs through transmitted resistance. And if we
do, that is a terrible thing. Another reason to be interested is that we
haven’t cured anyone of HIV infection. All we’ve done is suppress the
replication of the virus. That’s pretty good, but not good enough.

If you had to name one key achievement that you are the most proud
of, what would that be? It’s watching the accredited laboratory testing
of patient samples and see things going from just an idea, to a test in
development, to a validated test, then to a test that is in use in patients
in real time – that is something that I find most rewarding.
What is the future for HIV research? What we hope for, but I think
will be excruciatingly difficult, is to have some sort of practical cure for Dr. Richard Harrigan

8

Photo Credit: Scott Meixner
Bee Research in the ‘omics
Era: Unlocking a Troublesome
By ALISON MCAFEE, PhD Candidate in Foster Lab
Healthy bees are a crucial part of our
global food security. In fact, bees are so
beneficial to the agricultural sector that
their economic value is about $15 billion
annually in the US alone. Many of the
nuts, fruits and vegetables we eat every
day are pollinated by bees, not to mention
the canola, rapeseed and even the coffee
we drink. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are
given most of the credit for this, but other
species are also beneficial; for example,
the alfalfa and canola industries use the leaf-cutter bee (Megachile
rotundata) and many greenhouse operations employ bumble bees
(Bombus spp.). Depending on the region and the crop, many other
wild bees also contribute to agricultural pollination. But today,
bees are facing many challenges, including pathogens, parasites
and pesticides, and modern ‘omics technology has emerged as an
excellent tool to help disentangle how complex interacting factors
are affecting bee health.
With bee ‘omics research on the rise, Judith Trapp and Alison
McAfee (in the Foster Lab within the CBR) saw an opportunity to
review how recent genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic research
is shaping our understanding of bees amidst today’s global trends.
In their timely Molecular Ecology article, Trapp and McAfee discuss
how the ‘omics toolkit is helping us understand and combat bee
diseases. For example, in other species, such as cattle, corn and
rice, breeders use genetic markers to select for beneficial traits. But
since bees have incredibly high rates of genetic recombination,
links between DNA markers and traits quickly decay. This has led
proteomics to become an indispensable tool for breeding disease-
resistant bees. Trapp and McAfee also offer their perspectives on the
future of bee research and major holes that need to be filled, namely,
revamping the genome annotation.
research
Genome
Once a genome is assembled, the first step is identifying the
genes it contains and assigning their respective functions, i.e.
“annotating the genome”, in part because virtually all other ‘omics
tools – proteomics included – rely on having a complete, accurate
gene set. However, annotating bee genomes is a surprisingly
challenging process. It has been over a decade since the first bee
genome was sequenced, but its unconventional properties continue
to challenge even the best gene prediction algorithms. Some of the
newly sequenced genomes are similarly challenging. However, a
much bigger problem in bees is that once genes are identified, it is
hard to know exactly what they do. Similar sequences tend to have
similar functions. If a sequence in a new species matches one we
already know in a different species, this information can be used
to infer the function (also known as ‘orthology delineation’). The
problem with bees, though, is that they are very different from
any of the well-annotated species. Fruit flies are the closest match,
but even they diverged from bees ~300 million years ago. To put
this into perspective, this is about the same as the genetic distance
between mammals and birds. As a result, anywhere from 10 to 20%
of genes across bee species currently have unknown functions.
As it stands, Trapp and McAfee argue that we are due to
upgrade the current annotation and this needs to be a top priority
in the bee research community. Foster’s own research group is
embarking on a project to better annotate gene structures (primarily
splice isoforms), but the sheer number of genes with unknown
functions calls for a concerted community-wide effort to decipher
their roles (e.g. using publically available data combined with
targeted gene manipulations). Not only will it improve the quality of
research done on honey bees, but it will also pave the way for similar
endeavours with the newly sequenced bee species and others yet to
be sequenced.
Molecular Ecology (2016) C
9
research

Novel Coating Layer to Prevent

Medical Device Infections
By PRASHANT KUMAR, PhD Candidate in
Kizhakkedathu Lab

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are common and

lead to increased patient morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stays,
with resulting elevated health care costs. In spite of there being a reduction in
CAUTIs with strict adherence to aseptic techniques during catheter insertion,
the incidence of infection remains high. Antibiotic treatment may be effective,
but bacterial resistance inevitably develops, and the infection may become
widespread, placing the patient at high risk.
CAUTIs begin with pathogens attaching to the catheter surface. They then
multiply to develop into so-called “biofilms”, which are particularly resistant to
antibiotic treatment. To address this problem, Centre for Blood Research (CBR)
investigators Drs. Kizhakkedathu, Brooks and Hancock collaborated with Dr.
Lange from the Department of Urological Sciences, to design a novel polymer-
based antimicrobial peptide (AMP) catheter to prevent CAUTIs. Their unique
Dr. Kai Yu
invention was published in the journal Biomaterials.
Dr. Kai Yu, the lead author of the paper, commented, “We developed a novel
negative bacteria. The new
coating design strategy for the catheter surface by combining an anti-adhesive
catheters also had excellent
polymer with an antimicrobial peptide to arrive at broad spectrum antimicrobial
biocompatibility in mice and did
activity”
not cause any negative local or
The new layer on the catheter has a dual purpose; 1) the anti-adhesive
systemic immune responses.
polymers prevent bacteria from attaching to the catheter surface, and 2) the AMP
Dr. Yu shared, “The next
increases the effectiveness of bacterial killing that occurs within the device.
step is to simplify the synthesis
Interestingly, in mouse models, the AMP-coated polyurethane catheters
procedure and to develop an easy
were able to prevent infection with high efficiency by reducing the amount of
way to coat the urinary catheter to
bacteria attaching to the catheter surface by almost 100,000-fold compared to the
make it infection resistant. Then
uncoated catheter surface. The coated catheters also decreased bacterial growth in
the technology can be expanded
the urine by nearly 1,000-fold in 7 days.
to other medical devices such as
This is the best performance for a device coating reported so far for
ureteral stents and other catheters”.
preventing CAUTI and it was effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-
This will help advance this new
and exciting technology towards
commercialization and clinical
evaluation.
This research was funded by
grants from the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research (CIHR) and
Natural Science and Engineering
Research Council of Canada
(NSERC).
Biomaterials 116 (2017): 69-81 C

Catheter and bacteria samples Model of the new catheter coating layer

10

Swimming with Sharks: Predatory
Open-Access Publishers
The open-access publishing (OAP) model provides a
mechanism for anyone with an Internet connection to freely
access original research. Instead of locking research findings
– work often funded by the public – behind subscription pay
walls, the OAP relies on advertising and authors’ publication
fees to remain profitable or, at least, break even. In many cases,
OAPs simultaneously enjoy reduced publication costs by using
an “online only” publication approach thereby avoiding the
start-up, maintenance and overhead costs associated with a
traditional brick-and-mortar publishing house.
The OAP era offers many benefits to the public and
scientific community that currently outweighs the drawbacks.
However, this critical balance is threatened by the proliferation
of predatory publishers trying to take advantage of OAP for
motives that are purely profit driven. There is nothing wrong
with an OAP trying to make a profit – the problem comes
when the desire for profit eclipses scientific integrity.
Figure 1. The proliferation of predatory publishers and
journals (modified from Beall’s List data with permission)
Five years ago, there were maybe a handful of
unscrupulous publishers and journals lurking about. Today, the
publication waters are shark-infested (see Figure 1). This trend
is making a mockery of the peer-review process and threatens
the ability of scientists, but especially the layperson, to evaluate
research quality. Predatory publishers have the potential to
destroy the purpose of open-access research.
opinion
By MICHAEL HUGHES, Research
Associate in McNagny Lab
In this environment how will research scientists, especially less-
seasoned graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, avoid becoming
chum? To start, one can learn to recognize the tactics and unethical
behaviours of predatory publishers. The predators are, so far, fairly easy to
spot. That won’t last long – they are becoming stealthier. Sadly, abstracts of
some suspect journals are even indexed in otherwise legitimate services. You
can’t rely on a simple PubMed search to keep you safe.
Jeffrey Beall, an Associate Professor and academic librarian at the
University of Colorado (Denver), serves as a critical watchdog for the
open access authors by maintaining a curated list of “potential, possible, or
probable predatory open-access publishers”. Beall’s List (https://scholarlyoa.
com/)[*] includes publishers, stand-alone journals and even scientific
conference organizers of which you should be wary. Essentially, predatory
publishers and journals do not adhere to guidelines set out by the Committee
of Publication Ethics (COPE). His criteria for listing suspect publishers and
journals are available to download here**. A few examples of these egregious
practices are provided in Table 1.
You may also wish to follow Beall’s Facebook or Twitter to keep an eye
on these questionable publication practices. He frequently offers great tips
on how to avoid becoming a victim. For example, in a recent post[‡], Beall
explains why you should be wary even while using PubMed and how to set
up your searches to filter out the predators. If you are ever unsure about a
publisher or journal, be sure to check Beall’s List before you dive in.
[*] Due to a quirk with WordPress pages, you’ll need to copy & paste this
URL into your browser.
[‡] https://scholarlyoa.com/2016/10/20/dont-use-pubmed-as-a-
journal-whitelist/
** https://scholarlyoa.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/criteria-2015.pdf C
11
opinion
The Quirks and Quarks of
Vancouver Biotech
By ERIKA SIREN, PhD Student in
Kizhakkedathu Lab
Quark Venture, a venture capital (VC) fund launched in 2016,
has followed through with its promise of investing in prominent
Vancouver biotech companies. The US$500 million fund, the largest
of its kind in Canada, is expected to have a significant impact in the
biotech industry both locally and nationwide.
With over two thirds of research funding at the University of
British Columbia allocated to the Life Sciences, UBC has provided a
nidus for numerous innovative ideas and products in biotechnology.
However, many UBC-initiated start-ups move south upon expansion,
leaving Vancouver with few mid to large-sized biotech companies. While the arrival of Quark
Venture promises new opportunities in the biotechnology industry, will its investments improve the
longevity of biotech companies in Vancouver?
Canadian biotech has long been plagued by a lack of capital to assist in the transition of
promising start-ups to more stable mid-sized companies. Unlike traditional tech companies
which may easily transition with seed funding of a couple of million dollars, the biotechnology
field is considerably more expensive, as rigorous clinical trials are often required for them to reach
midmarket status.
Sean Lumb, the current Director of New Ventures at e@UBC says that “when it comes to
funding biotech, take a comfortable sponsorship from the tech world and multiply it by ten; that’s
what is often needed to push these products into phase 2 clinical trials”.
The Canadian government offers several initiatives, including SHRED and IRAP that help
soften the financial blow for start-ups in the first few years. In addition, most new companies must
also rely on private funding to build and to keep operations running. Such is the case for biotech
companies worldwide; however, more population-dense areas such as the US and Europe, have
larger and numerous VC funds that are more readily accessible.
While some US-based VC companies such as Versant, do have Canadian offices, most money-
lenders prefer to invest locally, leaving Canadian start-ups in the lurch. Lumb adds that at the present
time, it is not possible to raise $40 million of seed funding exclusively in Canada.
The past 12 months however, have seen Quark Venture, a venture capital (VC) fund launched
in 2016, has followed through with its promise of investing in prominent Vancouver biotech
companies. The US$500 million fund, the largest of its kind in Canada, is expected to have a
significant impact in the biotech industry both locally and nationwide.
With over two thirds of research funding at the University of British Columbia allocated to
the Life Sciences, UBC
has provided a nidus for
numerous innovative
ideas and products in
biotechnology. However,
many UBC-initiated
start-ups move south
upon expansion, leaving
Vancouver with few mid
to large-sized biotech
companies. While the arrival
of Quark Venture promises
Sitka, which has close ties with CBR
new opportunities in the
12
 opinion
biotechnology industry, will its investments improve the longevity of biotech companies in Vancouver?
Canadian biotech has long been plagued by a lack of capital to assist in the transition of promising start-ups to more stable mid-sized companies.
Unlike traditional tech companies which may easily transition with seed funding of a couple of million dollars, the biotechnology field is considerably
more expensive, as rigorous clinical trials are often required for them to reach midmarket status.
Sean Lumb, the current Director of New
Ventures at e@UBC says that “when it comes to
funding biotech, take a comfortable sponsorship
from the tech world and multiply it by ten; that’s what
is often needed to push these products into phase 2
clinical trials”.
The Canadian government offers several
initiatives, including SHRED and IRAP that help
soften the financial blow for start-ups in the first few
years. In addition, most new companies must also rely
on private funding to build and to keep operations
running. Such is the case for biotech companies
worldwide; however, more population-dense areas
such as the US and Europe, have larger and numerous
VC funds that are more readily accessible.
While some US-based VC companies such as Versant, do have Canadian offices, most money-lenders prefer to invest locally, leaving Canadian
start-ups in the lurch. Lumb adds that at the present time, it is not possible to raise $40 million of seed funding exclusively in Canada.
The past 12 months however, have seen a major change in accessing capital for Canadian biotech companies. Bluerock Therapeutics, a
regenerative medicine-focused company in Toronto recently attracted a $225 million investment from Versant and Bayer, the largest Series A (or
initial) investment in history. The arrival of Vancouver-based Quark Venture, has also resulted in funding of Canadian innovation, with interests
ranging from small molecules to medical devices. Quark Venture has thus announced partnerships with Aurora LifeSciences, Methylation Sciences
Incorporated, Sitka Pharmaceuticals and most recently, Microbion Corporation. Sitka has close ties to the Centre for Blood Research (CBR), with Dr.
Don Brooks being a founding member and Dr. Jay Kizhakkedathu acting as a Scientific Advisor for the company. Sitka focuses on utilizing polymer
technology partially developed at the CBR to generate innovative drug delivery technologies. With backing from Quark Venture, Sitka plans to move
forward in the near future with clinical trials.
The recent increase in financial investment in Vancouver biotech is encouraging; but strengthening the industry in this city is not without
major challenges. Vancouver has long been a victim of ‘Brain Drain’, which is the relocation of promising talent to other places in Canada, the United
States and Europe. The reasons are obvious: The cost of living in Vancouver is notoriously high and the wages offered cannot compete with similar
companies in Toronto, Montreal, or the United States. As a result, there is a shortage of managers in Vancouver who have successfully taken a drug
through Phase 2 clinical trials. That is not to say that experienced managers are absent; rather Lumb emphasizes that a “critical number” of managers
is needed to stabilize biotech in Vancouver. He explains that newly successful entrepreneurs are generated through mentorship from previously
successful entrepreneurs.
Blair Simonite, Program Director at e@ubc adds, “In theory you get experts that have done this [sold a developed company] once or twice before
and are able to do it again with naïve entrepreneurs, who go on to sell themselves and add to the pool of experienced entrepreneurs”. It’s a fine balance:
A critical number of these mentorships generated at the same time, is needed for growth in the biotechnology industry to be maintained.
Vancouver is already seeing success from efforts to address this issue, as former employees of Canada-based biopharmaceutical company QLT
Inc., are becoming actively involved in new start-ups. David Main, now the President and CEO of Aquinox Pharma, has been widely acclaimed for
effectively mentoring his employees who have eventually gone on to start their own companies.
For graduate students seeking employment following graduation and wishing to live in Vancouver, Lumb suggests one of two paths: Jump
into a Vancouver start-up, or gain expertise from working in a mid-sized company before returning to Vancouver. The former strategy will expose
employees to all of the moving parts of a new company. Many start-ups hire business developers to manage company growth. As most of these new
companies use the lean employment model, employees will have direct access to the wealth of knowledge these developers possess. The alternative
approach of working at a mid-sized company, whether it be in Vancouver or elsewhere, will provide insights into how such a business runs, and will
offer opportunities to establish valuable relationships with experts and mentors within the company network.
It is still too early to predict what the future holds for biotech in Vancouver, but generous funding from Quark Venture will certainly act as
a catalyst for emerging medical innovation. Continued success is reliant on keeping both naïve and experienced talent in Vancouver and the rest
of Canada. Focusing on training business-minded scientists (and science-minded business people) in the skills of resilient company growth is
paramount for the effective translation of capital into a larger and more sustained biotech industry on the West Coast of Canada.
Thank you to Mr. Blair Simonite and Dr. Sean Lumb from e@UBC for their helpful insight and commentary. C
13
opinion
CRISPR Technology: Officially Off-Limits?
B y M AY H O , U n d e r g r a d u a t e R e s e a r c h A s s i s t a n t i n K a r s a n L a b
CRISPR, a technique that allows for precise gene editing, is taking
the research world by storm. It has three components: a Cas9 enzyme
that snips the DNA, a guide RNA that tells Cas9 where to snip, and
the CRISPR sequence on the DNA that is recognized by the guide
RNA. Because of its simplicity and remarkable precision, it has broad
applications in biomedicine and beyond. For example, CRISPR-edited
immune cells are already being used in clinical trials to treat cancer,
and the technique can even create genetically engineered mosquitoes
that may limit the spread of malaria. From these CRISPR technology
success stories, an important question arises: Can further innovations
take place now that CRISPR has been patented?
Jennifer Doudna Feng Zhang
The patents to CRISPR-Cas9 were disputed between two separate
teams: Jennifer Doudna of UC Berkley and Emmanuelle Charpentier
at the University of Vienna; and Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute of
MIT and Harvard. In May 2012, Jennifer Doudna filed a patent on
using CRISPR/Cas9 in all cells. Later that year, Feng Zhang filed his
own patents on CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing in eukaryotic cells, and he
was granted a fast-track review of his patent application. However, in
2015, U.C. Berkley argued that Zhang’s patents should be retracted,
since they overlapped with Doudna’s. Broad/Zhang recently emerged
victorious from this battle, the court verdict declaring that they could
keep their patents.
It is not exactly clear who first conceived of CRISPR. Doudna
first published her findings in the August 2012 issue of Science,
demonstrating that CRISPR could edit bacterial genes far better than
pre-existing technologies. She challenged Zhang on the basis that
his work in eukaryotic cells—published later that year—was merely
14
an extension of hers. However, Zhang argued that he conceived of
CRISPR independently but waited to publish his results. Zhang showed
that CRIPSR could work in human and animal cells—effectively
establishing that CRISPR can be used to edit the genes of mice,
monkeys, and humans. Compared to Doudna’s discovery in bacteria,
his findings were far more lucrative, since he has demonstrated that
CRISPR could be used in biological systems important for disease
research.
It is certain that the verdict would influence researchers in both
academia and industry. The only question that remains is in what way.
Some predict that there would be a series of innovation
bottlenecks now that CRISPR-Cas9 is patented. Scientists would
hesitate to improve CRISPR for research in biotechnology if they
are concerned about patent infringement. This sentiment is echoed
by Aled Edwards of the University of Toronto, who believes that the
patents will slow down innovation and CRISPR’s potential to create
cures. His reasoning is partially based on a study conducted by the
MIT economist, Heidi Williams, who measured the impact of patents
on genes. Product development and scientific research on genes
that were patented by Celera have been reduced by up to 30 percent
compared to genes that were not patented.
Indeed, the CRISPR battle has already altered the direction of
several biotechnology companies. Lengthy intellectual property
disputes made Monsanto hesitant to create genetically-engineered
plants with beneficial traits using CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
Noncommercial research involving CRISPR-Cas9 at universities
can still proceed—but not without caveats. The leading institutions
involved in the patent dispute have already offered free use of CRISPR-
Quick Facts
• Feng Zhang from Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard,
recently won the CRISPR patent dispute.
• Broad Institute has granted an exclusive license for
therapeutic developments to Editas, a commercial
company.
• Any downstream research to improve CRISPR-Cas9
system could fall under this exclusive license, potentially
slowing the scientific progress.
• Science patent experts recommend that exclusive licenses
using CRISPR be drawn to specific genes.
 awards

Cas9 technology for research

Trainee Award Recipients

purposes through non-profit
organizations like Addgene. However,
Broad has already granted its partner
company, Editas, an exclusive license
By JENNY CHIK
to develop human therapies targeting
all segments of the human genome.
Consequently, any down-stream
research involving the use of CRISPR-
CBR Team wins 2nd place at the 2017 LSI Start-Up Competition!
Cas9 for the development of human Diana Canals, Elena Groppa and
therapeutics, in academia or industry, Regan Zhang, from McNagny
would fall under this exclusive license and Rossi labs, presented their
and would likely face difficulties company, TheraTrix. Their main
progressing to full-fledged final product is a disease modifying drug
for heart failure, a major chronic
products.
disease that lacks treatment. The
Unlike genes though, CRISPR has
competition was open to UBC
multiple components, complicating students, postdocs and research
matters further. In September of 2015, associates, interested in exploring
Zhang announced that his team had commercialization of ideas in life
developed a new system, CRISPR- sciences, biotech and other areas of
Cpf1 that is superior to CRISPR-Cas9. human health.
The Cpf1 enzyme is in the same class
of enzymes as Cas9 but is less prone
to editing errors. Awarding Zhang a CBR Postdoctoral Supplementary Travel Awards
separate CRISPR-Cpf1 patent could Annual awards of up to $1000 each for travel
encourage scientists to continue moving
forward without concerns about
CRISPR infringement claims. It might
even accelerate the field as scientists
discover better versions of CRISPR.
Thus, scientists could potentially
side-step any CRISPR-Cas9 patents
and the verdict declaring MIT/Broad/
Harvard as the winner could prove
inconsequential as time goes on.
Until scientists discover better ways
of executing the CRISPR technique Dr. Daniel. Plezer Dr. Houra Loughmani Dr. Nestor Solis
though, any commercial scientific Khouzani
discoveries stemming from CRISPR-
Cas9 would probably be slowed. For
this reason, science patent experts have
recommended that the institutions
controlling patent rights to CRISPR
should re-think their licensing approach.
Any exclusive licenses concerning
CRIPSR-Cas9 editing in the human
genome should be drawn to specific
genes to ensure that the capabilities of
the revolutionary technique they have
pioneered can be fully realized. C Dr. Piyushkuma Dr. Tara Fernandez
Kapopara

15
major events
10th Annual Earl W. Davie
Symposium in Review
B y R o l i n d a C a r t e r, E n o l i D e S i l v a , U l l i Fe l g e n h a u e r, C h a n e l L a ,
and Bryan Lin
The 10th anniversary of the Earl W. Davie
Symposium celebrated the stellar achievements
and ongoing positive impact of Dr. Davie’s
research on coagulation. The distinguished Dr.
Davie, along with his colleagues, spearheaded
the discovery of the Waterfall Sequence of
Blood Clotting in 1964. His work not only
revolutionized our understanding of bleeding
and clotting disorders, but has also earned
him countless scientific accolades, including
being named a Legend of Hematology by the
American Society of Hematology.
The one-day symposium brings together
leading scientists, students and clinicians in
the fields of vascular biology, hemostasis-
thrombosis, cardiovascular and neurologic
disease. What resonated most with the crowd
was the attendance of patients living with
various forms of clotting and bleeding disorders
and who continue to inspire the research
being done to treat these diseases. This year,
the keynote presentations featured Dr. Nigel
Key (UNC) and Dr. John W. Weisel (U Penn)
highlighting their ground-breaking contributions
to the fields of bleeding and thrombosis.
Dr. Nigel Key kicked off the proceedings
with his studies on the effect of DNA on
initiating clotting via the contact pathway.
He showed that microparticles released by
red blood cells can also activate this factor
XII-dependent pathway. Following this, Dr.
Shannon Jackson (UBC), described the
progress and challenges in shifting practices to
a personalized approach in the management
of haemophilia. She highlighted the need for
improved assessments of patients’ quality of
life to better balance efficacy and efficiency of
their treatments.
Dr. Key:“I am flattered to receive the honor
of presenting at this wonderful event. I have
huge respect for Earl Davie and the science
community that have made this event possible.
The talks were terrific, especially the shotgun
16
talks and student abstract talks, as this format
that focused more on student participation is
not often seen in other science conferences and
events.”
Other morning highlights include a
talk by Dr. Dominic Chung (Bloodworks
Northwest) who shared advances his group
has made in identifying contributors of von
Willebrand factor (VWF) self-association
and hyper adhesive VWF fibers formation.
His latest observations suggest that HDL
(good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol)
may be playing a role. Dr. Alan Mast of the
Blood Centre of Wisconsin then took the
stage to give an intriguing talk on tissue factor
pathway inhibitor (TFPI), a naturally occurring
anticoagulant. He explained that the alpha
domain of TFPI and clotting factor V share a
well conserved sequence not found in any other
protein. He suggested that blocking TFPIα could
be used to treat hemophilia A and B, which
are currently treated with different therapies.
Dr. Kay Htun of VGH then presented a clinical
case from a patient with anti-phospholipid
antibody syndrome. Her talk brought to light
the importance of following up with patients
and adjusting treatments to keep patients
in a stable state. Her talk strongly resonated
with the earlier remarks by Dr. Jackson on the
important role of the patient in patient-centred
care.

The morning session concluded with 20-second “shotgun”
talks from poster presenters. This year had an exciting line-up of
posters showcasing some phenomenal work by the next generation
of blood researchers. Three winners of the Poster Competition
were chosen by poster judges, with the first place going to Bryan
Lin (PhD candidate in Dr. Pryzdial’s lab), second place to Frank Lee
(MD/PhD student in Dr. Pryzdial’s lab), and third place to Vivienne
Chan (PhD candidate in Dr. Kastrup’s lab).
“When Ed jokingly remarked that the contest was rigged as he
announced the top 3 posters, my heart skipped a beat. I am grateful
for the support of my fellow lab mates and supervisor in obtaining
this award” – commented Bryan Lin, the first place poster winner.
After lunch, Dr. John Weisel captured the audience’s attention
with his impressive electron microscope images of blood clots,
used in his investigations on platelet aggregation and fibrin
polymerization. He described the use of a personalized optical trap
system to examine key interactions during the clotting process such
as fibrin polymerization.In speaking to Dr. Weisel during the break,
mentioned his appreciation for the chance to listen to stories from
patients who directly benefit from research in his area of interest.
The trapping of red blood cells in venous thrombi was another area
discussed at this year’s symposium. In her talk, Dr. Alisa Wolberg
(UNC) presented data suggesting that factor-XIII mediated
crosslinking of fibrin clots may be at the center of red blood cell
retention.
Next, CBR graduate students Steve Hur (Kastrup lab), Frank
Lee (Pryzdial lab), and Linda Yang (Scott lab) shared their work on
clotting factors XIII, V, and anti-cancer immunotherapy respectively.
They were followed by Dr. Alex St. John, a physician from Seattle,
showing interesting evidence of von Willebrand factor (VWF) self-
association being inhibited by small VWF fragments. In the future,
he is looking to explore the implications of this finding in trauma
patients.
After the break, Dr. Jacob H. Rand, from Cornell University,
explained the difficulties of linking clinical manifestations of anti-
phospholipid antibody syndrome with the empirical observations
made in laboratory experiments. The final presentation was given by
Dr. Jordan Shavit, from the University of Michigan, who shared his
fascinating work using zebrafish as models to identify novel genetic
modifiers of the coagulation cascade.
As in previous symposia, hearing emotional accounts of
the reality of the blood disorders we study from the patients’
perspectives gave us a renewed sense of determination in our
efforts to find therapeutic solutions. On the topic of hemophilia
care, patient Timothy Ireland provided a heartwarming portrayal of
this condition’s significant impact on him and his family. Recounting
the progression of medical care he received as a child to what is
available now, Timothy expressed his gratitude to Dr. Davie for the
major events
influence that his work has had on his quality of life. For instance,
clinical studies on the therapeutic maintenance of clotting factors,
as described by Dr. Valder Aldurra (U Penn) describe a powerful
tool for patients with hemophilia. As a result of these medical
breakthroughs, Timothy enjoys weekly doubles tennis sessions,
something doctors considered practically inconceivable in his
youth. In a beautiful presentation by Daniel, Jacqui, Willow and
Georgia Baker, we experienced the difficulties of a family living with
anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome. Daniel Baker, his wife and
two daughters shared some of their highs and lows in meeting the
challenges of some of the devastating symptoms of this disease. In
speaking to the Baker family during the break, we heard more about
their incredible resilience and support from their medical team.
Closing remarks were made by Dr. Ross MacGillivray, the
founding Director of the CBR and the initiator of this annual
symposium. Dr. MacGillivray recounted his post-doctoral
experience with Dr. Davie, while acknowledging the insights Dr.
Davie has had over the years. Dr. Davie himself mentioned that he
was deeply honoured to be at the event and hear about exciting
research in the field. He thanked the organizers, especially Drs.
MacGillivray and Conway, the sponsors, supporters and attendees
for a wonderful event. Just before cutting into a 10th anniversary
cake, the 90-year old Dr. Davie ended his speech by thanking his
friend, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Edmond H. Fisher, aged 96. According
to Dr. Davie, Dr. Fisher carries his bags when he is feeling old.
This remarkable symposium would not have been possible
without the generous support of our sponsors: Biogen, Novo
Nordisk (Platinum donors); Pfizer (Gold); Alexion, Octapharma,
CSL-Behring, New England Biolabs, Bayer, StemCell Technologies,
Canadian Blood Services (Silver); UBC Food Services, UBC
Bookstore, Vancouver Whitecaps, Staples, Mahony & Sons
(Bronze). C
17
major events

Making your Biotech Goals a

Reality
B y TA R A F E R N A N D E Z , P o s t d o c t o r a l F e l l o w i n C o n w a y L a b & S B N S o c i a l M e d i a M a n a g e r

Considering a career in the biotechnology
industry? For many, this can be a daunting prospect,
particularly when transitioning from an academic
research setting. Building a portfolio of skills and
effective networking are absolutely critical. But where
does one start?
Thankfully, the Student Biotechnology Network
(SBN) is here to help. Driven entirely by students
and volunteers, this not-for-profit organization was
founded to act as a helping hand for STEM graduates
wanting to explore their career possibilities in
industry. Top executives from various life sciences
corporations in British Columbia, such as Zymeworks,
Pacific BioVentures and Genome BC, make up the
Board of Directors – keeping the SBN’s vision and
direction relevant to local trends in the biotechnology
sector. The SBN member base is made up of everyone
from students and postdoctoral researchers to faculty
members and technical researchers. These members
hail from a variety of disciplines, including the life
sciences, engineering, commerce and law.
The SBN organizes regular events for members
throughout the year, which are invaluable for anyone
interested in getting first-hand insights into life
in the biotech sector. For example, through SBN’s
networking events like Building Biotech, attendees
engage in dynamic discussions with a panel of
experts. In 2016, the theme of this discussion was
Challenges of New Entrepreneurs in Biotechnology.
Besides hearing about personal accounts and
getting pearls of wisdom from their entrepreneurial
journeys, members also got the chance to speak
to the panel members one-on-one. For many, this
ignited new career aspirations and motivated them to
explore different entry pathways into biotechnology
businesses.
2017 is shaping up to be a busy year for the SBN,
with a series of exciting events already lined up. To
kick things off, the SBN hosted a Networking Night at
Mahony and Son’s on January 26th as an opportunity
to connect with mentors from the local biotechnology
scene over a cold beer. Students brought questions
about where their degrees might take them and the
positions available to them in both academic research and industry. These sessions are
lots of fun and are a fantastic way to meet and chat to people in an informal setting, for
those who may find formal networking a little intimidating.
Linking up with industry professionals is an excellent way to get insider information
about career prospects. However, the SBN is also working hard to forge meaningful
and ongoing student-mentor relationships through their Mentorship Program. The goal
of this program is to assist members in mapping their career goals, developing their
leadership potential and widening their networks. Past mentors have included CEOs of
biotechnology companies, patent lawyers, entrepreneurs, project managers and business
developers – all of whom are committed to helping you reach your career objectives.
Interested applicants should register on the SBN website as soon as possible, as spaces
are limited!
Since the inaugural SBN Biotech Expo in 2002, this event continues to showcase
the best and the brightest of the BC Biotech and Life Sciences industry. The 2017 expo,
held at UBC on February 23rd, will undoubtedly continue this tradition, bringing together
industry booths, keynote speakers and formal networking sessions. This is yet another
stellar opportunity for SBN members to stand out from the crowd and receive exclusive
information about career openings in BC’s flourishing biotechnology sector.
Want to get involved? The Executive Committee serves to inspire SBN members by
creating innovative solutions to unite industry and academia. Several CBR members are
currently serving on the committee. If you are looking to strengthen your communication
skills and gain valuable experience in everything from project management to corporate
relations, join the team!
In the meantime, keep up to date with the latest SBN news and happenings on our
website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. C
Student Biotechnology Network Executive Committee

18

UBC Postdoctoral Research Day
By Houra Loghmani Khouzani, Alexander Smith and Jenny Chik
The UBC PDA Research Day 2016 was a resounding success! This
annual event brings together postdocs from a wide range of disciplines
to showcase their cutting edge research in a variety of projects at UBC.
We had over 60 postdocs, faculty, staff, and students join us at the Life
Sciences Institute for 6 postdoc oral presentations and the following
poster session on November 24, 2016.
Our first speaker was Dr. Jenn Bossio from Obstetrics &
Gynaecology, who presented a fascinating talk on “Innovations in sex
therapy and mindfulness at UBC: Development of a novel treatment
approach for couples dealing with sexual dysfunction after prostate
cancer treatment”. Dr. Bossio spoke about the effects of prostatectomy
(surgical removal of the prostate), its effect on sex and relationships,
and how her team uses couples-based therapy to increase sexual
intimacy. Dr. Bossio was awarded the first prize for her excellent oral
presentation.
The next speaker was Dr. Michael Irvine from Mathematics,
who gave a great talk about “Linking models of infectious diseases to
policy”. Dr. Irvine spoke about how disease modelling and web tools
for policy-making were making an impact in the fight to eradicate a
number of neglected tropical diseases such as lymphatic filariasis.
Dr. Esther Maas from the School of Population and Public Health
(Partnership of Work, Health and Safety) then gave a very well received
talk focused on the idea that “Return-to-work is not a single event”.
The crux of Dr. Maas’ talk was how returning to work after suffering a
musculoskeletal injury is a complicated process. Often times there are
lingering issues that may necessitate modified work schedules or other
shifts to accommodate workers.
This was followed up with a very engaging talk from Dr. Paula
MacDowell, a postdoc in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
Her talk was entitled “#GirlsHack@UBC”. Dr. MacDowell centred on
how women are marginalized in the technology industry, despite gains
made in other fields, and that girls are underrepresented in the ranks
of technology creators and innovators. She concluded her talk with an
interactive game allowing the audience to participate using an Internet
connected device, which received much positive feedback.
Dr. Amir Sharafian gave the penultimate talk about “Using low-
carbon fuels with minimum environmental impacts in transportation:
major events
Green solutions to mitigate climate change”. He won second place
in the oral presentations for his captivating talk. He spoke about the
importance of low carbon fuels and renewable energy sources. He
concluded by noting that cattle farming is one of the worst sources of
methane, so to save the plant we should all cut back on burgers!
We ended our presentations for the day with a talk from Dr.
Alexander Weber from Pediatrics on “Diffusion Imaging Reveals
White Matter Damage in Ice Hockey Players for Up To Two Months
Post-Concussion”. Dr. Weber’s work is focused on traumatic brain
injury seen in varsity hockey players, using different MRI interpretation
techniques to better quantify the type, extent, and duration of brain
injury following a concussion. He found that healing may not be
complete 2 months post-concussion. Dr. Weber was the recipient of
the third place award for his oral presentation.
Our talk presentations were judged by: Dr. Abby Collier, an
Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Leonard Foster,
Professor and Interim Head of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and
Dr. Emilie Lameignère, a Research Associate in the Centre for Blood
Research. The judges evaluated each presentation on comprehension,
communication, engagement, and visual aids.
The fascinating presentations were followed by the poster
session and reception. 6 judges evaluated nearly 15 posters. While
all the posters were excellent and showcased the innovative projects
happening at UBC, ultimately the poster/ presentation that scored
the best on the criteria of: comprehension, engagement, delivery and
visual quality were: Katharina Rothe from the department of Medicine
Genetics, Mariya Cherkasova from the department of Neurology and
Heidi Wolfmeier form Microbiology and Immunology. During the
announcement for prizes and awards, light refreshments were made
available as postdocs networked and discussed their research in a
relaxed setting.
All and all, it was another successful event by the PDA and of
course with the participation of all our presenters, attendees and
judges. We would like to extend our special thanks to our judges (for
the oral presentation and poster session) and to all the PDA members
that dedicated their time to making this event a success. C
19
cbr.ubc.ca