News
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Study to determine if early cancer can be detected with blood test
October 18, 2016
UBC-developed technology will be utilized during a pilot study organized by the BC Cancer Agency to determine whether it is possible to detect early signs of cancer with a simple blood test. By using a new method to detect DNA from cancer cells in the blood of volunteers with no known disease,… read more
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Loren Rieseberg appointed director of UBC Biodiversity Research Centre
October 3, 2016
Botanist Loren Rieseberg, internationally known for his research into the genomics and evolution of the sunflower, has been appointed director of UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre. Rieseberg is a fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Canada, has held a MacArthur Fellowship… read more
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UBC chemist receives Rutherford Memorial Medal
September 29, 2016
UBC chemist and chemical engineer Curtis Berlinguette has been awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Rutherford Memorial Medal in Chemistry for his research in solar energy conversion technologies. Berlinguette’s lab has developed a new class of stable and high performance chromophores for… read more
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Antibiotics developed in 1960s show promise for TB therapy
September 28, 2016
First generation cephalosporins—antibiotics introduced as a treatment against bacterial infections in 1963—now show promise for tuberculosis (TB) therapy, according to new research published in Scientific Reports. Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the most deadly… read more
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Researchers develop new weapon for hard-to-treat bacterial infections
September 27, 2016
Health workers may soon have a new weapon in the fight against abscesses—difficult-to-treat bacterial infections that lead to millions of emergency-room visits every year. Researchers at the University of British Columbia successfully prevented drug-resistant bacteria from forming abscesses… read more
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UBC researchers discover how cancer's 'invisibility cloak' works
September 26, 2016
UBC researchers have discovered how cancer cells become invisible to the body’s immune system, a crucial step that allows tumours to metastasize and spread throughout the body. “The immune system is efficient at identifying and halting the emergence and spread of primary tumours but… read more
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New model could point way to microbiome forecasting in the ocean
September 22, 2016
A new mathematical model developed at the University of British Columbia integrates environmental and molecular sequence information to better explain how microbial networks drive nutrient and energy cycling in marine ecosystems. The work could dramatically improve researchers’ and policy… read more
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To understand the oceans' microbes, follow function, not form
September 21, 2016
A University of British Columbia mathematician may have discovered a key to understanding the constantly changing distribution of microbial species in the world’s oceans—classify microorganisms by their biochemical function, rather than by their taxonomy. Researchers have struggled to… read more
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UBC Science congratulates new University Killam Professors
September 20, 2016
Four UBC Science professors have been named as winners of the University Killam Professorships, the highest honour UBC can confer on a faculty member. The awards recognizes exceptional teachers who are leaders in their fields, and who have recieved international recognition for their talents and… read more
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Federal, provincial investments set to renew UBC's life sciences teaching labs
September 19, 2016
A joint federal-provincial funding announcement today includes $44 million to renew and replace facilities at the Undergraduate Life Sciences Teaching Labs at UBC’s Biological Sciences Complex. The investment is part of $51.5 million in support of new and renewed state-of-the-art learning… read more