Epileptic patients have a long term risk of recurrent seizures and the mainstay of treatment for controlling seizures is antiepileptic drugs. Management of epileptic emergencies usually requires hospitalization and the administration of intravenous (i.v.) anticonvulsant drugs. Lorazepam i.v. is the most effective treatment of status epilepticus, and therefore is routinely used in hospital emergency departments. […]

The proposed project aims at optimizing new antivirals to fight influenza. Current antivirals, which target proteins of the virus, suffer from severe resistance owing to mutations in the virus. Our group has identified some enzymes in the human lung that are critical for the maturation of the influenza virus. By blocking these enzymes, we expect […]

The objective of this project is to develop lipid nanoparticle (LNP) reagents for the delivery of nucleic acids to turn off, or turn on target genes in “hard-to-transfect” neurons and stem cells in vitro and in vivo. A recent report (BCC Research, April 2011) observed that “51% of researchers employ cell-based techniques to perform transfection […]

Additional research is required to fully understand the effects of Capsaicinoids, a supplement that contains the active ingredient in hot peppers. Previous studies have demonstrated its ability to reduce appetite and weight. However, there is lacking information regarding the effects of this supplement on cardiovascular health and exercise performance. The intern will be responsible for […]

University of British Columbia and Amgen British Columbia (ABC) will collaborate to develop a safe and efficient lipid-based vaccine delivery system that can be used in laboratory animals to enhance the production of specific antibodies against difficult targets. These antibodies can be further screened and characterized for treating various diseases in humans.

Bones undergo a renewal process by replenishing calcium mineral through a cellular process known as remodeling. Usually, it happens in a balanced manner, but in many bone diseases, the remodeling process is increased with regional bone metabolism. Bisphosphonate (BP) drugs selectivity and strongly bind to bone mineral and become incorporated at active sites of bone […]

The proposed project will use classical animal models to investigate the therapeutic effects and associated side effects of extracts from the whole plant of different strains of cannabis. The targeted medical conditions include pain and chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Our data and results will play a key role in pre-screening of cultivars to […]

Preterm neonates ill-adapted to the extra uterine environment are prone to increased inflammation in multiple organs and the proinflammatory interleukine IL-1b has been closely implicated in brain injury associated with preterm birth (PTB). One major adverse neuronal outcome for PTB survivors is the greater propensity to develop ischemic brain lesions long after birth. Here, we […]

The Canadian Mental Health Association states that all Canadians will indirectly be affected by mental health at some time in their lives through a family member, friend, or colleague and that 20% of Canadians will be affected personally. Most conditions are treated with pharmaceuticals that often come with unwanted side effects. Many patients have starting […]

Zinc deficiency during the post-weaning period is known to cause adverse health outcomes such as impairment of growth and diarrhea. Zinc supplement seems to critical in achieving positive growth responses, but a high dose of zinc is concerned to be toxic and cause a large amount of zinc excretion, resulting in environmental pollution. Thus, the […]

Mobile health (mHealth) strategies hold a great promise to enhance treatment outcomes while mitigating health care costs (Hayes et al., 2014). It allows health care providers to tailor treatments to each individual based on their lifestyle. The primary objective is to involve COPD patients and their health care providers in the development of a mobile […]

The cannabinoid class of medications are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms such as spasticity and pain associated with MS. However, the exact molecular mechanisms by which they exert their beneficial effects remain unknown. Recent research and clinical trials demonstrated that cannabinoids may not only alleviate the symptoms of MS, but may also […]