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Life Sciences
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Researchers identify cell-changing gene that can cause cancer
May 12, 2015 by Lab Canada Halifax, NS – There are eight known human herpes viruses, all capable of establishing life-long infection. The most recently discovered of these viruses, herpesvirus-8, is the cause of several AIDS-related cancers – including a form of skin cancer known as…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
New findings on the role of calcium channels in brain blood flow
May 5, 2015 by Lab Canada Calgary, AB – Researchers at the University of Calgary have identified how calcium channels in the cerebral arteries play an important role in controlling blood flow to the brain. Scientists performed the first human-based study to look at human cerebral…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Finding the body clock’s molecular reset button
May 4, 2015 by Lab Canada Montreal, QC – An international team of scientists has discovered what amounts to a molecular reset button for our internal body clock. Their findings reveal a potential target to treat a range of disorders, from sleep disturbances to other behavioral,…
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CommercializationLaboratoryLife Sciences
Northern Biologics strikes commercialization deal
May 4, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – Northern Biologics, a privately held company that is commercializing antibody therapeutics developed at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto, announced this week that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Celgene Corp, a…
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LaboratoryLife Sciences
Obesity research teams receive $4.5M in funding
April 30, 2015 by Lab Canada Ottawa, ON – Three project teams are receiving a total of $4.5 million in funding to support their research into obesity. The research teams will focus on weight management programs for children, the therapeutic potential of fecal transplants in bariatric…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
New breast cancer gene identified by Canadian, Polish researchers
April 29, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, QC – An international study led by the University of Toronto and Pomeranian Medical University in Poland has identified a new breast cancer gene. The study, which was published online April 27 in Nature Genetics, describes how mutations in…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Transforming all donated blood into a universal type
April 29, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC – Every day, thousands of people need donated blood. But only blood without A- or B-type antigens, such as type O, can be given to all of those in need, and it’s usually in short supply. Now scientists…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Pancreatic cancer loses viral defences in cross-talk with fibroblasts
April 23, 2015 by Lab Canada Ottawa, ON – Ottawa researchers have unlocked a way to make pancreatic cancer cells more vulnerable to cancer-killing viruses, known as oncolytic viruses. Outlined in a paper published this week by Nature Medicine, the scientists have discovered how they can…
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LaboratoryLife Sciences
Achievements in BC’s life science sector recognized
April 20, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC – British Columbia’s life sciences industry last week saluted the winners of 17th Annual LifeSciences BC Awards, which are presented each year to leading companies and scientists in the province to celebrate their accomplishments. This year’s winners are:…
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General Science & ResearchLaboratoryLife Sciences
$2M supports research on antibiotic resistance
April 15, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC – Research into new ways of fighting antibiotic resistant bacteria has received a $2 million boost from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The funding is part of a $4 million commitment for six projects involving international…
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LaboratoryLife Sciences
$4.5 million for nine breast cancer research projects
April 9, 2015 by Lab Canada Montreal, QC – Nine breast cancer research projects in Quebec are receiving a total of $4.5 million in funding from the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. The grants range from $100,000 to $125,000 per year, over a four-year term. The selected…
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CollaborationsGeneral Science & ResearchLaboratoryLife SciencesNew Technology & Applications
Restructured genome network launched with $15M funding
April 9, 2015 by Lab Canada Ottawa, ON – Genome Canada has created a new Genomics Innovation Network that is being launched with $15.5 million in funding. The network is comprised of ten nodes, each receiving core operational funding from Genome Canada, with matching funds from various…
Feature
Life Sciences
Automating DNA sample testing
April 1, 2015 By Robert Galvin Fine-tuning DNA sample testing with automation can improve efficiency, boost productivity, and reduce backlogs in busy forensic laboratories.
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Study shows diabetes drug helps towards immunity against cancer
March 23, 2015 by Lab Canada Okayama, Japan – A study by researchers in Japan reveals how a diabetes drug helps toward the rejection of tumours by supporting immune cells. A 30-40% decrease in the risk of cancer has been observed in patients using the drug…
News
CollaborationsCommercializationLaboratoryLife Sciences
Commercialized cell therapies goal of regenerative medicine alliance
March 20, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – The Canadian Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) has formed a strategic alliance with two international regenerative medicine translation centres: Australia’s Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing (CTM CRC), and the UK’s Cell Therapy Catapult.…
News
LaboratoryLife Sciences
Genomics project pioneers new data collection method
March 19, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC – Twenty-two pharmacies in rural and urban locations across British Columbia have been selected to participate in a research project that aims to help bring personalized medicine to patients through community pharmacists. The “Genomics for Precision Drug Therapy…
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General Science & ResearchLaboratoryLife Sciences
Call for entries for 2015 neurobiology prize
March 19, 2015 by Lab Canada Eppendorf and the journal Science are now accepting applications for the 2015 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology. This annual international research prize of US$25,000 is awarded to young scientists for their outstanding contributions to neurobiology research based on methods…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Can our bones protect us against diabetes and obesity?
March 16, 2015 by Lab Canada Montreal, QC – A team of researchers at the IRCM led by Mathieu Ferron, PhD, in collaboration with researchers at Columbia University, has discovered a new function of the skeleton associated with diabetes and obesity. The scientific breakthrough, published in…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesNew Facilities
$3M supports new centre for rare genetic disorders
March 16, 2015 by Lab Canada Montreal, QC – A $3 million donation from Rio Tinto is enabling Montreal’s CHU Sainte-Justine hospital to lay the groundwork for a Centre for Rare Genetic Disorders. The only facility of its kind in Quebec, the new centre of excellence…
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LaboratoryLife Sciences
Stemming the media hype on stem cell therapies
March 16, 2015 by Lab Canada Edmonton, AB – A new study by University of Alberta law researchers reveals sometimes overly optimistic news coverage of clinical translation of stem cell therapies—and as spokespeople, scientists need to be mindful of harnessing public expectations. “As the dominant voice…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Smoking thins vital part of the brain
March 4, 2015 by Lab Canada Montreal, QC – A major study by an international team, including the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University and the University of Edinburgh, shows new evidence that long-term smoking can cause thinning of the brain’s cortex. The cortex is the…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Study sheds new light on factors causing pediatric food allergies
March 4, 2015 by Lab Canada Edmonton, AB – A new study from researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Manitoba is shedding new light on changes in intestinal bacteria of infants that can predict future development of food allergies or asthma. The research,…
News
LaboratoryLife Sciences
Life sciences a $40B industry in Ontario
March 2, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – If you work in the life sciences in Ontario, your wages are approximately 26.5 percent higher than those of the provincial average. On the other hand, if you’re a recent science graduate, you’re facing a challenging unemployment…
News
CollaborationsLaboratoryLife Sciences
Global project boosts understanding of human epigenome
February 23, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC – Research from the BC Cancer Agency was featured on February 18 in the journal Nature as part of a special issue highlighting 20 papers that are the outcome of a seven-year project mapping the epigenome. The term…
News
CollaborationsLaboratoryLife Sciences
Worldwide collaboration to fund research into brain diseases
February 11, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, Chicago & London – Three leading research funders from North America and the UK have joined forces to launch a new global initiative called MEND or, MEchanisms of cellular death in NeuroDegeneration. The initiative has a fund of $1.25…
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General Science & ResearchLaboratoryLife Sciences
Glycomics research network to develop drugs, vaccines
February 10, 2015 by Lab Canada Edmonton, AB – GlycoNet, a new national research network based in Edmonton, is receiving $27.3 million over five years from the federal government to develop new drugs and vaccines for conditions such as influenza, genetic diseases and diabetes. Canadian scientists…
News
LaboratoryLife Sciences
$56M supports cancer research projects
February 10, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – A total of 77 cancer research projects across Canada are receiving a total $56 million in funding support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its partners, including a $2.4-million partnership with the Canadian Cancer…
News
LaboratoryLife SciencesResearch Results
Study probes molecular makeup of lung cancer tumours
February 9, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – More than nine million people around the world will die from cancer in 2015, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer can result from mutations to any part of the process that turns DNA into proteins –…
News
LaboratoryLife Sciences
Brain cancer gets $5M boost in research funding
February 5, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – Four large research grants – valued at $1.25 million each – have been awarded to research teams in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa by a partnership of the Canadian Cancer Society, Brain Canada and the federal government. Three…
News
CollaborationsLaboratoryLife Sciences
Merck joins Toronto consortium with $7.5 M contribution
February 5, 2015 by Lab Canada Toronto, ON – Pharmaceutical company Merck has joined the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) Toronto with a contribution of $7.5 million. The supported projects focus on pre-competitive research to develop small inhibitory molecules called chemical probes to study epigenetic mechanisms of…
News
CommercializationLaboratoryLife Sciences
Drug research commercialization supported with new $2M fund
February 4, 2015 by Lab Canada Vancouver, BC and Saskatoon, SK – A consortium of Saskatchewan’s innovation organizations have come together with the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), Canada’s national drug development and commercialization centre, to establish a new $2-million CDRD-Saskatchewan Innovation Fund. The…
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LaboratoryLife SciencesNew Facilities