June 1 – 7

The Faculty of Medicine has funds available for up to $5000 in start up funding. Applicants must be in the first two years of a full-time faculty appointment as Assistant Professor and higher, or a Clinical faculty appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor and higher in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.  Previous awardees of UBC Faculty of Medicine Spring Start Up Funds, and applicants who have received $200,000 or more in Start Up Funds are ineligible.

The funds can be used for the following: Research equipment, research supplies and/or research services (e.g. cost recovery payments to core equipment) and research support salaries (e.g. technical personnel).

For further information, please visit our website

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

The Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation is the world’s leading nonprofit health organization dedicated to supporting patients and families living with aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and related bone marrow failure diseases. AA&MDSIF is patient-focused and  and serves patients and families throughout the phases of bone marrow failure diseases, including the life-changing phase of diagnosis, the life-threatening phase of treatment, and the life-long phase of living with a chronic disease.

To that end, AA&MDSIF supports researchers dedicated to the study of bone marrow failure who are working to advance the understanding and treatment of aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). With funding provided by the Patricia and Vincent Geczik Legacy Gift to Fund PNH Research, AA&MDSIF has issued a Request for Proposals for research projects that pertain to nine specific topics: 1) anti-complement therapies and/or immune regulation, including increased understanding of C3 inhibitors; 2) the role of bone marrow failure in the selection of PNH clones of hematopoietic stem cells; 3) the cause of the expansion of the PNH clone to clinically significant levels; 4) the genetic components of PNH; 5) increased understanding of thrombosis within PNH, including mechanisms, detection and diagnosis, and treatment; 6) health outcomes from extended use of eculizimab; 7) reasons for continued clinical manifestations despite or because of the response to eculizimab; 8) advances in drug delivery mechanisms; and 9) more effective dosing levels and combination therapies.

Currently, AA&MDSIF anticipates awarding one grant per year. In 2015, projects may be funded up to $100,000 for one year, or $250,000 over two years.

To be eligible, an applicant must hold a doctor of medicine, doctor of philosophy, doctor of science, or other doctoral level degree (e.g., Pharm.D.).  There are no nationality restrictions.  Research may be carried out in the United States or abroad but not at a for-profit laboratory. The project must represent independent research conducted by the applicant.

See the AA&MDSIF website for complete program guidelines, information about previous grant recipients, an FAQ, and proposal submission instructions.

Seminar by:

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae ddi2 (DNA damage inducible 2) gene encodes an HD‐domain containing metalloenzyme that is induced over 100‐fold by alkylating agents such as methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) and dimethyl sulfate (DMS). A fungal homolog of ddi2 was previously characterized as a cyanamide hydratase enzyme, and ddi2 expression is also dramatically induced by addition of cyanamide to yeast growth media. To study the DDI2 protein’s biochemical function, we carried out yeast functional assays, developed an in‐vitro enzyme activity assay, and solved the three dimensional structure by X‐Ray crystallography. The structure reveals that ddi2 binds Zn2+ and is indeed a member of the HD‐domain superfamily, and identifies key residues at the active site that likely participate in cyanamide substrate binding and catalysis.

Registration is now open for CBR Research Day on August 19, 2015. Please register online here. Everyone is welcome. So please feel free to forward the attached program and RSVP link to anyone you feel may benefit from attending.

POSTERS! Please indicate on the form if you will be presenting a poster. For pending poster titles mark the field as “TBA.”

For further information, please contact hana.kim@ubc.ca.