Science in Vancouver

💼 Looking for your next role in Vancouver life sciences? Our feed features opportunities across biotech, academia, healthcare, and beyond. 👉 Subscribe and get jobs delivered to your inbox every Monday: https://bit.ly/4vrNlZH

🔔 The second episode has dropped! In partnership with the @isscr.org Early Career Advisory Committee, we're spotlighting rising leaders in stem cell research. Hear from Drs. @anupamahl.bsky.social and Verena Schwach on cell fate and #cardiac development! 🎧 Tune in: https://bit.ly/4zmw4T2

Let's talk teeth! 🦷 Drs. He Liu & Ya Shen from UBC found that IDR-1002 attenuates bacterial challenge, inflammation, and oxidative stress while promoting mineralization-related responses. This work could support #PulpRepair: https://bit.ly/4A8XNHd

Dr. Kayla King from UBC was awarded the 2026 Francis Crick Medal and Lecture for her contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease. 🎤 Listen to the lecture now: https://bit.ly/4zT76Lb

Join us for a conversation exploring how our understanding of the brain is evolving, what we are learning about neurological health and disease, and how research can translate into practical approaches that support brain health at different stages of life! 🔗 whistlerinstitute.com/event/brain-...

Clinical Trials British Columbia has announced Dr. Barbara McGillivray and Cindy Trytten as recipients of the 2026 #ClinicalTrials British Columbia Awards. 👏 Congratulations to both awardees! https://bit.ly/4zKHjVj

Scientists have found that a lactation drug could reduce the risk of #BreastCancer in mothers after childbirth. “Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among younger women,” said study co-lead Dr. Christopher Maxwell at UBC & @bcchresearch.bsky.social. 🤱 https://bit.ly/4BjzpUw

🧬🤖 GENomics-AI: Are We Moving Too Fast? Kaylee chats with geneticist Dr. Le Cong and bioethicist Dr. Mohammed Hosseini about AI-powered gene editing, rare diseases and the ethical questions we can’t ignore. 🎧 Listen now: https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/b87cc2cc-6ed3-4c20-8a02-c626378af1bb

UBC's Dr. Kayla King delivered the Francis Crick Lecture at the Royal Society in London on the implications of her research for predicting pathogen virulence and patterns of genomic evolution in a changing world. @royalsociety.org @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social @zoology.ubc.ca bit.ly/4zVnElR

Work with us! We invite applications for a full-time Lecturer in Psychology with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2027. The deadline for applications is January 5, 2027. Learn more and apply: psych.ubc.ca/job-opportun...

Remember this paper from May? Thanks to @drugalcreports.bsky.social for naming it an Editor's Choice Article this month! www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu... Published twice a year, this special issue highlights innovative methodologies, significant findings & insights chosen by the editors.

Dr. Miles Mannas at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and UBC has received a prestigious 2026 Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Dr. Mannas’ work uses AI and advanced molecular technologies to better profile prostate cancer biopsies. Congratulations! https://bit.ly/4sb7sKk

What if we thought of the gut microbiome as a "virtual organ"? 🦠 UBC alum Dr. Paula Littlejohn explores how this perspective could reshape our understanding of malnutrition and lead to better patient care. Read the Q&A: https://bit.ly/4yU8Qnp

Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman from UBC has been awarded funding from the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada! Dr. Abdelrahman’s research aims to understand how cerebral blood flow is regulated and why this process becomes disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease: https://bit.ly/4zu5S8O

Yukon ho! Mineral deposits in Canada's north sparked the Yukon Gold Rush in 1898 and they continue to be important today. Take a journey with earth sciences prof @geobrentatlarge.bsky.social to explore how glaciers have shaped the Yukon’s stunning landscape Oct 27. events.sfu.ca/event/49762-... 🧪

Dr. Poul Sorensen and his team at @bcchresearch.bsky.social are focused on uncovering cellular vulnerabilities and investigating novel #immunotherapy avenues for pediatric cancers. Check out this Q&A to learn more about the two recent studies from their lab: https://bit.ly/4jFUMJt

Dr. Kelley Lee at @sfu-fhs.bsky.social is among the leading experts launching a new blueprint for pandemic readiness for the United Nations General Assembly. 😷 Learn more about the PRIME (Pandemic Readiness through Institutions, Mobilizing Communities, and Equity) Commission: https://bit.ly/4dDjV3t

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (#JIA) is an umbrella term for a group of conditions characterized by chronic inflammation in the joints. Dr. Jaime Guzman at @bcchresearch.bsky.social is uncovering the trajectory of physical function of JIA patients to improve treatment plans: https://bit.ly/46TlXc1

A new study identified biomarkers that predict which patients with advanced #ProstateCancer are most likely to benefit from a combination of radioligand therapy and immunotherapy. 🤔 See the work from Drs. Sofie Tolmeijer & Alex Wyatt at the @vchresearch.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4jx7WrP

🧠 Drs. Zachary Pennington, Jessica Rosin, and Alexander Wiesman have been awarded funding through Brain Canada’s 2025 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Program! Congratulations to all three @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social researchers: https://bit.ly/4hTX5XN

🧬 Vancouver-based biotech Zymeworks has completed its acquisition of Theravance Biopharma for approximately US$929 million in equity value. Zymeworks said in a release that the acquisition expands its portfolio beyond its cancer-focused business: https://bit.ly/3TCd0kj

Dr. Sriram Subramaniam's lab at UBC analyzed Canada’s first human bird flu case and found two mutations that, surprisingly, weakened the virus’s ability to bind to human cells. 🪶 Learn more about how they're using #GeneticSurveillance for pandemic preparedness: https://bit.ly/3TBL9k2

🎉 Congratulations to Vancouver’s September award winners! This month, we highlighted Dr. Peter Caravan, a world leader in molecular imaging who is returning to Vancouver as one of nine new Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs. See the full list of September’s award recipients 👇 https://bit.ly/4AQUXHZ

Recent research from Dr. Jessica Rosin’s lab at @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social uncovered how colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (#CSF1R)-expressing immune cells help guide the formation of bones, teeth, and facial structures during #EmbryonicDevelopment. 🧫 https://bit.ly/3T9CPbm

Postdoctoral research fellows Dr. Yusuke Shiraishi and Dr. Jan Vanwelkenhuyzen of the Vancouver Prostate Centre have received 2026 Research Trainee Awards from @healthresearchbc.bsky.social. 🏆 Congratulations to both researchers! https://bit.ly/4xUGpnX

🎙️ Dr. Kaylee Byers is joined by Drs. Premal Patel and Stephanie Page on the latest episode of the Nice Genes! Podcast by @genomebc.bsky.social. They discuss the history of contraceptives, male birth control, and reproductive equity. Listen to the episode now: https://bit.ly/4htiSEf

🍂 New semester. New season. Fresh science. Start your autumn off right by staying connected to Vancouver’s life sciences community with the Science in Vancouver newsletter. 📬 Sign up today: https://bit.ly/4iZiE6t

It's National Postdoc Appreciation Week! Check out @sfu.ca's profile on some of the amazing postdocs that walk their campus. Their work advances scholarship across all faculties and disciplines, helping shape the future of research at SFU and beyond: https://bit.ly/4hiw4Me

🫀 A new project is developing a more accurate way to study heart disease. Led by Dr. Zachary Laksman at UBC and Dr. Stephanie Willerth of @axolotlbiosciences.bsky.social, the project uses genomics informed bio-inks to 3D-print living models of human heart tissue: https://bit.ly/4hpVCHq

The Vancouver Prostate Centre's co-founder and longtime leader Dr. S. Larry Goldenberg is the recipient of the 2026 UBC Medicine Bill and Marilyn Webber Lifetime Achievement Award. 🌟 Congratulations to Dr. Goldenberg on this well-deserved recognition! https://bit.ly/4xEfAEm

Two UBC faculty members, Drs. Patrick Keeling and Rachel Scholes, have been awarded $1-million Wall Fellowships, the university’s highest-value internal research award. 🥳 Congratulations to both researchers! https://bit.ly/4y9staq

🙌 Don’t miss #VCHRIResearchDay 2026: Voices that Shape Research on Nov. 5! Join an insightful discussion on how partnerships help build research as care, featuring Drs. Donald Griesdale, Gabrielle Legault, Teresa Tsang, Roger Wong & Stirling Bryan. Register now: buff.ly/wRjUkiy

Researchers led by Dr. Michael Hayden at @bcchresearch.bsky.social uncover why #HuntingtonDisease progresses faster in some patients and points to a promising treatment target. 🔬 Abstract: https://bit.ly/4y1ES0d 📰 News: https://bit.ly/4AcggDz

⏰ @vchresearch.bsky.social researchers Drs. Aline Talhouk and Andrea Neilson are exploring whether it is possible to identify people at increased risk for #EndometrialCancer long before cancer symptoms are present. Learn more about their work: https://bit.ly/4xyG36n

A recent multi-omics study led by Dr. Abhinav Checkervarty at @providenceresearch.bsky.social is challenging a long held assumption: that #SickleCell is benign in infancy. Researchers found measurable differences within days of birth. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4hw8ugg

Researchers at @sfu.ca are working on advancing new AI tools that could transform the way new drugs to treat diseases like cancer are discovered. 💻 The research is led by Dr. Martin Ester. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4j7Fz3l #DrugDiscovery

Dr. Mary De Vera, an internationally recognized epidemiologist from UBC, has been elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists as part of the academy’s 2026 class. 🍾 Congratulations: https://bit.ly/3SOyCJX

This #GynecologicCancerAwarenessMonth, discover new research led by VCHRI researchers Drs. Aline Talhouk & Andrea Neilson, exploring new pathways to identify people at increased risk of endometrial cancer long before cancer symptoms appear: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

🩸 @bcchresearch.bsky.social researchers led by Drs. Souvik Mitra and Kia Anarna are helping clinicians reevaluate early use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to increase red blood cell production in preterm infants. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3SJGfBn

The Royal Society of Canada (@src-rsc.bsky.social), Canada’s national academy, has announced its 2026 Class of Fellows and College Members. Congratulations to UBC researchers... 🥁 Dr. Xin Li: https://bit.ly/4iX0LsL Dr. Megan Levings: https://bit.ly/3SFanxP

In collaboration with the Vancouver Prostate Centre, researchers at @sfu.ca are developing innovative AI tools that could transform the discovery of new drugs to treat cancer & other diseases: buff.ly/IaB8s7U

Terry Fox-funded researchers at the Wyatt lab at University of British Columbia have identified a new form of hereditary #ProstateCancer that, while rare, can cause aggressive disease at a young age. The discovery paves the way for genetic testing programs. 🧪 https://bit.ly/4A5PEUo

🧠 Astrocytes are highly mechanosensitive cells that play essential roles in maintaining brain homeostasis. The MacVicar lab at UBC investigated how the expression of Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel in astrocytes, is modulated by inflammatory triggers: https://bit.ly/4ieweX9

The MOSAIC study team invites individuals with lived experience of heart health conditions, family caregivers, people from diverse communities, community advocates & health professionals to join its Patient & Partner Advisory Committee. Apply by Sep. 14: buff.ly/QQbqmIS

Nine world-leading researchers are joining UBC as part of the inaugural cohort of the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program. 🍁 This includes life scientists Drs. Peter Caravan, Curtis Huttenhower, Brian Kuhlman, and Kathryn Whitehead. Welcome all! https://bit.ly/4yiTaZQ

🌊 🐟 Genomics tools are moving from the wet lab to an even wetter lab. @genomebc.bsky.social is funding a new multi-year, multi-partner collaboration that aims to empower First Nations communities in BC with salmon #GeneticAnalysis tools for fisheries management: https://bit.ly/3SP0OvY #OpenSource

🔥 This August brought the heat with over 70 researchers recognized in the Vancouver science community. We’ve highlighted Dr. Kate Johnson whose COPD research was recognized by both CIHR and Genome BC with new grants. 🏆 See the full list of award winners for August 2026: https://bit.ly/4zSYlkU

A pandemic-born network of Canadian emergency physicians co-founded by VCHRI investigator Dr. Corinne Hohl has become the world’s largest emergency medicine research infrastructure & is now ready to combat health emergencies in a fraction of the time: buff.ly/neaV865

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences has announced the election of 59 new Fellows for 2026, recognizing a distinguished group of leaders spanning the full spectrum of health sciences in Canada. Huge congratulations to Drs. Mariana Brussoni, David Granville, & Aly Karsan: https://bit.ly/4gxSGsY

In a new episode of the UBC Knowledge Exchange podcast, Sandra Fox from the VCHRI Indigenous Health Research Unit & Rebecca Hargreaves reflect on community-engaged research, cultural humility & social work practice in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: buff.ly/ToHiWpL

🏆 Nominations are now being accepted for the 2027 edition of the NSERC prizes! Consider nominating a deserving colleague, a peer, a science promoter, a team, or a partnership. Get more details: https://bit.ly/4zIXpiZ