FIXING

DAMAGED
NOVEMBER 2016 BLOOD VESSELS
EVENT GLANCES
NEW CLOT
BUSTING DRUG

PLUS
CBR MEMBERS
RECEIVE
PRESTIGIOUS
AWARDS

DROP THE KNIFE

NEW TARGET
FOR IBD
 ABOUT CBR
The CBR aims to improve the health and well-being
of patients through innovative research in blood and
blood-related processes.

GOALS
CBR Research & Clinical Goals
• Improve the quality and safety of blood
product collection, storage and delivery
• Create new knowledge to better treat
bleeding and clotting disorders
• Develop novel approaches to
modulate the immune system to
treat inflammation and infections and
promote wound repair
Patient-driven. Innovative. Community.
Over the past year, donor support has helped us develop novel approaches
to battle severe bleeding in rural areas, delineate the mechanisms of
inflammatory diseases, and increase the quality of blood products used in
transfusions – only a few examples among many pioneering discoveries.
With your continued support, the CBR will further transform innovative
ideas into life-enhancing solutions.
The CBR needs you to help fund our programs that range from $50 to
$100,000. We invite you to explore opportunities at the CBR where your
partnership with us will result in positive impacts on education, training and
meaningful research. Examples of initiatives that need your support include:

Reward leadership in students and staff with the Neil $50

Mackenzie Mentorship Award
Expose trainees to diverse career opportunities with the $1,000
CBR Career Night E D U CAT I O N
Jumpstart a postdoctoral fellow’s career with the $5,000
CBR Education Commitment
Postdoctoral Transition Award
• Support student research through
Support a clinical fellow in Translational Research Studies $75,000
competitive undergraduate, graduate,
and postgraduate awards
Make a CBR Symposium possible $25,000- • Offer a range of stimulating educational
$100,000 symposia, workshops and seminars
Explore further: CBR.ubc.ca/support-us • Provide cutting-edge career
Edward M. Conway, MD, PhD development opportunities for our
Director, Centre for Blood Research trainees
Tel: 604.822.4252 | Email: ed.conway@ubc.ca

2
PUBLISHED BY
Knowledge Translation Committee
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF  Anna Sinova
DESIGNER  Amarpreet Grewal
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Abhinav Ajaykumar RESEARCH PEOPLE
Andrew Alexander

4 7 Dr. Kizhakkedathu
Georgina Butler
Diana Canals Therapeutic target
Rolinda Carter
Deb Chen for IBD Promoted
Jenny Chik

6 25 Interview
Tara Fernandez
Amarpreet Grewal Stable with
Anthony Hsieh
Jenny Huang Blood Clot Dr. MacGillivray
Michel Hughes
Prashant Kumar

8 New Clot
26 Father of Modern
Victor Lei
Bryan Lin
Houra Loghmani-Khouzani
Ido Refaeli
Dissolving Drug Hematology
Sara Saberi

10 Immuno- 27 Tribute
Erika Siren
Solmaz Sobhanifar to
Shawna Stanwood
Olga Zamudio
camouflage Dr. Sheldon Naiman
BLOG cbr.ubc.ca
FACEBOOK /cbrubc
TWITTER @CBR_UBC
INSTAGRAM @CBR_UBC

CBR magazine is published by the

11 Platelet
Safety AWA R D S
Knowledge Translation Committee,
which is a group of CBR graduate
students, postdoctoral fellows, and
research associates, who are interested
in science writing, blogging and mixed
12 Clearing
Overload
Iron
5 CIHR
Grants
media communications. It is distributed

13 Beta- 9 Student
free of charge to CBR and UBC alumni,
friends, and the scientific community.
Opinions expressed in the magazine do
not necessarily reflect the views of the thalassemia Awardees
centre or the university.
Address correspondence to:
The Centre for Blood Research
4th Floor, Life Sciences Centre
2350 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3
14 Fighting
Obesity OPINION
The KT Committee publishes
weekly at CBR News (cbr.ubc.ca) and
covers a wide range of topics: from
recent research highlights and opinion
pieces on science and academia, to
15 Host Defence
Peptides 23 High-school
Mentorship
event coverage and CBR initiatives.

24 ACS Chemistry
If you are interested in participating
in the KT Committee, email Anna at:
anna.sinova@ubc.ca or talk to one of
the members! All CBR members are MAJOR EVENTS
Championship
welcome to join.

Knowledge
Translation
16 Research
Day PROGRAMS
Committee

18 World 22 Health
Science beyond academia
&
CONTACT Thrombosis Day Wellness
anna.sinova@ubc.ca

Cover image credit: Heather Amos, UBC

20 Careers
Symposium
3
research Microscopy image. Photo
credit: Bernard Lo.

Drop the Knife!

MICHAEL HUGHES, R E S E A R C H A S S O C I AT E

The incidence of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) (collectively known as inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD)) in Canada is among the highest in the world. Most troubling, the number of children in
Canada with IBD has doubled in the last 20 years. A confluence of environmental factors, such as city dwelling
in industrialized Western nations, may be at least partly to blame for this rapid rise in IBD.
IBD is a life-long, chronic inflammatory disease that can be severely debilitating if not controlled.
Frequent bouts of inflammation cause permanent scarring (fibrosis), which can interfere with nutrient
absorption and excretion functions of the intestine. Currently, surgery is the only way to remove scarred tissue.
Consequently, approximately 70% of patients with CD and 30% with UC will require surgery at least once
in their lifetime. Removing scar tissue in the gut is not a trivial surgery; considerable tracts of large bowel are
usually removed, as well as sections of the ileum (critical for nutrient absorption). Going under the knife for a
patient with IBD frequently necessitates a drastic change in lifestyle.
Bernard Lo, a PhD candidate in the research group led by CBR Principal Investigator Kelly McNagny,
discovered a novel cellular pathway that promotes intestinal fibrosis in a CD-like mouse model. His findings
highlight a therapeutic target for the development of drugs that may block fibrotic processes and reduce the
need for surgery in patients with IBD.
In his work, recently published in September’s issue of Science Immunology, Bernard used a Salmonella-
induced mouse model of gut fibrosis that shares many of the pathological features of human CD, to
demonstrate that group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are required for intestinal fibrosis.
He also found that a transcription factor, retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-alpha (RORα),
controls the function of these lymphoid cells in the gut. As the gene name suggests, the ligand of RORα has
not been formally identified. However, potent small-molecule synthetic antagonists and agonists are known,
making RORα a viable therapeutic target for new drugs that can block fibrotic mechanisms in CD.
Bernard’s next step is to demonstrate the ability of existing RORα-antagonists in vivo to block the fibrotic
process. Success of the next generation candidate drugs will hopefully spare patients with IBD from going
under the knife!
Science Immunology, 1(3)C

4
 awards

CIHR Foundation and Project Grants Recipients

A M A R P R E E T G R E WA L

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research restructured their spending strategy in 2015. The agency has replaced the 12 large and
small funding awards to two funding streams: the CIHR Project Grant and the CIHR Foundation Grant.
The Foundation Grant supports research leaders from all career stages to build and conduct programs of health research across
CIHR’s mandate. As the name suggests, the Foundation Grant is designed to provide long-term support for health researcher leaders. The
majority of grants range between $50,000 and $1.5 million per year over 5 to 7 years depending on the researcher’s seniority and history.
The Project Grant is designed to capture ideas that will contribute to the creation and use of health-related knowledge. It supports
a variety of health-related research and knowledge translation projects from discovery to application, including commercialization. This
grant ranges between $50,000 and $750,000 per year for the grant durations of 1 to 5 years.

Congratulations to the two CBR members who have received Congratulations to the four CBR members who received the
the CIHR Foundation Grant: CIHR Project Grants:

Dr. Robert Hancock:

Dr. Christian Kastrup:
“The network biology of stem cell
“Materials and Mechanisms for
derived macrophages: Deciphering
Understanding and Controlling
the role of cellular reprogramming in
Hemorrhage”
sepsis”

Dr. Christopher Overall:

Dr. Wilfred Jefferies:
“From Proteolytic Networks to
“Studies on novel immune-surveillance
Human Biology and Disease: Protease
mechanisms underlying cancer
regulation of signal transduction in
elimination”
chronic inflammatory diseases”

Dr. Jayachandhran Kizhakkedathu:

“Novel One-step Approach to a
Universal Anti-adhesion Coating to
Prevent Catheter-associated Urinary
Tract Infections”

Dr. Kelly McNagny:

“Innate Lymphoid cells and RAR-related
orphan receptor alpha (RORa) as
therapeutic targets for gastrointestinal
fibrosis and Crohn’s disease” C

5
 Photo credit: Kastrup Lab - MSL
research

Christian Kastrup’s Team Leads the Way

Towards a More Stable Blood Clot
ROLINDA CARTER, P H D C A N D I D AT E

Effectively sealing a damaged blood vessel is the key to stopping the coagulation cascade has been shown to increase clot adhesion when
bleeding. Physiologically, this is achieved by an initial platelet plug copolymerized with endogenous components during clotting.
followed by a more stable fibrin rich blood clot. Fibrin, which is formed When asked about the expected impact of their research, Karen
from fibrinogen, is the molecular mesh of the clot. It is stabilized and answered, “We believe that strategies for artificially enhancing blood clot
attached to the site of vessel injury by clotting factor XIIIa (FXIIIa) adhesion may lead to the development of novel hemostatic agents that
through irreversible crosslinking. When physiological adhesives are can mitigate bleeding under coagulopathic conditions in which fibrin
depleted, fibrinogen replacement therapy is used to stop bleeding. This may be depleted or degraded. We are currently exploring modifications
strategy, however, is not fail-safe from re-bleeding due to normal fibrin to the Q-PEG material and its formulation and hope to take this towards
clot dissolution. Thus, alternative mechanisms to increase clot adhesion new therapies for trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC)”. In TIC, patients
are needed. often develop fibrinogen deficiency and are more prone to enhanced
Karen Chan, a PhD candidate in the Kastrup lab at the CBR, fibrinolytic activity.
along with other scientists, saw a promising alternative therapeutic in
the use of FXIIIa-crosslinkable synthetic polymers such as Q-PEG.
Q-PEG is a previously characterized 8-armed polyethylene glycol that
is conjugated to a glutamine-containing peptide derived from α2-
antiplasmin. In a recently published Biomacromolecules article, Karen
and team demonstrated that Q-PEG can be formulated with spermidine,
a polyamine substrate enabling crosslink formation by FXIIIa. This
changes clot properties when added to blood, and the combination
was shown to increase the adhesive strength of endogenous clots,
restore the adhesion of fibrin poor clots and increase the resistance
Karen Chan
of clots to dissolution in the presence of the serine protease, tissue
plasminogen activator. This is the first time that a material exogenous to Biomacromolecules, 17(6): 2248-2252C

6
In vivo endothelial cells lining blood vessels.
Photo Credit: Piyushkumar Kapopora
Dr. Jay N Kizhakkedathu
appointed to Full Professor!
Congratulations to Dr. Jay N Kizhakkedathu for his promotion
to a Full Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine.
Dr. Kizhakkedathu’s remarkable achievements started early
in his career; in the all-India entrance exam for higher degree
positions in science and engineering, he ranked in the top 20 of
the many thousands of applicants. There, he completed his PhD
studies with a group well-known for polymer research, and in 1999,
UBC was fortunate to recruit him as a post-doctoral fellow to Dr.
Don Brook’s laboratory. It didn’t take long for Dr. Kizhakkedathu to
demonstrate his skills, as he has rapidly devised solutions for long-
standing problems in biomaterial compatibility, and along the way,
created several new technologies for clinical use in the fields of
hemostasis-thrombosis, vascular biology and nephrology, to name
just a few.
In 2005, Dr. Kizhakkedathu was appointed to be an Assistant
Professor after obtaining the CIHR New Investigator Award for
his work on developing universal red blood cells by modifying
their chemical structure. This led to his work on hPG, which
serves to effectively mask antigens on the red blood cell surface,
thereby creating cells that could escape detection by the immune
people
A M A R P R E E T G R E WA L
system. In 2011, after a rigorous process of evaluation of his many
accomplishments, he was promoted to an Associate Professor.
Now, Dr. Jay N Kizhakkedathu has been appointed to the rank
of Full Professor by the Senior Appointments Committee and the
UBC President. The process of being promoted to Professor is not
automatic nor is it based on years of service. Being appointed to the
rank of a Professor is reserved for those whose contributions are
considered outstanding in teaching, scholarly activity and service
to the community and university. They have met the standards
of excellence and have attained distinction in their discipline. In
addition, they have achieved excellence in teaching and educational
leadership roles.
Dr. Kizhakkedathu’s research is focused on understanding
molecular interactions of synthetic polymers with biological
systems in order to design novel biomaterials. He takes an
interdisciplinary approach by integrating polymer synthesis with
well-designed biological assays and animal models to create novel
polymers and technologies to address unmet clinical needs. His
recent publication on heparin reversal has received international
media attention: UBC News, Chemical and Engineering News, Red
Orbit, News Everyday, and other news sources. C
7
 research
The Pryzdial Lab Advances a Novel
Clot-Dissolving Drug
ROLINDA CARTER,
Dr. Ed Pryzdial
Heart attack and stroke are leading causes
of death worldwide and are due to excess clot
blocking the normal flow of blood. To treat
these clots, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA),
the key physiological enzyme that initiates clot
dissolution, was developed into a therapeutic
drug and is co-administered with a blood thinner.
The ultimate purpose of tPA is to generate
plasmin, the enzyme directly responsible for
breaking down the clot. While having saved many
lives, the use of tPA in the clinic is complicated
by side-effects including an increased risk of
bleeding due to systemic plasmin generation
and re-appearance of abnormal clots. To date,
advances at finding a safer and more effective
8
Scanning micrograph of of human blood clot.
Photo credit: Manu Thomas Kalathottukaren
P H D C A N D I D AT E
therapeutic to replace tPA have been unsuccessful.
By thinking “out of the box”, the Pryzdial lab at the Centre for Blood Research
previously showed that clotting factor Xa (FXa) is modified by plasmin-cleavage to
acquire clot-dissolving properties. This was the first time that FXa was shown to have
this schitzophrenic role in controlling blood flow. Capitalizing on this finding, in the
latest Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis publication, Dr. Pryzdial and team
collaborated with Dr. William Sheffield at McMaster University to generate and test a
chemically modified form of FXa called Xai-K. This new form of FXa was designed to
stabilize C-terminal lysine exposure, which facilitates the assembly of tPA and its substrate
plasminogen, and thus increase generation of plasmin. Since Xai-K has to be associated
to the clot or pro-coagulant surfaces to exhibit this function, localized instead of systemic
plasmin generation is achieved.
Through a number of in vitro and in vivo experiments, the authors found that Xai-K
was not only able to dissolve clots at a faster rate than tPA-based therapeutics (Alteplase and
Tenectaplase), but it also functions as a blood thinner through competition with normal
FXa. Hence, an alternative to the current treatment used has been identified.
“It was amazing to see how fast clots cleared when Xai-K was given to a mouse
compared to today’s most common therapeutic” – commented Scott Meixner, the research
assistant in the Pryzdial lab who generates and characterizes Xai-K.
In addition to using Xai-K alone, the team also showed that Xai-K could be
administered in combination with a 34-fold lower dose of the tPA analogue, Tenectaplase,
to restore blood flow. The latter is a substantial finding as decreasing the dose of tPA will
ultimately decrease the bleeding risk in patients and still enable clearance of highly resistant
clots.
“Two decades of major clinical trials aimed at improving the safety of clot-dissolving
drugs have been disappointing. Xai-K marks a new strategy to dissolve clots based on a
novel biochemical pathway our lab discovered. We’re excited that its preclinical safety and
efficacy profiles suggest promising advances are finally on their way” – said Dr. Ed Pryzdial,
the principal investigator and first author of the paper. Further studies are currently in
progress as the lab seeks to take this technology away from the bench and closer to the
bedside. C

CBR Members Receive Prestigious
Awards
A M A R P R E E T G R E WA L
Dr. Natalie Zeytuni, a post-
doctoral fellow in Natalie
Strynadka’s lab, has received
a Banting Postdoctoral
Fellowship to support her work
on on structural and biochemical
analysis of the Type VII secretion
system, which is essential for the
pathogenesis of mycobacterium
that causes tuberculosis.
James Baylis, a PhD Candidate
in Christian Kastrup’s lab,
received a Frederick Banting and
Charles Best Canada Graduate
Scholarship. Baylis characterized
a self-propelling drug delivery
system capable of penetrating
deep into the wound site.
J. Andrew Alexander, a PhD
Student in Natalie Strynadka’s
laboratory, gained a Doctoral
Research Award in a priority
area of Infection and Immunity
for his work entitled ‘Trouncing
the superbug: the biophysical
characterization of proteins
involved in methicillin resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
antibiotic resistance’. He is also
the recipient of a Vanier Canada
Graduate Scholarship.
Steve Woosuk Hur, a PhD
Candidate in Dr. Kastrup’s lab,
received a Frederick Banting and
Charles Best Canada Graduate
Scholarship for his research
on ‘Mechanism Regulating
Coagulation Factor Xllla and
its Impact on Intracranial
Hemorrhage and Thrombolysis’.
awards
Dr. Dustin King, recently
obtained his PhD from Dr.
Strynadka’s laboratory, for which
he received the 2016 Governor
General’s Gold Medal. Now
he is a postdoctoral fellow
at Simon Fraser University
and was recently awarded a
CIHR Fellowship for young
investigators to pursue his
work in ‘Elucidating the Effect
of O-GlcNAc Modification on
Protein Thermostability”.
Paul Kim, a summer student in
Dr. Hancock’s Lab, received a
$5 000 3M National Student
Fellowship. The Fellowship is
awarded to students across
Canada who have demonstrated
exceptional leadership in their
lives.C
9
research
Red Blood Cell masquerade:
polymer-mediated immunocamouflage
provides Rh D antigen-safe blood
S O L M A Z S O B H A N I FA R ,
Dr. Mark Scott
Photo credit: Canadian Blood Services
Macrophages “see” normal Rh D+ RBC
When Rh D+ RBC is camouflaged...
10
PDF
Although the existence of ABO blood group antigens is
common knowledge, it is less widely known that red blood
cells (RBCs) can express more than 300 other antigens
belonging to 35 blood group systems. As such, RBCs
demonstrate extraordinary immunogenic complexity that
varies among individuals and ethnicities.
The Rh blood groups were discovered 40 years after the
ABO blood groups, and named after the rhesus monkey,
first used in making antiserum for sample blood typing.
Among 50 known Rh antigens, the Rh D antigen is the most
immunogenically and clinically problematic, second only
to ABO blood group antigens. As a result, the D antigen
poses a significant risk of acute immune response in blood
transfusions from D+ donors to D- recipients. This risk is
furthermore exacerbated in countries, such as China, where
Rh D- blood is rare, resulting in an inadequate inventory.
In a recent article in the American Journal of
Hematology, Li Li, a postdoctoral fellow from Mark
Scott’s lab at the CBR, along with her colleagues developed
a technique for camouflaging Rh D+ RBCs to avoid acute
anti-D transfusion reactions. Using this method, antigens are
masked by the attachment of immunologically inert polymers
such as mPEG (methoxypolyethylene glycol) to the surface
RBC membrane in a process that preserves cell morphology,
structure and function. The polymers physically hinder the
binding of problematic antibodies and avoid clearance of the
Rh D+ red blood cells by macrophages.
Li and colleagues assessed the success of mPEG chain
length and grafting concentration on disguising the Rh
D+ antigen by measuring antibody binding and immune-
mediated destruction of RBCs. This allowed the authors
to identify important engineering parameters, resulting in
excellent immunocamouflage of D antigens and a clinically
significant level of protection. These findings serve as a
proof-of-concept demonstrating the ability to use membrane-
attached polymer chains as a safe and effective means of
providing “D-safe” blood to recipients in areas where D- blood
is unavailable.
Americal Journal of Hematology, 90(12): 1165-1170 C
 research

Cautiously Rethinking Pathogen

Inactivation Technology – Selective Effects
on Platelets
DEB CHEN, PHD STUDENT

Pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies further improve
blood product safety by using ultraviolet (UV) illumination
and other additives to destroy pathogen nucleic acid content,
thereby damaging their ability to replicate and spread. As
expected, blood cells are not resistant to PI-treatment and
their nucleic acid constituents also undergo a reduction in
overall content. Christa Klein-Bosgoed, a PhD candidate in
Dr. Dana Devine’s laboratory at the CBR, demonstrated that
PI-treatment consisting of UV illumination in the presence of
riboflavin, preferentially affects specific subsets of the nucleic
acid material that is translated within platelet units prepared
for transfusion.
Platelets that circulate in the blood stream are fragments
of their bone marrow-derived precursor, megakaryocytes,
and are required to stop bleeding at the site of vessel damage.
Platelets inherit mRNA from megakaryocytes and are able
to synthesize proteins, despite the lack of a nucleus. While
the significance for platelets to actively synthesize protein is
not well understood, it is thought to be important for platelet
activation and their clotting functions.
Christa clearly demonstrated that the total number of base pairs can robustly
predict the impact of PI treatment, with more base pairs sustaining more
damage in platelet mRNA transcripts. UV energy dose also correlates with
platelet mRNA recovery, where a smaller UV dose predictably caused less
damage to biomolecules. Interestingly, platelet mRNAs that remain after PI
treatment appeared to exhibit longer half-lives, which may suggest activation
of some mechanism(s) to protect mRNAs from further degradation.
There are still many aspects of PI technology and its impact on
platelet product quality that we do not understand – as Christa comments,
“This study is only one glimpse into the complex interaction between PI
technology and platelet biology.” Ultimately, these studies may help to
fine-tune PI technology to effectively prevent blood-borne diseases while
preserving platelet function and therapeutic efficacy.
Transfusion, 56(9): 2286-2295. C

“We wanted to better understand how PI

technology impacts platelet quality and to investigate
its still unknown impact on mRNA stability
and protein synthesis”

The safety of platelet concentrates increases with the

application of PI technology; however, PI-treated platelets
demonstrated an accelerated loss of quality, as evidenced
by increased metabolism and reduced platelet activation
upon stimulation. “We wanted to better understand how PI
technology impacts platelet quality and to investigate its still
unknown impact on mRNA stability and protein synthesis,”
said Christa. These new findings may suggest a potential
clinical impact on PI-treated platelet units, which is not yet
known and under investigation.
UV illumination in the presence of riboflavin, a potent
photosensitizer, preferentially damages guanine, one of the
Christa Klein-Bosgoed
nitrogenous bases required to build DNA and RNA molecules.

11
research

Minimizing Treatment Times for

Beta-thalassemia Major: a Small Solution
with Potential for Big Impact
ERIKA SIREN, PHD STUDENT

Beta-thalassemia is a genetic blood condition where affected

individuals are unable to produce sufficient levels of normal red
blood cells. While advances in gene therapy hold promise for a cure,
they remain at early stages of development. Currently, the primary
treatment for individuals with beta-thalassemia major is having
regular blood transfusions coupled with Iron Chelation Therapy
(ICT). ICT is required, as repeated blood transfusions cause iron
overload leading to organ dysfunction. The gold standard of ICT is
a small molecule, called desferrioxamine, or DFO (inset). However,
the short half-life of the drug (20 minutes in humans) demands 8-12
subcutaneous injections per day.
In order to reduce the burden of rigorous ICT regimens, Jasmine
Hamilton, a recent alumnus from the Kizhakkedathu research group
at the CBR, developed a high molecular weight scaffold for DFO that
increases both loading of the drug per injection, as well as the half-life
of the drug. A thousand-fold smaller than a red blood cell, a single
scaffold serves as a nanocarrier for hundreds of DFO molecules. Once
attached to the structure, the DFO conjugate exhibited significantly
reduced plasma clearance times, effectively becoming an ultra-long
circulating desferroxamine (ULC-DFO).
In the latest issue of Biomaterials, this nanocarrier was shown
to effectively clear iron overload in mouse models using only a single
injection per week. Despite circulation times of over 16 hours, no
detrimental organ accumulation or toxicity related to the introduction
of the nanocarrier were reported.
The significant reduction in dosing frequency with ULC-DFO
compared to monomeric DFO illustrates great promise in improving
the quality of life for patients with beta-thalassemia major.
When asked, “What’s next for ULC-DFO nanocarriers?”,
Dr. Kizhakkedathu stated that they are looking towards making
biodegradable scaffolds for DFO. These scaffolds will have the same
effect of ULC-DFO without the accumulation of the scaffold material
in vivo.
Biomaterials, 102: 58-71 C
Jasmine Hamilton

12

The Story of Beta-thalassemia:
Blood, the Sea, and a Bluebird
S H AW N A S TA N W O O D , PHD STUDENT
International Thalassemia Day took place on May 8th, and this
year’s theme was “Access to Safe & Effective Drugs in Thalassaemia.”
Dedicating a day in the calendar for thalassemia is well-justified.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “the alpha
and beta thalassaemias are the most common inherited single-gene
disorders in the world with the highest prevalence in areas where
malaria was or still is endemic.”
Originating from “thalassa” and “haema,” the Greek words for
sea and blood respectively, thalassemia is a hemoglobin disorder.
Beta-thalassemia refers to thalassemia with decreased or absent beta-
globin production, a component of hemoglobin.
Beta-thalassemia minor, or beta-thalassemia trait, either
does not manifest any symptoms or may result in mild anemia.
Beta-thalassemia intermedia may produce a range of challenging
symptoms, such as gallstones, jaundice, and leg ulcers. Consistent
blood transfusions are usually needed for patients with the most
severe of the beta-thalassemias, beta-thalassemia major.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), blood
transfusions, iron chelation therapy, folic acid supplementation, and
stem cell transplantation can be used to treat thalassemia.
Dr. Nick Au, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, says that currently, only stem
cell transplantation can be curative. He elaborates that the stem cells
are usually obtained from a patient’s sibling who is immunologically
similar, which reduces the morbidity related to the procedure.
research
“However, not all patients have an acceptable sibling donor.
Also, even stem cell transplantation with fully matched siblings
carries risk, including transplant associated mortality,” adds Dr. Au,
who collaborates with Dr. Ross MacGillivray (Centre for Blood
Research) and works at BC Children’s and Women’s Health Centre.
Recently, a potential treatment option for beta-thalassemia
major in the form of gene therapy has attracted much attention.
In early 2015, a press release revealed that a drug product called
LentiGlobin® BB305 by a company called Bluebird Bio, Inc. had been
deemed a Breakthrough Therapy by the United States Food and Drug
Administration.
This press release stated that “LentiGlobin BB305 Drug Product
aims to treat beta-thalassemia major and severe sickle cell disease by
inserting a functional human beta-globin gene into the patient’s own
hematopoietic stem cells ex vivo and then returning those modified
cells to the patient through an autologous stem cell transplantation.”
However, even though gene therapy has made a big splash, the
story is still not entirely complete. Dr. Au points out that “the long
term efficacy and side effects of the current gene therapies still need
to be determined.”
Looking toward the future, he anticipates that “although recent
therapies show some promise, the ultimate goal of developing
a permanent cure that offers a better risk profile than stem cell
transplantation and that is predicted to work in all patients likely still
requires more research and work.” C
13
research
Small Parts of a Big Problem –
Uncovering the Molecular Basis of Obesity
TA R A F E R N A N D E Z & M I C H E L L E K W O N
Resisting the urge to reach for that donut, or taking the stairs
instead of the elevator - we all know that eating healthy and staying
active helps in the battle of the bulge. Still, obesity remains an ever-
growing global concern, with a whopping 60% of Canadians found
to be overweight. Considerably less is known about the molecular
mechanisms that orchestrate the physiology of fat tissue, and their
relation to the plethora of obesity-related conditions, such as heart
disease, stroke and diabetes.
A collaborative project between two young researchers at
UBC’s Centre for Blood Research (CBR) and the Diabetes Research
Group (DRG) hopes to change that. Together, they are uncovering
compelling new facets to the development of obesity and diabetes on
a cellular level – with the hopes of revolutionizing preventative and
therapeutic strategies against these diseases.
Michelle Kwon, DRG graduate student in Dr. Timothy
Kieffer’s laboratory and Tara Fernandez, Postdoctoral Fellow with
Dr. Ed Conway’s team at the CBR are working on a collaborative
venture to study the intricate interplay between fat tissue and
metabolic regulation. Specifically, they are interested in identifying
the biological cues that govern fat cell growth and function. By
combining their expertise on different experimental models of
obesity and methods for analyzing fat’s metabolic potential, Michelle
and Tara hope to shed light on how to harness these pathways
clinically.
Fat, or adipose, is a complex tissue, mainly functioning as a
lipid repository of the body’s energy reserves, but also important
in producing various hormones and thermoregulation. ‘White fat’
constitutes 20-25% of human body weight, with obese individuals
having markedly elevated white fat levels. On the other hand, the
relatively recently discovered ‘brown fat’, is a highly specialized
adipose tissue which acts as a furnace, utilizing sugar and lipids as
fuel to generate heat energy.
14
As Michelle explains, “There has been an enormous interest
in trying to therapeutically target brown adipose to lower
circulating fats.” Indeed, this represents the holy grail of anti-obesity
therapeutics, in which those late night pizza indulgences would
simply be burnt off as heat, and not through hours of sweating on the
treadmill. Fascinatingly, Michelle and her lab have also discovered
a role of brown adipose in resisting diabetes. “Our studies highlight
that brown adipose metabolism can also be harnessed to lower blood
sugar levels in experimental models of diabetes”. Michelle adds,
saying she looks forward to exploring whether igniting brown fat
activity has a potential in a clinical setting.
Zooming in on the cellular characteristics that distinguish
brown and white adipose is Tara’s main research focus. Exciting new
discoveries from the Conway lab are revealing that proteins present
on the surface of fat cells may hold the key to brown fat’s energy-
burning properties. Tara shares some insights into the progression
of these novel findings, saying “Initially, we were interested in the
role of these proteins in inflammatory conditions. Surprisingly, these
molecules also control how fat cells grow and behave.” Using a range
of cell-based and molecular biology platforms, clues as to how this
molecule fits within network of pathways that govern weight gain and
glucose metabolism are slowly being uncovered.
Expanding collaborative networks is one of the most essential
means of solving formidable biological problems. Indeed, both
Michelle and Tara have experienced this first hand through this
joint research venture. “It’s great to bounce ideas off each other,” they
said about their team effort, adding that their different perspectives
drive the project in ways that would not have been possible if done
in isolation. When they are not making waves in the lab, Michelle
is putting her laboratory skills to good use in brewing the perfect
ale and baking delicious breads, while Tara enjoys playing Ultimate
Frisbee and the ukulele. C

Host Defence Peptides
PRASHANT KUMAR, P H D C A N D I D AT E
Host defense peptides (HDP; also known as antimicrobial peptides) are short
positively charged peptides produced by animals, insects and plants. Originally,
these peptides were thought to only have direct antimicrobial activity against a
broad range of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. However, many
new studies revealed that HDP also play an important role in immune modulation,
wound healing, and diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Recently,
Dr. Evan Haney and Dr. Erin Gill from the Hancock Lab at the CBR published
a review article in Nature Review summarizing the different functions of two
human host defense peptides – cathlicidin LL-37 and defensins – and their
relationship with various diseases.
Immunity and inflammation
Human cathelicidin LL-37 and defensins are expressed in many cell types,
including epithelial and immune cells such as macrophages, monocytes, natural
killer cells and neutrophils. Interestingly, these peptides elicit both pro and anti-
inflammatory response depending on the cell type and stimuli. For example, LL-37
can induce histamine release from mast cells, but produce an anti-inflammatory
response in B-cells, and T cells. The peptides can also directly attract various
immune cells.
Additionally, defensins have unique properties to activate platelets and
promote stem cell migration in skin and intestinal epithelial cells. HDP influence
Human defense peptides are now known to be involved in both direct microbial
killing and immune modulation.
Hancock, R. E et al. NatureBiotech. 2006, 24, 1551−7
research
multiple signaling pathways that are involved in immunity
and inflammation, which may explain their wound healing
ability. Early clinical trials with LL-37 have revealed an
effective topical treatment for hard to treat venous leg ulcers.
Relationship between HDPs and Disease
HDP expression is tightly controlled in the skin,
lungs, gut and circulatory system. Dysregulation of many
natural HDP correlates with disease onset and progression
depending on the location. LL-37 is normally produced in
sweat and mast cells of healthy skin but is overexpressed in
the skin of patients with psoriasis. Atopic dermatitis and
some skin infections are also related to LL-37 and defensins
regulation.
In pulmonary diseases, such as cystic fibrosis,
characterized by a mucus build up and colonization by S.
aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, synthetic
HDP have shown therapeutic promise. They are able to
directly target the bacterial infection and can dampen the
hyper-inflammatory response.
Moreover, some studies illustrated that mice without
the cathelicidin gene had tumors that grew faster and
their NK cells had impaired activity against tumors.
Counterintuitively, LL-37 was overexpressed in cancer cells
and stimulated tumor growth and proliferation. Blocking
the interaction between LL-37 and specific tumor cell
receptors impaired tumor cell growth.
Similar to LL-37, increased levels of defensins in
patients with cancer suggest that it might also promote
tumor cell proliferation. However, it might also just reflect
an aberrant host response. These studies show that there is
much to be learned about the role of HDP in cancer.
HDP are complex signaling molecules that are involved
in immunity, inflammation and different diseases. It should
be emphasized that HDP do not act on specific signaling
pathways in their effector cells and hence a systems biology
approach is needed to fully understand the roles of HDP and
identify novel therapeutics.
Nature Reviews Immunology,
16: 321-334. C
15
major events
Students of the Summer Studentship
Program with Dr. Andrew Trites

RESEARCH DAY IN REVIEW

Tara Fernandez, Houra Loghmani Khouzani, Victor Lei, Linnette Mae Ocariza, Erika Siren

Every year, the Center for Blood Research holds the CBR Research Day to celebrate the achievements of its undergraduate summer
students and to showcase the work and talent of their graduate and postdoctoral researchers. The CBR works to facilitate career development
with the Summer Studentship Programme, providing undergraduate students the opportunity to develop their own research project with the
guidance of mentors, as well as attend a series of skill building workshops and tours. On August 16th, the LSI Atrium was filled with enthusiastic
members of the CBR, eagerly awaiting the start of Research Day, to learn about each other’s accomplishments.
The Summer Student presentations started off the day soon after lunch. Dr. Ed Conway, Director of the CBR, took to the mic to explain the
strict rules for the talks. His final words echoed through the seminar room ominously… ”Three…minutes…ONLY.” The designated timekeeper,
Victor Lei, was seen lurking in the shadows, gently cradling the CBR Research Day’s official mascot, the sacred rubber chicken. After an elapsed
time of 3’30”, Victor was instructed to subject the chicken to repeated rounds of violent asphyxiation. Its shrill, piercing cry was a stark
reminder that the student’s stage time had indeed run out.
Reminiscent of a scene from the Hunger Games, the Summer Students anxiously adjusted their bowties, inspired by the attendance of new
UBC President Prof. Ono, and tried in vain to hide their sweat patches, while stealthily checking out their competition. In the distance, a raven
cawed, signaling the commencement of the day’s proceedings.
The first speaker, Amarpreet Grewal, set the bar extremely high with her eloquently presented description of her summer’s achievements.
Hailing from the CBR Admin team, Amar detailed her efforts at promoting CBR’s education and engagement initiatives, while attempting to
create a CBR-based viral sensation on social media.
What followed was a stream of enthusiastic students taking to the stage to share their scientific endeavors in a packed seminar room.
The audience was treated to talks describing everything from HIV drug resistance in Swaziland to advances in high throughput diagnostics for
cancer. The students tried every tactic under the sun to engage their listeners: rhetorical questions, shocking factoids, stories, metaphors, and
endless jokes, inspired by the UBC 3 minute thesis competition. Even senior graduate students were left feeling inadequate after learning what
these undergraduate students 1ts could achieve in just a few short months.

16
 The next award paid tribute to the people who enabled and
supported the young researchers at the CBR. In honor of Neil
Mackenzie, the CBR offers an award in his name to recognize the
mentorship excellence in the CBR community. This year, Dr. Evan
Haney, a postdoctoral fellow in the Hancock lab, is the recipient of this
award. He is described as a caring, friendly, generous and enthusiastic
mentor, who goes out of his way to help his colleagues and to make
the lab a great place to work.
(L-R): Drs. Ed Conway, Evan Haney, Dieter Bromme
After the award presentation, Dr. Andrew Trites of UBC’s
Marine Mammal Research Unit took to the stage for his keynote talk:
“Expecting the unexpected in science education”. He encouraged
the crowd of young scientists to allow their innate passions form
their professions. Dr. Trites shared how he combined his interests
in the life sciences and for investigative work in order to take on a
“missing seals” project early in his career. After taking this project, Dr.
Trites fell into many intellectually fun and unexpected opportunities
that he shared with his audience. He consulted the Royal Canadian
Mint on coin design, helped settle a fishing rights dispute for a First
Nations group, and led the Blue Whale Project, excavating Canada’s
largest Blue Whale skeleton, which is now displayed in UBC’s
Beatty Biodiversity Museum and is featured in a Discovery Channel
documentary. In case you are visiting it, the Biodiversity Museum also
has Pokémons!
The next chapter of the day featured 14 graduate and
postgraduate judges, who challenged the summer students
to demonstrate their knowledge with poster presentations.
Undergraduates were evaluated on poster design, presentation, and
ability to answer questions about their work. In the meantime, the
Admin team was secretly and frantically calculating the winner of the
best 3 minute talk, and preparing for the arrival of the new UBC
President, Professor Santa Ono.
Prof. Ono arrived in the midst of poster judging and took
the center stage in the atrium next to the brand new CBR poster,
designed by Amarpreet Grewal just one month prior. As attendees
discovered the President’s arrival, the excitement visibly grew. After
a wonderful introduction by Dr. Ed Conway, Prof. Ono talked to the
CBR researchers about his early research career in immunology and
the nostalgia he feels for the graduate student days.
President Santa Ono
At the end of his talk, President Ono awarded the best
presentation prize to a very surprised Evelyn Liu from the McNagny
lab. As his final act, he stayed to view the graduate student posters
and talked science past the allocated time, until he was pulled away
by calls from his wife! Shortly after, Dr. Conway presented Elana
Kimmel from the Cote lab with the best poster award; and Ryan
Hope from the Harrigan lab received the rubber chicken for the
longest, albeit stimulating student talk.
The day ended with a delightful barbeque dinner and drinks.
All and all, it was another successful and fun event at the CBR,
looking forward to more! C
17
major events

CBR Hosts: The First

World Thrombosis Day in Vancouver
Amarpreet Grewal, Anna Sinova

The Centre for Blood Research (CBR) participated in World

Thrombosis Day - a global movement to raise awareness about thrombotic
disorders: deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and venous
thromboembolism – by hosting the first World Thrombosis Day event in
Vancouver on October 13th 2016. World Thrombosis Day was founded in
2014 by the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH)
in response to members’ requests for a focused global awareness day on
thrombosis, and with the aim to combat thrombosis-related disorders. It
is recognized globally on October 13, the birthday of Dr. Rudolf Virchow,
a pioneer in the pathophysiology of thrombosis. The ISTH mission is to
reduce the number of premature deaths from thrombosis by 25% by 2015.

The ISTH mission is to reduce the number of premature deaths from

thrombosis by 25% by 2025.

The CBR was the first in Vancouver to host this public education
event on thrombosis and stroke. On the evening of October 13, CBR staff
and volunteers welcomed members of the community, patients and
various professionals at the Life Sciences Building on UBC Campus. Each
attendee received a gift - a CBR tote bag and a 14 day Gold’s Gym pass –
and then was free to enjoy tasty food, live music and to visit booths from
10 different organizations.
Photo credit:

Community centers, health consultants, support groups and

pharmaceutical companies, all came together to support the World
Thrombosis Day message and to connect with the public, by holding a
World Throm

booth at this CBR-hosted event. Iridia Medical held a “Chain of Survival”

demonstration, offering attendees the opportunity to practice their CPR
skills on a mannequin. Likewise, North Shore Stroke Recovery Centre got
everyone’s brain working hard when it came to naming flowers based on
bo

the first letter of the alphabet. Love Your Age provided blood pressure
sis Day

checks and gave away free pedometers, and Dieticians engaged everyone
in ranking the salt content of various common foods. The hands-on
experiences at the booths, were not only entertaining, but also empowered
participants to take control of their well-being by learning causes of
disease, risk factors, signs/symptoms and methods of prevention.

As a result of this event, we have built new partnerships and raised much-
needed funds to support CBR-sponsored educational programs!

18
 After enjoying the booths, everyone moved to the lecture hall for
cheery and highly informative presentations by the guest speakers: Dr.
Agnes Lee, Physician and Clinical Thrombosis Program Head at the
Vancouver General Hospital, Dr. Ed Pryzdial, Scientist at the Canadian
Blood Services and Associate Director of the CBR, and Dr. Wesley Pue,
Professor of Law at UBC and a patient with a history of thrombosis.
Dr. Lee discussed the issues surrounding the clinical aspects
of thrombosis and the differences between myocardial infarction,
pulmonary embolism, stroke and deep vein thrombosis. She
emphasized how important it is that individuals become informed, and
that they learn how to reduce their risk. Her vast experience was much
appreciated by the audience, as was evident by the stream of questions
following her presentation.
Dr. Pryzdial energetically, and with an ever-present humor, took
everyone on a PowerPoint tour of his research that culminated in a
description of his lab’s recent discovery of a promising new therapy for
thrombosis. His group recently patented Xai-K (pronounced “ten-eh
K”), a drug that can selectively target the problematic clots, and can
either enhance currently available therapeutics, or can function as a clot
buster on its own. His presentation featured time lapse videos and was
spiced with quizzes and prizes, which did not fail to inform, as well as to
amuse.
The talks culminated with Dr. Welsey Pue’s personal story on how
blood clots affected him, starting from the day he was diagnosed to
the problems he faced along the way. His talk was a great reminder
of the importance of awareness and prevention, the value of family
support, and, also, why scientists and physicians must communicate
with patients and the public. This final talk also stimulated considerable
discussion, as several attendees shared their own stories, and engaged
in an open forum, with input from the experts, Drs. Lee and Pryzdial.
As a result of this event, we have contributed to increasing
awareness and understanding of thrombotic disease. Hopefully this
will trigger a daily effort to prevent thrombosis, and to identify new
solutions for this common, disabling and sometimes fatal disorder.
Donations from attendees will go towards thrombosis-related
education programs at the CBR. We also established new partnerships
with a number of local organizations.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success
of World Thrombosis Day: all CBR members who helped promote
and organize the event; Brian Kladko for communication and media
consulting; all the vendors and musicians; and Drs. Ed Conway, Agnes
Lee, Ed Pryzdial, and Wesley Pue for their stimulating presentations.
And of course, we particularly wish to thank all those who attended the
event, and committed to increasing awareness of thrombosis.
See you next year! C

19
major events
“Critical Skills for Success Conference” -
the Student Led Initiative
Andrew Alexander, Pierre-Marie Andrault, Jenny Chik, Houra Loghmani Khouzani, Chanel La
Graduate Award Program students
with Anna Sinova.
The Graduate Award Program (GAP) students from the
Centre for Blood Research were tasked with organizing an event,
as part of their program requirements. After long deliberations
they have settled on a topic that is close to everyone’s academic
heart. Seeking jobs after graduating in life sciences can seem
like a daunting task, and therefore knowing the different options
available can help enormously in choosing the right path. With
the “Critical Skills for Success Conference” held on July 22, 2016,
they aimed to expand their own and their peers’ horizons both in
academic and non-academic directions. They invited 6 excellent
speakers with diverse viewpoints to share their passions and
advice in the workshops and a panel sessions. The career paths
represented were academia, clinical research, industry, science
communication, business consulting and science policy.
The goal of the conference was to expand their own
and their peers’ horizons both in academic and
non-academic directions.
20
Two sessions of three parallel talks highlighted the diversity
of professions that people with a PhD in science can pursue,
whether they have an academic appointment or not.
Three of the speakers who had an academic appointment,
talked about the variety of directions one can pursue
independently or in parallel to a research career.
Dr. Mark Winston, a Professor in SFU Biological Sciences,
is also the Founding Director of SFU Centre for Dialogue and the
2015 Governor-General’s Award-winner for his bestselling book
“Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive”. In his workshop, he took the
approach of a dialogue with the participants, making a refreshing
shift from PowerPoint presentations. Dr. Winston highlighted
the need to practice distilling one’s research in an approachable
manner, so that it can be understood by a non-specialized
audience. Parallel to his work in academia, he creates spaces for
dialogue on complicated issues, leading engaged discussions on a
wide variety of policy issues, from city planning to LGBT rights, all
around Vancouver.
 Dr. Mark MacLachlan, a Tier 1 Canada research chair
in supramolecular materials at UBC, also loves teaching. He
is a recipient of the Killam Prize for Excellence in Teaching
and bears a distinct resemblance to Leonard Hofstadter of
the Big Bang Theory. An xperienced and energetic lecturer,
he emphasized the importance of catering to one’s audience
and highlighted some tips and tricks of audience engagement
when teaching. A prime example of this lesson is seen in his
interview with the Vancouver Sun, where he shares his passion
for inventing new materials and simultaneously gets the
readers excited about Chiral Nematic Mesoporous Silica.
Even the negative results are important to the context
of current medical knowledge
Similarly, Dr. James P. McCormack, professor at the
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, has found his
passion in teaching through podcasts –he is a co-host of
the award-winning Best Science (BS) Medicine Podcast. In
his Science Communication workshop, he highlighted the
Dr. Mark Winston speaking
to CBR students
importance of remaining vigilant about medical stories. In an
interactive session, the audience was asked to evaluate an
online CNN medical article, learning to keep a critical outlook
on science in the media. The workshop emphasized that data
are relative to the context of current medical knowledge and
that even negative results are important: “it’s also important to
show that something doesn’t work”. Useful tools and tips can
be found at www.healthnewsreview.org.
Three other speakers discussed their non-academic
professions and shared their insights into pursuing unique
careers post-PhD.
A workshop on resume writing and interview skills
presented by Dr. Jennifer Moody, a VP for Commercialization
at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative
Medicine in Toronto, started off with insightful coverage on
proper resume writing for an industrial position. She taught
how to “communicate your Value proposition”, meaning
to demonstrate one’s added value through a resume and
interview. It involves highlighting one’s key accomplishments
and addressing specific skills that make one suitable for
the desired position. Dr. Moody was very honest in what
interviewers may look for in the industry from recent graduates,
such as personality fit, leadership and initiative taking.
Her career path took her from her postdoctoral studies
in Sweden to the R&D in industry in Vancouver. You can
read more about her career path in her interview with the
International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Dr. Agatha Jassem, a Clinical Microbiology Fellow at
National Institute of Health, discussed her unusual career
edging between a scientist and a physician. In this session,
she talked about her job as a clinical researcher. In this
profession, she oversees a diagnostic lab and works side
by side with physicians and patients. The goal is to provide
prompt, accurate diagnoses of infectious diseases which
involves significant lab responsibilities. Her lab work is
used for patient-specific “detective” work, as compared
to research, where experiments are meant to lead to new
discoveries impacting patients in the future. To become an
accredited clinical researcher, she is currently completing
a 2-3 year fellowship program, which closely resembles
medical residency.
Dr. Cara Ferreira is the Engagement Manager at
McKinsey Global Management Consulting. McKinsey
Consulting is a global giant, using teams of PhDs to
consult on management decisions across the public and
private sectors. In her business consulting workshop,
Dr. Ferreira pointed out that the specific area of one’s
PhD is not important, as McKinsey Consulting hires all
different backgrounds. The important qualities that they
look for when hiring new graduates are the ability to think
critically, have a problem solving mindset and demonstrate
intellectual curiosity.
The workshops were followed by a panel discussion
where participants could ask questions from any of the
speakers. Having a panel of professionals from such diverse
career paths was very inspirational and provided great
advice for all attendees. The conversations then continued
over wine and cheese for several hours facilitating new
relationships. A deeper look into the work-life balance of
these successful individuals along with their unwavering
sense of humour brought hope to current graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows in the audience. All in all, another
perfect day for learning at the CBR! C
Mentor panel session.
21
programs
Get the Scoop:
What is the Health
and Wellness
Committee?
A M A R P R E E T G R E WA L
The Centre for Blood Research has formed its
Health and Wellness Committee! They envision the
creation of an inclusive, supportive and connected
community by engaging in social and physical
activities. Based on interviews with some CBR
members, it was noted that the biggest challenges
in working in a laboratory setting were high levels of
isolation, stress and lack of opportunities to connect
with CBR members outside of one’s lab.
Maintaining a work/life balance is difficult,
especially if one plays many roles. Taking that into
consideration, the Health and Wellness Committee
is planning events that are family-friendly and will
target various interests and commitment levels.
The group is hoping to improve psychological and
physical well-being, as the events expose CBR
members to new skills, new ideas, and physical
activities to help elevate stress and expand social
networks.
So far, the Health and Wellness Committee
was behind the awesome events, such as Bubble
Soccer event, Lynn Valley Hike, and Hawaiian
Staycation party.
Here’s what some of the members have to say
about the committee:
22
Linnette Mae Ocariza, Research Technician in Dr. Ed Conway’s Lab
(President)
Q: How does the Health and Wellness Committee benefit you?
A: Not only has it been a lot of fun planning and bouncing off ideas with others,
it has given me an opportunity to grow my organizational, communication, and
leadership skills. Not to mention it has made it easier to connect with other CBR
members.
Jenny Huang, Technician in Dr. Ed Conway’s Lab (Admin Officer)
Q: What events are you looking forward to?
A: We have an upcoming CBR MOA tour – I am really excited about it. I have
only been to the MOA once! It’ll be even better with a guided tour. I am also
looking forward to some of our future events (in the making) – such as cooking
classes, yoga etc.
Diana Canals Hernaez, MSc Student in Dr. Kelly McNagny’s Lab (Committee
Member)
Q: Why did you join the Health and Wellness Committee?
A: Since I started grad school, I have been interested in improving the wellbeing
of graduate students. Science research is a highly competitive environment.
Graduate students are often under a lot of pressure: expectation to produce
good results, publish in high impact journals, and meet grant deadlines.
Together this can affect, both physically and mentally, the health of graduate
students. I joined the Health and Wellness committee to try to improve and
alleviate part of this stress. Also, it has given me the opportunity to work
alongside other CBR members. C

“Learn by Doing”:
Mutual Gains of Mentorship
A B H I N AV A J AY K U M A R ,
As part of the mentorship program, Sunny and Tea spent a
month in the Côté lab assisting me on a project that investigated the
effects of maternal HIV antiretroviral drug burden during pregnancy
on infant mitochondrial DNA. While working in the lab, Sunny and Tea
were able to gain technical knowledge on how to extract DNA from
blood, as well as hands-on science experience quantifying DNA via
PCR and separating DNA fragments via gel electrophoresis. At the
same time, they were able to broaden their theoretical knowledge on
topics, such as the epidemiology of HIV infection, the HIV life cycle
and how different antiretroviral drugs inhibit viral replication to curtail
its spread.
From handling a pipette for the very first time to setting up
PCR plates on their own, the confidence they showed in mastering
complex molecular biology techniques was a reward in itself. Being
involved with the Centre for Blood Research community for the
past three years, I have been fortunate to witness the emphasis
that this organization lays on knowledge translation. In its pursuit of
promoting research excellence, the CBR has been a front-runner in
providing unsurpassed training experiences for its many scientists
and student trainees. Our success is not measured in the number of
scientific publications, but in the wealth of knowledge shared among
the community. In keeping with this, the CBR has recently diversified
its quest for knowledge dissemination among people of all ages, by
providing hands-on research experience to some of our city’s young,
bright minds through the high school student mentorship program.
I was fortunate to aid in the endeavors of the CBR community by
serving as a mentor to Sunny Park and Tea Yates, two Grade 10
students from the Prince of Wales Mini School, Vancouver.
Any mentoring relationship can be beneficial to both the
mentor and the mentee, personally and professionally. What
set this particular experience apart from any of my previous
mentorship activities was how working with someone substantially
less experienced than myself encouraged me to step outside the
regularities of scientific reasoning and look at things with a new
perspective.
opinion
Sunny Park, Tea Yates
P H D C A N D I D AT E
It was refreshing to move away from the world of “p-values”
and “statistical significance” and spend multiple afternoons with
Sunny and Tea engaging in educational discussion regarding the
goals of our project and the questions we hoped to answer. In the
process, I learned to tell a story, rather than just burying them with
interconnected scientific facts. Moreover, by challenging them to
think on their own and come up with their interpretation of our
experimental results, I was able to understand their take on our story’s
ending. Within a short time, I saw myself grow from a good instructor
to a good teacher.
“Before I started the mentorship program, I was only 80% sure
about going into the sciences. Now that I have had hands-on
experience in the program, I am certain that I will pursue a career in
the sciences” says Sunny.
Such is the dilemma faced by most high school students
whereby they are stuck at this “80% sure” state and unable to zero
down on a career path.
“This mentorship opportunity not only taught me about HIV and
antiretroviral drugs, or how to perform a bunch of cool assays, but
more importantly showed me what being a scientist is all about and
whether I could see myself as one down the line” says Tea.
By providing students an all-inclusive first-hand experience
into the day-to-day life of a modern scientist, therein lies the most
valuable contribution that such “learn-by-doing” science mentorship
programs have to offer. This may help paint a clearer picture of what
a career in science entails and in turn may be the deciding factor that
tips the “surety scale” from 80% to 100%.
By taking this opportunity to share my experiences and impart
knowledge to my mentees, it was personally satisfying to know that
I may have instilled a genuine passion for research among them and
contributed in one way or another to their growth and development.
Along with being a highly educational experience for all three of us, to
quote Sunny and Tea – “it was definitely worth it!” C
23
opinion
CBR Finalist in the
ACS Chemistry
Champs Contest
Amarpreet Grewal, Anna Sinova
On August 20, 2016 Olga Zamudio Prieto from Dr.
Dieter Bromme’s Laboratory at the CBR was one of the four
finalists who received a fully paid trip to Philadelphia for the
American Chemical Society (ACS) Chemistry Championship
Finals.
The aim of the Chemistry Champions Contest is
to record a short video of one’s chemistry research or a
concept to engage the public, raising scientific literacy and
providing more support for science.
Olga learned about the ACS Chemistry Champions
Competition while watching the ACS Reactions Youtube
channel and she decided to try herself out. “I think the ACS
Chemistry Champions Competition doesn’t have as much
promotion as it should”- she shared.
She started with creating a 2.5 minute video about the
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). Although her research
is on proteases, she decided that a video about GFP as
a science tool would be more eye-catching and grab the
attention of an amateur scientist audience. Competing
against many applicants, Olga and 11 other entrants were
selected to continue to the second round, where they were
challenged to excite the listeners about a unique element
from the periodic table. Olga received the element Arsenic
and created a fun video discussing its history, including
famous deaths from arsenic poisoning, controversial history
of its use in household products, and finally its current
applications. Olga’s excellent video was selected to move to
the next level of competition with seven others to the ACS
Semi-Finals.
The Semi-Finalists went to the ACS Headquarters in
Washington, DC for a two-day science communication
workshop. “They gave us social media advice, we did improv
exercises and we got tips and feedback on the design and
28
24
Green Fluorescent Protein.
Olga Zamudio (centre)
visuals for our presentation, as well as for our on-stage
delivery. I learned a lot from the experience, so I felt I’d
already won even before the finals were even a possibility.”-
recalled Olga about Round 3.
The Semi-Finals involved a 3 minute live performance
based on the training received. The contestants were judged
on their performance and original video by an audience.
Only 4, with Olga among them, were selected to continue
on the journey to the ACS Chemistry Championship Finals
held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
The Finals involved a series of live shows. One event
was an annual outreach event at the Franklin Institute, where
they talked to an audience of families and kids. The last
event was held at The Fields Sports bar with three science
communication professionals judging the competition and
an audience from the ACS National Meeting. Olga won
second place at the ACS Chemistry Championship Finals!
As runner-up, she was invited to be a guest at the ACS
webinar. The winner, Mallory Hinks from the University of
California, received a trip to Washington, DC to network
with professional science communications staff at ACS and
a 3D-printed Chemistry Champions trophy.
“Overall, the experience was really fun, I could share
something I’m passionate about and on top of it, I was
rewarded! At the CBR we are lucky to have the Knowledge
Translation team, where you can explore and develop
different communication skills. At first, I wasn’t confident,
because English is my second language, but I’m so glad
I didn’t hear my internal saboteur! I would invite any
undergraduate or graduate student to participate in the next
year’s championship. If you are between 18 and 35 years of
age, you can participate!” C
 people

The founding of the CBR:

Ross MacGillivray interview
Jenny Chik, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Leonard Foster lab, interviewed one of the founding members of
CBR, Dr. Ross MacGillivray on his reflections about its past, present and future.

What is the CBR trying to accomplish?

The CBR was started to try and take advantage of new opportunities in
funding that came about at the turn of the millennium. Dana Devine, Grant
Mauk, Don Brooks, Charles Haynes and I got together and thought we
should get contiguous space for people at UBC who were working in the
general blood area so that we could work together more efficiently.

What was your dream for the CBR in the first 10-15 years?
The original dream was to advance transfusion science, particularly
with blood products. We have advanced that quite well. Some of the
collaborations in the CBR have been wonderful and definitely wouldn’t have
happened without moving into this building. If you look at the academic
productivity of the CBR, it has exceeded what we had hoped for when we
first came into the building.

Do you think the mission of the CBR has altered during its existence?
Absolutely. It has changed a bit since I stepped down as director. We
If you could name one achievement of the CBR that you are
deliberately recruited Ed Conway who was a clinician-scientist, and there
most proud of, what would that be?
were two things that we really wanted to achieve in our 2008 Strategic
The fact that we set up the Centre and we are now recognised
Plan: we needed collaborations with clinical departments and we needed
as a national and international centre of excellence in blood
more fundraising from individual donors and pharmaceutical companies. Ed
research is a great accomplishment – especially as it came from
Conway has really developed the CBR along these lines beyond our wildest
scratch.
dreams. Because of that, we’ve also changed our mission a little bit so it’s not
restricted to transfusion science, but it also involves immunity & infection,
What do you envision to be the future of the CBR?
biomarkers as well as haemostatic balance.
I would like to see Ed Conway’s second term completed with
closer relationships with the clinicians. I would like to see two or
How does the role of being a Director of the Centre impact on your
three assistant professors come in to the CBR space to replace
academic career?
people who have retired and thus maintain the research that we
I was very fortunate in that there were two people in my lab – Jeff Hewitt
have going. And I would like to see the CBR have more stable
and Val Smith who were both with me before we moved here. Having those
funding so that we can continue working on the blood area as a
two people in my lab really helped maintain research directions and progress
recognised centre. Each of those has their own challenges but
with new techniques. They made the whole difference so that I could spend
they are challenges that we can certainly meet.
time on administrative work as well as enjoy doing my own research.

Do you have any final comments to add?

How does the CBR compare with other Blood research institutions in
I think it’s been a wonderful experience. We can all be proud of
Canada and the world?
the research and educational aspects that we’ve developed over
We are unique in that we have a collection of clinician-scientists and
the last 15 years in the Life Sciences Centre.
scientists working in the blood area. But in addition to that, we have had
sociologists, dentists and engineers. So that separates us from other blood
We would like to thank Professor Ross MacGillivray for his time
research centres in the world that tend to just concentrate on biomedical
research. dedicated to the interview. C

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 tribute
Professor Donald Metcalf –
A tribute to the legend (26 February 1929 – 15 December 2014)
P I Y U S H K U M A R K A P O PA R A ,
Last week, as I was looking for motivation to
perform my blood clot analyses and mindlessly
flipping through a forgotten issue of The Scientist on
my desk, I stumbled across an article entitled, “The
Father of Modern Hematology Dies”. What shocked
me was, sadly, not the fact of his death, but rather that
I didn’t know who he was, particularly as I am now a
postdoctoral fellow in hematology. This lapse had to
be corrected! And here I would like to share with you
my discovery of this inspirational scientist and leader,
and try to answer a question that is on everyone’s mind:
How does one become a father/mother of an entire
field of knowledge?
Professor Donald Metcalf was a titan of his field,
studying, among other things, the production of blood
cells, cell survival, suppressors of cell signalling, and
stem cells.
Practical, loyal, and hardworking were the
qualities that he possessed.
Donald Metcalf was born on February 26,
1929 and studied Medicine at the University of
Sydney. Before embarking on his research on
leukemia, he studied vaccinia virus in the laboratory
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of Nobel Laureate Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet at the Walter and Eliza Hall
Institute, Australia. It was only later that he transitioned to study hematology.
He undertook postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School for two years,
subsequently returning to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute as Head of the
Cancer Research laboratory. In 1966, Prof. Metcalf assumed the position of
Deputy Director of the same institute.
Over a period of fifteen years, Prof. Metcalf and his colleagues identified and
purified four hormones leading to the discovery of so-called ‘colony stimulating
factors (CSFs)’, referred in that way, because they stimulated the production of
white blood cells.
His discovery of CSFs revolutionized the way cancer is treated, benefitting
an estimated 20 million patients worldwide.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy often suffer from a depletion in
their blood cells, leaving them vulnerable to infection. Prof. Metcalf speculated
that there must be something that regulates white blood cell turnover, which
could pave the way to tackle this side effect of chemotherapy. Treatment with
CSFs is now standard practice and every year the number of people who survive
because of his work grows. His discovery also revolutionized transplant medicine
by providing new techniques for bone marrow transplantation for blood diseases.
There can be no greater legacy for a medical researcher.
Practical, loyal, and hardworking were the qualities that he possessed, as
described by Prof. Hilton, director of Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical
Research and division head for Molecular Medicine. One excerpt from his tribute
to Prof. Metcalf also provides a clue into the inner life of his laboratory:
“Upon a new recruit starting in his unit, it was mandatory for them to meet
with Don, who, at least until the mid-1990s, would be smoking a cigar, and would
lull you with a question like “have you had a good holiday” – inviting a response
like, “yes, thank you Professor Metcalf, I have had a lovely two weeks camping
at Wilson’s Promontory” – which was then followed by “excellent, that’s the last
holiday you will have for three years, get to work”. And it was the last holiday you
took, not because Don would stop you taking leave, but because his hard work
was infectious and the lab would become your world”.
Although he officially retired in 1996, Prof. Metcalf, continued his research,
studying the regulation of normal and leukemic blood cells. And even after
being diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer in August 2014, for which
he himself underwent chemotherapy, he continued to work. He performed his
last experiment in October and passed away surrounded by his family on 15
December 2014 at the age of 85.
Prof. Metcalf ’s autobiography entitled “Summon up the Blood: In dogged
pursuit of the blood cell regulators” was published in 2000. C
 tribute

Mourning the loss of

Dr. Sheldon Naiman
1937-2016

On July 24, 2016, we lost a wonderful person, and longtime

friend of the CBR and many others. Shelly and Linda were
Dr. Sheldon (Shelly) Naiman was born in Toronto in 1937, dedicated to promoting
and after completing medical school, moved to California excellence in research,
and then to Vancouver, where he became the founding Head education and training in
of Clinical Hematology in the Department of Medicine. Dr. benign hematology.
Naiman established the first Bone Marrow Transplant Center
at Vancouver General Hospital, and later became head of the
hematology laboratory at St. Paul’s Hospital until his retirement several years ago. His late wife, Dr. Linda
Vickars, was also a Clinical Professor in the Division of Hematology. She led the development of the first
comprehensive programs in hemophilia, hemoglobinopathies and hemosiderosis.
Together, this amazing couple provided a remarkably stimulating, motivating and highly academic
environment in hematology, devoted to delivering the best care for patients and their families. Shelly and Linda
were admired by all, and leave a wonderful legacy in their families, friends and all those whom they touched –
students, paramedical personnel, and professional peers.
Shelly and Linda were dedicated to promoting excellence in research, education and training in benign
hematology. They therefore created the Sheldon Naiman and Linda Vickars Hematology Endowment Fund at
the Centre for Blood Research, to which donations can be made. C

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