New MembersLifeSciences BC is pleased to welcome the following new members:ARCH Venture Partners ARCH Venture Partners invests in the development of seed and early stage technology companies that have the potential to grow rapidly into successful businesses. ARCH invests primarily in companies co-founded with leading scientists and entrepreneurs, concentrating on bringing to market innovations in life sciences, physical sciences, and information technology. BC Hydro As the third largest electric utility in Canada, BC Hydro serves customers in an area [PDF, 140 Kb] containing over 94% of British Columbia's population. BC Hydro endeavours to provide energy solutions to its customers in an environmentally and socially responsible way by balancing British Columbians' energy needs with the concerns of the environment. Biolux Biolux Research is a world leader in the development of light activated bone regeneration systems for dentistry and implantology. Biolux expertise is on product development, clinical and basic research and is well positioned to release its OsseoPulse™ to the marketplace in 2008. Its proprietary, patent pending OsseoPulse™ Bone Regeneration System is premised on a vision to transform the practice of implantology and oral surgery in dentistry by accelerating implant integration and bone regeneration in a safe, effective and non-invasive approach. Brinkman & Associates Reforestation Ltd. Canadian Bioenergy Chinese Medical Doctor Association
Daan Diagnostics HeartForce Medical Inc. is an early stage medical devices company dedicated to researching and development of products and services in the field of Ballistocardiography. This field of study has been in existence for over thirty years and now through innovations in technology greater capabilities can be achieved in the early detection of heart disease. ImmunoPrecise ImmunoPrecise Antibodies is a premier supplier of custom hybridoma antibody development services. With over 20 years of experience in the custom antibody business, ImmunoPrecise is able to develop hybridomas in both rats and mice against individual amino acids, (in) organic compounds, peptides, post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, acetylation and methylation along with native and recombinant proteins. Learn how we may assist you. LightIntegra Paradigm Environmental Technologies Paradigm Environmental Technologies Inc. is a private company located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that has developed MicroSludge®, a patented technology to process wastewater at municipal sewage treatment plants and at industrial facilities. MicroSludge is a sustainable technology for municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that significantly enhances the anaerobic digestion process, thereby reducing operating costs and increasing plant capacity. Tees Consulting Corporation Susan Tees is a registered U.S. and Canadian patent agent who has worked for or with a number of companies in greater Vancouver. Her primary interest is in the clinically-oriented sciences, but the principles of intellectual property protection are the same in all fields. Ingenuity is ingenuity. Featured Member:UBC MRI Research Centre STATE OF THE ART MR IMAGING CENTRE OFFERS RESOURCES AND FACILITIES FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH The UBC MRI Research Centre is the only fully research dedicated magnetic resonance facility in British Columbia. It houses a 3 Tesla MRI scanner for in vivo research on humans and a 7 Tesla scanner for the investigation of animals, tissue samples or plants. The Imaging Centre has been an essential factor in allowing the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University to attract international pioneers and outstanding young scientists to Canada. These scientists are creating a growing capacity for innovation in application of MR to various questions - from trees to brain function, stroke and dementia, animal models of cancer - and, enabled by the MR facilities, have made several first observations in their research fields. MRI's tremendous success lies in its ability to display functional and anatomical information at high spatial resolution. Both structure and processes can be visualized and assessed quantitatively. MRI scanners are highly versatile machines and a great deal of research goes into the development of new methods of probing tissues and materials using the scanner's magnetic fields. Only twenty years after the first coarse image of a mouse had been published, three dimensional images of the nerve fibers in the human brain, movies of the beating heart and spectroscopy of tumours are now routine applications. The Imaging Centre supports research activities that address some of Canada’s most urgent health issues, such as cancer, mental health, neurodegenerative diseases, and stroke. Benefits will accrue directly, owing to the inherent multidisciplinary and translational nature of the Imaging Centre research. Numerous unique and ground breaking studies have been conducted at the Centre. Dr Doris Douet from UBC Neurology, for instance, has performed the first longitudinal in vivo MRI study of labeled implanted cells in a monkey. Dr Debbie Giaschi (UBC Ophthalmology) uses functional MRI to map the retinotopic visual cortex in dyslexia and ambylopia in children. Dr Giaschi's work is the first attempt to show a direct link between motion deficits and reading deficits. Dr Don Wilson (UBC Surgery) has established the only site in Canada where both morphological and molecular changes in cartilage can be assessed. Dr Wilson uses MRI to quantify disease progression in real time and his group is able to detect disease earlier than other centres. MRI based measurements give Wilson’s team the unique capability to study links between joint biomechanics and changes in cartilage. Drs. Alex MacKay, David Li, Tony Traboulsee and Wayne Moore lead a group to develop MR techniques for investigation of neuropathology. A major achievement is a technique that measures brain myelination in vivo. This method is now implemented on the centre's 3T scanner and researchers use it to investigate the role of myelination in Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Stenosis, Dyslexia, and child development. Magnetic resonance is not restricted to humans or animals. Dr. Sencer Alkan is studying MRI correlates of bacterial attack on Canadian wood. Using the research centre's 3 T and 7 T scanners he found that bacterial damage, which is hard to detect with x-ray based techniques, appears with high contrast in MRI. The results will be used to maximize wood output from harvested trees, particularly underutilized species.. Several novel findings and applicability to a wide array of fields demonstrate clearly the benefits of the research enabled by the CFI investment in the UBC MRI Research Centre. The Imaging Centre has had a clear effect on enhancing collaborations among BC-based researchers and on expanding partnerships with scientists from around the world. The Centre brings together scientists who may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact, provoking discussion and creating new collaborations. Further, interaction of MR scientists (‘tool developers’) with neuroscientists, psychologists, biologists and others (‘tool users’) creates synergies that improve both the MR technologies and their applications to biological questions. The Imaging Centre has collaborations with local core personnel and with researchers in Canada, USA, Europe, and with government agencies and private sector companies. The UBC MRI Research Centre operates on a user fee model and invites research proposals from Industry and grant funded researchers. The Imaging Centre has experienced scientists on staff to help with feasibility studies and protocol development for potential research projects at both 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla.  Nerve fibers in the human brain  Cross-sectional view of a fir log with bacterial damage Contact: Linda Chandler UBC MRI Research Centre mriresearch@physics.ubc.ca website: www.mriresearch.ubc.ca OR Alex Rauscher UBC MRI Research Centre rauscher@phyics.ubc.ca website: www.mriresearch.ubc.ca LifeSciences BC members interested in being featured in Biolinks, please contact Jennifer Siegfried |
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