May 18 – 24

Announcement:
  • Faculty of Medicine Internal Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund Competition
Funding Opportunities:
  • Weston Brain Institute – Rapid Response 2015 (final reminder for info session)
  • Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon – Knowledge to Action Grants
Awards and Honours:
  • The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and Harrington Discovery Institute – 2016 Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine
  • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine – Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science
Events:
  • Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Bombesin-directed magnetic polymersomes for cancer therapy
  • UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine – Pathology Day
  • Personalized Medicine Summit – Transforming the Practice of Medicine (reminder)
  • UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development –Routine HIV Testing in Family Practice Workshop

ANNOUNCEMENT:
Registration Deadline: May 27, 2015
FoM Internal Deadline: July 6, 2015; 9am PDT
The Faculty of Medicine has launched an internal Canada Foundation for Innovation competition to distribute John R. Evans Leaders Funds.
*Mandatory registration is required by May 27, 2015 – Online Registration Form
Successful applicants will go forward to the UBC internal review for the CFI national October 2015 round.
Full competition details are available on the FoM Internal CFI JELF Competition webpage.
The application deadline for this FoM internal competition is July 6, 2015, 9:00am PDT.
Please direct any questions to fom.cfi@ubc.ca.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
LOI Deadline: June 16, 2015; 2pm EDT
The Weston Brain Institute is delighted to launch its Rapid Response 2015 program to provide seed funding for totally novel, high-risk, high-reward translational research ideas to catalyze the development of safe and effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases of aging. Each project may receive up to $150,000 over 12-18 months
Applicants must be researchers or postdoctoral fellows, and developing a therapeutic and/or a tool to help accelerate the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging.
Submission of the Letter of Intent is done through the Institute’s online grant management system here.
The Weston Brain Institute will be holding a Program Information Session for this funding opportunity on May 20th at 1:00 PM. This session is intended to provide you with comprehensive information on the application process and to provide an opportunity for open questions.
To sign-up for the WebEx and receive the dial in details as well as submit any questions you may have in advance, please follow the link.
The Institute welcomes inquiries about our funding programs at neuro@weston.ca or 416-935-4056.
Additional information about the Program can be found here.
Deadline: June 20, 2015; 4:30pm
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon, is pleased to announce the launch of a new funding opportunity, Knowledge to Action (KTA) Grants I and II. This provincial initiative will help to disseminate cardio and cerebrovascular (CCV) research or lead to development of future research while also contributing to the implementation of research results. KTA Grants will bolster knowledge development and dissemination and the practical application of knowledge generated by research. A fund of $90,000 is available for this initiative.
KTA Grants I will be offered for meetings, conferences and planning activities facilitating knowledge translation and exchange. Funds will support the establishment of teams and collaborations focused primarily on emerging areas of strength in BC CCV research.
KTA Grants II will allow for individuals or teams to put evidence collected from operating grants into practice in clinical or community settings. Funding could be used for pilots or for systemic implementation.
Application and guidelines can be found here.
For more information, contact: Research@hsf.bc.ca or call Jennifer Leong at 778-372-8022
AWARDS AND HONOURS:
Nomination Deadline: August 28, 2015
The Harrington Prize is the result of collaboration between The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies, and the Harrington Discovery institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development – a non-profit institute dedicated to enabling physician-scientists to transform their discoveries into therapies that enhance patient care. Both organizations understand the hurdles associated with turning discoveries into medicines, and they are eager to highlight those who have navigated the path successfully.
A committee composed of members of the ASCI Council and the Harrington Discovery Institute Scientific Advisory Board will review nominations and select the recipient. This annual prize includes:
  • An unrestricted $20,000 honorarium
  • The Harrington Prize Lecture, delivered at the 2016 ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting
  • Participation at the annual Harrington Discovery Institute symposium
  • A personal essay, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation
For more information about the Harrington Prize nomination requirements, please visit this link.
 
Nomination Deadline: September 15, 2015
Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science is awarded to those whose body of research exhibits outstanding achievement in medical science as demonstrated by works of lasting significance. This biennial prize of $200,000 is one of the four Nemmers Prizes administered by Northwestern University. They are made possible by a generous endowment from Erwin and Frederic Nemmers. The Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize was founded in honor of their mother.
For further information, please visit the Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize website.
EVENTS:
Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Bombesin-directed magnetic polymersomes for cancer therapy
Date & Time: May 20, 2015; 12-1pm
Location: LSC 3, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver
Seminar by:
Dr. Urs Hafeli
Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC
Polymersomes consist of amphiphilic synthetic block copolymers that form relatively stable membrane vesicles. In this presentation, the preparation and use of polymersomes is reviewed. Specific anticancer-drug filled polymersomes will then be discussed. Specifically, polymersomes were prepared from pluronic L121 and loaded with magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and an anti-cancer drug (camptothecin) using a continuously operating micromixing device. Characteriza-tion by TEM confirmed the successful incorporation of the MNP and narrow size distribution of the hybrid polymersomes. Drug release of loaded magnetic polymersomes was sustained over several days. Camptothecin polymersomes reduced the cell viability of human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) measured after 72 h significantly, while drug-free polymersomes showed no cytotoxic effects. The polymersomes were then further functionalized with bombesin, a targeting peptide that binds specifically to the GRPR (gastrin releasing peptide receptor) of tumor cells. Specific cell binding and uptake in PC-3 cells was quantified by flow cytometry while imaging was done with fluorescence spectroscopy, confocal microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Polymersomes are very versatile agents, can be prepared at large scale with ease using a micromixer, and offer many different options of functionalizing them to turn them into diagnostic, therapeutic or even theranostic targeting and imaging agents.
Date & Time: May 22, 2015; 7:45am to 8:30pm
Location: 1st floor, Jim Pattison Pavilion North, Vancouver General Hospital
Pathology Day is an annual event held in late May featuring oral and poster presentations from graduate students, residents and other trainees. At an evening reception cash prizes are awarded for the top three graduate student oral presentations, top three resident oral presentations and the top four poster presentations.
To confirm your attendance, please register here.
Date: June 7-9, 2015
Location: Life Sciences Institute, UBC, Vancouver BC
The Personalized Medicine Summit will be held on June 7-9, at the UBC Life Sciences Institute. The early bird registration deadline is May 19, with only limited spots left.
For more information, and to register now, please visit here.
Date: See below
Location: See below
Part 1 (Required Workshop)
Date & Time: June 15; 6-9pm
Location: In-person (Grand Pacific Hotel, Victoria) or by videoconference across Vancouver Island
Part 2 (Optional Follow-Up Session)
Date & Time: choice of Aug 13 or Sep 10; 6-7pm
Location: Teleconference
Target audience: Family physicians (free to attend) & MOAs ($60 honorarium provided). We also welcome specialists, allied health professionals, residents & students.
Up to 4.0 Mainpro-C/ MOC Section 1 credits
These two-part interactive sessions will cover new guidelines for routine HIV testing, how to implement the recommendations, and what to do following a positive result.
Register here.
Please contact hiv.cpd@ubc.ca for further details.