Director’s Note:
Over the past year, as Director of the LSI, I have had the privilege of working with colleagues to advance the research environment and develop the LSI as “a place of discovery”. During the previous LSI Open Forum held last year, we envisioned the LSI being built on participation and partnerships to produce outstanding research and an excellent training environment. We felt it timely to provide an overview of the initiatives and accomplishments over the past year in the form of this first edition of the LSI Newsletter.
I would like to begin by acknowledging those who contribute to the leadership, administration and operations of the LSI. Foremost, let me thank Linda Matsuuchi as Associate Director who has worked with me on all these initiatives and accomplishments. Our administrative team, including Neera Vohra, Theresa Lung, Sharda Muni, Max Mitchel and Kelsey Mauch, have each been committed to addressing the management of the LSI and, more importantly, your research needs. Tim Morgan and Pierre Tanguay have continued to ensure that our work environment is functional and safe. We have also worked closely with the Steering Committee consisting of the Research Group Leaders, Department Heads, LSC Operations and Safety, and GSA and Postdoc representatives. Finally, I’d like to acknowledge you, the LSI members, for your participation and partnership, and we all look forward to an outstanding year ahead.
Participate
New Faculty in the LSI
January 4, 2011 marked the arrival of 2 new Assistant Professors to the LSI. Dr. Calvin Yip, a member of the Diabetes Research Group and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Dr. Michael Gordon, member of the Cell and Developmental Biology (CELL) Research Group and Department of Zoology.
Dr. Calvin Yip, Diabetes Research Group
Dr. Yip completed both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees here at UBC. During his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Yip was funded by fellowships from the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund and CIHR. His hobbies include origami art, cooking, and snowboarding.
Office Rm #: 5301
Email: calvin.yip@ubc.ca
Dr. Michael Gordon, Cell and Developmental Biology (CELL) Research Group
Dr. Gordon received his B.Sc. from McMaster University in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, and Ph.D. from Stanford University in Developmental Biology. As a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Kristin Scott at University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Gordon initiated studies on neural circuits in the fruit fly brain that process taste information and control feeding behaviour. In his free time, Dr. Gordon enjoys going on hikes or to the beach with his wife Emilia and dog Jake.
Office Rm #: 3352
Email: gordon@zoology.ubc.ca
New Research Group Websites on WordPress
The Research Group websites have been revamped in ‘WordPress’ which is currently being promoted for use by UBC Public Affairs for its’ easy content management. These websites including the LSI homepage and graduate student pages are now also ‘branded’ i.e. aligned with the UBC ‘Common look and feel’ (CLF) template. This enables Research Groups to easily update and modify their websites. Take a look at the newly constructed sites:
Bacterial Adaptation & Response Networks (BARN)
Cardiovascular
Cell & Developmental Biology (CELL)
Chemical Biology of Disease (CBD)
Diabetes
Infection, Inflammation & Immunity (I3)
Molecular Epigenetics (MEG)
In addition, we have generated Facebook sites for the LSI and the Cafe Scientifiques.
LSI “Landing Pages” for Fundraising
UBC Annual Givings has developed LSI ‘Landing Pages’ for fundraising. These pages are also linked on the LSI website by a new “Donate” icon and highlight specific research themes in the LSI. These pages will allow potential donors to direct funds to specific LSI research areas. The scientific focus of these pages can also be modified as needed to best reflect the priority areas of the LSI and that of UBC. Click HERE to visit the LSI Landing Pages.
The LSI is also currently involved in developing a series of directed mailing campaigns with UBC Annual Givings. The first will focus on “infectious disease” and is being mounted in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and the Faculty of Science Development office.
Produce Outstanding Research
High Profile Scentific Papers
Mutations in GNA11 in Uveal Melanoma
Published in New England Journal of Medicine, December 2010
Authors: Catherine D. Van Raamsdonk, Klaus G. Griewank, Michelle B. Crosby, Maria C. Garrido, Swapna Vemula, Thomas Wiesner, Anna C. Obenauf, Werner Wackernagel, Gary Green, Nancy Bouvier, M. Mert Sozen, Gail Baimukanova, Ritu Roy, Adriana Heguy, Igor Dolgalev, Raya Khanin, Klaus Busam, Michael R. Speicher, Joan OBrien, Boris C. Bastian, Van Raamsdonk Lab, Molecular Epigenetics Research Group, Department of Medical Genetics
GNA11, a heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunit, is a novel oncogene in human uveal melanoma. Somatic mutations conferring constitutive activation were found in 32% of primary tumors and 57% of metastatic samples.
The N-terminal disease hot spot of ryanodine receptors forms a cytoplasmic vestibule.
Published in ‘Nature’, November 2010
Authors: Ching-Chieh Tung, Paolo A. Lobo, Lynn Kimlicka, Filip Van Petegem – Van Petegem Lab, Cardiovascular Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Crystal structure of the ryanodine receptor N-terminal disease hot spot docked into the cryoEM map of the full-length channel. Disease mutations are located at domain-domain interfaces and facilitate allosteric movements observed during channel gating, resulting in leaky channels. Blue: crystal structure; gray: cryoEM map; red: disease mutations.
Identification of putative dental epithelial stem cells in a lizard with life-long tooth replacement
Published in ‘Development’, November 2010
Authors: Gregory R. Handrigan, Kelvin J. Leung and Joy M. Richman – Richman Lab, Cell & Developmental Biology (CELL) Research Group, Department of Dentistry.
Most dentate vertebrates, including humans, replace their teeth and yet the process is poorly understood. Here, we investigate whether dental epithelial stem cells exist in a polyphyodont species, the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). Since the gecko dental epithelium lacks a histolologically distinct site for stem cells analogous to the mammalian hair follicle bulge, we performed a pulse-chase experiment on juvenile gecko to identify label-retaining cells(LRCs)
Click HERE to read more of such announcements.
Visiting Scientist Award
The Life Sciences Institute is very pleased to announce that Dr. Timothy Machonkin, Assistant Professor of Analytical
and Inorganic Chemistry at Whitman College, Washington, USA, has been awarded the 2011 LSI Visiting Scientist
Award. Dr. Machonkin will work in the Laboratory of Dr. Lindsay Eltis, a member of the Bacterial Adaptation & Response Networks Research Group, Centre for Tuberculosis Research and Department of Microbiology & Immunology. To look up the recipients of the past LSI Visiting Scientist Awards, click HERE
Coming Soon – New Tissue Processing Resources
LSI has purchased a cryostat as part of a developing Tissue Processing Facility that will be located in LSC room 3435. Demos of various microscopes to add to this facility have been scheduled. Please contact Calvin Roskelley at calvin.roskelly@ubc.ca or the LSI for further information.
Expanded FACS Facility
The FACS facility at the LSI recently received new FACS machines obtained from CFI funding from PIs in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology including Ken Harder, and through the Faculty of Science. Now there are 3 designated rooms for FACS on the mainfloor of LSC – #1563, 1567 and 1569. If you would like access to this facility, please email Andy Johnson at andy@brc.ubc.ca. Click HERE to visit the FACS website.
GSA Research Day
The LSI-GSA organized its Fourth Annual Research Day on Friday, March 12, 2010. Held during the Celebrate Research Week at UBC, the LSI-GSA Research Day hosted 16 trainee talks in the morning and a poster session in the afternoon.
The event also had two very impressive keynote speakers to give seminars in the late afternoon. The first speaker was Dr. Francisco Bezanilla from University of Chicago. Dr. Bezanilla is well reputed in the field of studying the structural-molecular function of voltage dependent ion channels and transport proteins. His pioneering work in understanding ion channels at the molecular level has made several contributions to health research.
The second speaker was Dr. Victor Ling, the President and Scientific Director of Terry Fox Research Institute. Dr. Ling is world-renowned for his discovery of the P-glycoprotein, one of the proteins that confer multidrug resistance in cancer patients. His contributions to the field of cancer biology, have earned him several awards including the Order of Brish Columbia and the Order of Canada.
Upcoming Event – 5th Annual LSI-GSA Research Day – March 11, 2011
In the spirit of Celebrate Research Week at UBC, the LSI-GSA has organized a great opportunity to showcase the cutting-edge research taking place at the LSI, build connections and collaborations and award the research achievements of graduate and undergraduate students within the building. This is also the first time that the LSI Undergraduate Research Day will coincide with the LSI-GSA Research Day.
The day will host opening and closing keynote speeches by two distinguished researchers: Dr. Robert A. Hegele, MD and Dr. William C. Aird, MD. Dr. Hegele is the Director of the Blackburn Cardiovascular Genetics Lab at the Robarts Research Institute. His laboratory has focussed on research on the genetic basis of diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension and obesity and has discovered the molecular genetic basis of 12 human diseases. Dr. Aird is Director of the Center for Vascular Biology Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His laboratory focuses on the study of vascular biology, and specifically on understanding how endothelial cell phenotypes are differentially regulated in space and time.
In between the keynote speeches, all 8 research groups within the LSI will be represented in the afternoon trainee talks and poster session (by undergraduate and graduate students). This is a great chance for research groups to showcase their latest research and congratulate their students’ achievements. Awards will be presented at an evening reception to the top undergraduate and junior and senior graduate students for both trainee talks and posters!
For details on abstract submission for trainee talks or posters, contact lsigsa@zoology.ubc.ca. Submission deadline is February 25th, 2011.
Partner
LSI Café Scientifique
Café Scientifiques provide an opportunity for informal discussion about scientific subjects. They were never intended to be lectures. For that reason, the Café Scientifiques are all about accessibility. They involve interaction between the public and experts in a given field at a café, pub or a restaurant. They provide insight into health-related issues of popular interest to the general public, and in turn provoke questions and provide answers.
LSI was the recipient of a CIHR grant to organize Café Scientifiques. With matching funds from Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and Faculties of Medicine and Science, LSI has organized a number of Cafés in 2010. Please click on the links below for the topics and more information on past Cafés.
January 26th, 2010 – “Diabetes: Causes, Consequences and Cures?”
April 13, 2010 – “Inside the fight against the Flu pandemic”
May 25, 2010 – “Electrical Signaling in the Heart and Body: Understanding Cardiac Disease”
August 10, 2010 – “Fingerprinting” Cancer for Personalized Medicine“
Nov 16, 2010 – “What can be done about antibiotic resistance?”
Keep posted for the LSI Cafe Scientifiques for 2011 which will be supported by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Join the LSI Cafe Scientifique on 
CBR Earl Davie Symposium– November 2010
Dr. Earl Davie’s research has elucidated many areas of coagulation and led to effective treatments for patients with a range of bleeding disorders. He and his colleagues devised the revolutionary Waterfall Sequence for Blood Clotting. Dr. Davie applied cutting edge technologies to identify and characterize the coagulation proteins in detail throughout the 1960s and ’70s, and subsequently isolated, sequenced, and expressed the genes for these clotting factors. For his many critical achievements, Dr. Davie has been widely acclaimed and has received numerous international awards. He is a member of the US National Academy of Science and is a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle.
This annual 1-day symposium hosted by the Centre for Blood Research, in honour of Dr. Earl W. Davie, also featured presentations by local experts in vascular biology, hemostasis-thrombosis, cardiovascular and neurologic disease. Guest Lecturers included Kenneth G. Mann and Désiré Collen, Leaders in Blood Clotting and Thrombolysis
Click HERE to look at pictures from the event.
Dr. Donald R. Riddle Retirement Symposium – November 2010
A retirement event to honor Don Riddle, a major researcher in the C. elegans community, professor of Medical Genetics, member of the Michael Smith Labs, former Chief Scientific Officer of Genome BC took place on Nov 5th. The event was organized by a consortium of C. elegans researchers, with Don Moerman from the department of Zoology and a member of the CELL Research Group at LSI was the point person for UBC. The goal of this symposium was to highlight and honor Dr. Riddle’s many contributions to genetics, development, neurobiology and ageing. The speakers included the 2008 Nobel Laureate (Martin Chalfie), 2009 Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal winner (John Roth), Gairdner winners (Robert Waterston-2002 and Gary Ruvkun-2008) and a Lasker winner (also Ruvkun-2008), as well as Dr. Riddle’s former trainees (David Bird, William Wadsworth and Pamela Larson) and 3 local scientists who have worked with Dr. Riddle (Marco Marra, David Baillie and Michel Leroux).
In the Picture: Speakers, from Left to Right: Dr. David Baillie (SFU), Dr. Robert Waterston (UW, Gairdner winner), Dr. Pam Larsen (U Texas San Antonio, former Riddle-ite), Dr. John Roth (UC Davis, Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal winner), Dr. Gary Ruvkun (Mass General Hospital Harvard, Gairdner and Lasker winner), Dr. Don Riddle (the honoree), Dr. Bill Wadsworth (UMDNJ, former Riddle-ite), Mark Edgely (co‐organizer, Moerman lab and Worm KO Centre, former Riddle‐ite), Dr. Michel Leroux (SFU), Dr. Martin Chalfie (Columbia Univ, Nobel laureate), Dr. Don Moerman (Lead Organizer, UBC, Director Worm KO Centre, LSI, CELL Research Group, ZOOL).
Perceptions of the Cell Seminar Series, ongoing
Perceptions of the Cell Seminar Series is an interdepartmental, multiple Institute lecture series sponsored by the Cell Biology Group and the LSI CELL Research Group and co-sponsored by multiple Faculties, Departments, Research Centers, Institutes and Biotech Companies. The overarching theme of all of this special lectures is the idea that “The cell is the critical functional unit of life and the process of cellular interactions allows for the existence of all higher life forms”. Recent advances in imaging, genomics and proteomics have provided an endless stream of fascinating information which must ultimately find its understanding in the context of the living cell. The Lecture Series over the past few years has provided a number of interesting and distinct “Perceptions of the Cell”, delivered by a series of distinguished scientists. Some past speakers include such notable researchers as Dr. Peter Walter, Dr. Sydney Brenner, Dr. Freda Miller, Dr. Bruce Edgar, Dr. Jeff Dangl, Dr. Andy Fire, Dr. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Dr. Roger Tsien, Dr. Nabil Seidah, Dr. Martin Schwartz, Dr. Ari Helenius, and our most recent invitee, Dr. Frank Gertler. Please click HERE to visit the Perceptions of the Cell Webpage.
Other Partnerships
LSI has also partnered on various other initiatives including 3rd Canadian IBRO School on “Degeneration and Regeneration“, ImmunoVancouver 2010, NorthWest Protein Crystallography Workshop, Rising Stars of Research, Year of Science and Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting.
Produce Excellent Trainees
LSI Visiting Trainee Award
The Life Sciences Institute is very pleased to announce that Dr. Markus Klose has been awarded the first LSI Visiting Trainee Award. Dr. Klose is at UBC to develop electro-physiological methodologies and procedures to analyze behaviour in the Drosophila model system. He will work on collaborative projects in the labs of Dr. Douglas Allan, a member of the Cell and Developmental Biology (CELL) Research Group and Dr. Eric Accili, a member of Cardiovascular Research Group (CRG). In addition, he will be interacting with the 5 other LSI labs with interest in Drosophila neurophysiology. For more information, please click HERE
LSI Geek Olympiad
With games, free food and beverages, there was no better way to spend an afternoon at work! Geek olympiad favourites like tip racking and tug-of-war as well as some new games made this event a calendar must. To look at pictures, click HERE
LSI Graduate Student Recruiting initiative
Acting on a directive from the Steering Committee Retreat held in January 2010 to enhance the Graduate Student experience and recruiting at LSI, Kelsey Mauch was hired as the coordinator for this initiative. The goal is to assist and facilitate the Graduate Programs with students in LSI labs with advertising, development of promotional material, putting on career days and recruiting sessions etc. This will also involve reaching out to current 3rd/4th year UBC students as well as soliciting local BC, national and international students. Visit the LSI Graduat Recruitment website by clicking HERE.
Following are highlights of a few high impact partnerships under the above initiative:
Rising Stars of Research, Aug 19-20, 2010
The idea for holding an undergraduate science poster competition that would draw participants from across Canada was first proposed in 2007 by Dr. François Jean in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (MIIM) at UBC. Dr. Jean had worked with many promising undergraduate researchers and thought a national event would be an exciting way to support and encourage their ongoing development as scientists.
LSI was again the venue of choice for the 2010 event and was one of the co-sponsors along with MITACS, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Genome British Columbia and Canadian Botanical Association.
Click HERE to visit the Rising Stars of Research (RSR) website.
Innovation BC – Innovation Exploration Canada Wide Science Fair – BC & Yukon Participants, Oct 13, 2010
The LSI hosted an “ LSI Tour & Hands-On Experience” for about 30 Canada Wide Science Fair students on Oct. 13, 2010. Volunteers from Dr. Moermon’s C. elegans knockout lab and the Cardiovascular Research Group (Drs. Accilli & Van Petegam Labs) participated in explaining their research and the impact it has. Students thoroughly enjoyed exploring Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) positive C.elegans and other mutants under the microscopes followed by discovering the process of protein purification and crystallization. Click HERE to look at pictures from the above event.
Lunch Panel and LSI Tour with Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Nov 17, 2010
LSI teamed up with the UBC Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) to organize an event designed for undergraduates to provide information on Grad Studies. A lunch panel of LSI members comprised of Full and Assistant/Associate Professors, Post Doc and Graduate Student representatives, Senior Instructors and Graduate Advisors was organized along with a tour of four LSI Labs for a group of 35-40 undergraduate students.
Click HERE to visit the URO website.
Year of Science – Health and Science Expo, Nov 25-26, 2010
The Ministry of Science and Universities has declared the 2010/2011 academic year to be the Year of Science. This provincial initiative is designed to increase awareness and interest in the importance of science as well as encourage more students to pursue a career in a science discipline.
The LSI participated in the first signature event November 25th&26th by having a table in the Career Roundtables. High school students rotated through table learning about different career options there are.
The LSI roundtable focused on research careers and other career options after graduate school.
Click HERE to visit the Year of Science Website.
CSI at the LSI, Dec 1, 2010
The idea to use popular fiction to present a professional scientific environment to high school students was first thought of by the inaugural eecutive committee of the LSI-GSA. The goal was to give students hands on training, mentorship, career information, and answer any questions to facilitate a possible career choice in research.
“CSI at the LSI” outreach program is a murder mystery involving a plot with real characters (grad students, post docs, and PI’s) to generate a fun and interactive learning environment. At this one day event, the students carry out experiments using modern scientific techniques to collect “evidences”. At the end of the day they share the results to identify the suspect. Most of the activities are designed with basic scientific resources so that they are replicable and suitable to be performed in other research institutes or universities.
This event was written up as an educational paper and submitted by Dr. Caylib Durand (former Microbiology & Immunology Graduate Student and now a 2nd year UBC Med Student) and Dr. Santiago-Ramon Garcia (Research Associate in the department of Microbiology & Immunology) to the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. The paper was publshed in Dec 20, 2010. Please click HERE to view the paper.
Now in its 4th year, “CSI at the LSI” has become a most popular outreach event in the LSI. Thirty-two students from the Eric Hamber High School participated this year. Click HERE for more information on the “CSI at the LSI”.
Other News
Dr. Vanessa Auld, CELL Research Group, Department of Zoology has been appointed the Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Faculty Affairs in Faculty of Science.
Dr. George Mackie, Bacterial Adaptation of Response Networks (BARN) Research Group, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology is the new interim Executive Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Medicine since Jan 2011 replacing Dr. Alison Bhuchan who has left for a senior position at the University of Toronto.
Annual LSI Golf Tournament – July 2010
The second annual LSI Golf tournament was organized at the Musqueum Golf Course on Friday, July 9th. Various Scientific Vendors came through again and generously donated a variety of exciting prizes for the draws including 2 tickets to the Canucks game. LSI would like to acknowledge contributions from Bio-Rad Laboratories (Canada) Ltd., GE Healthcare BiosSciences. BD Biosciences, Centre for Blood Research (CBR), Fisher Scientific, Beckman Coulter, Fine Science, Life Technologies – Applied Biosystems, Eppendorf, BHC Medical, Varsity Computers and Services Inc., VWR International, Diamed Lab Supplies Inc., Sigma Aldrich, Sarstedt, Medical Alumni Association & Vector Laboratories. The proceeds from the 50/50 draw were donated to Doctors without Borders (MSF). To look at more pictures, click HERE. The next Tournament will be in July 2011.
In the picture – ‘Team MacGillivray’- 1st place Winners. from Left to Right: Mark Bleackley, Ross MacGillivray, Eric Jan and Alex MacGillivray.
Nan Cheney Art
A recent donation of $7500 from Justice Grant Burnyeat, Dr. William Webber, Sydney Friedman and Ken Morton enabled the preservation framing and displaying of the 41 Nan Cheney Anatomical drawings at the LSC. These drawings are part of the collection held by the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences.
Nan Gertrude Lawson Cheney (1897-1985) was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia and studied “Art as Applied to Medicine” at Johns Hopkins University from 1921 to 1923. She moved to Vancouver in 1937 where she became a well-known portrait and landscape painter.
Nan Cheney was a medical illustrator in the Department of Anatomy at UBC from 1951 to 1956, and continued to work as a medical illustrator until her retirement in 1962. The Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences currently owns over fifty original works of art by Nan Cheney some of which are exhibited here. Each of theworks was created from an anatomical dissection done by staff in the Department of Anatomy at the time. The person who did the dissection is indicated on each piece of artwork, and all pieces are signed and dated by Nan Cheney.
This Art Collection is now mounted inside 4 separate glass cabinets in the LSC Colonnade.
United Way Pancake Breakfast– October 2010
A big Thank you to everybody for turning out in large numbers and making the annual LSI United Way Pancake Breakfast a success again this year. This has become an LSI Tradition and quite an event that everybody looks forward to.
LSI raised a total of $2,062 this year for United Way which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all the volunteers including our ‘Celebrity Chefs’, ‘Celebrity Entertainers’ and in-house artists Mary Pines and Julia Pon who donated their art for
sale. Proceeds from this sales also went to United Way. Your generous gifts of your time and contributions are gratefully appreciated.
In the Picture, from Left to Right: Care-y, Dr. Charles Shuler (Dean, Faculty of Dentistry), Dr. Geroge Mackie (Interim Executive Associate Dean – Research, Faculty of Medicine), Dr. Simon Peacock (Dean, Faculty of Science), Dr. Ed Conway (Director, Centre for Blood Research), Dr. Tony Farrell (Associate Dean, Postdoctoral Fellows, Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Click HERE to look at more pictures from the event.
LSI Tree Trimming Party, Dec 9, 2010
Thank you all for attending the LSI Tree Trimming Party on Dec 9th. We are happy to report that we raised
$371 for the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. The LSI Food Drive for the Vancouver Food Bank ended on Dec 23rd and we are ecstatic to report that we surpassed our last year’s contribution of 16 boxes. We contributed 20 boxes to the Vancouver Food Bank this year. The goal for 2011 is 25 boxes!
Our heartfelt gratitude to all the vendors for their generous contributions, to the volunteers for their time and
ongoing support and to the participants for participating in the LSI Tree Trimming Ornament Contest.
Here are the winners of the Tree Trimming Contest:
1st Prize Winner – ‘Snowglobe’ by Moerman Lab, Zoology
2nd Prize Winner – ‘Skier’ by Fernandez Lab, M&I
3rd Prize Winner – ‘Star’ by Eltis Lab, M&I
Please click HERE to view the pictures from the event.
