University of British Columbia

Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announces $3.6M Blue Futures Pathways Program Phase III, aiming to connect Canadian youth with education, funding, and employment in the sustainable blue economy. The program, led by The Students on Ice Foundation, includes partners like the University of British Columbia and focuses on attracting underrepresented youth, integrating Indigenous knowledge, and fostering a socially equitable and economically viable blue economy.

The Hastings Center announces its 2024 fellows, leaders in bioethics addressing global issues like infectious disease, AI in health, neuroscience, reproductive rights, genetics, and disability.

UBC researchers developed a coating mimicking blood vessels, reducing thrombosis risk in medical devices, potentially decreasing reliance on blood thinners.

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. announced Q3 2024 financial results and progress in AI-driven cancer therapy development, including partnerships with Variational AI and the Deep Docking AI platform, and presentations at EORTC-NCI-AACR and SNO conferences. The company secured $2.5 million in a private placement financing.

Canada's new housing plan allocates $600 million for innovative construction technologies to address affordability, focusing on prefab, modular homes, and 3D printing. Modern methods aim to improve efficiency and sustainability but require policy reforms and intergovernmental cooperation. Challenges include lengthy regulatory approvals and restrictive zoning, necessitating a holistic approach involving federal, provincial, and municipal collaboration.

Zetagen Therapeutics' ZetaMet™ (Zeta-BC-003) is a novel molecular pathway for metastatic cancer lesions, aiming to resolve, inhibit pain, and regenerate bone. A Phase 2a study at UBC evaluates its safety and efficacy in Stage 4 breast cancer patients with spinal metastases. ZetaMet™'s potential as a curative treatment without systemic limitations is highlighted, with FDA Breakthrough Designations and positive peer-reviewed clinical data.

Canadian researchers are part of global efforts to test targeted alpha therapy, a new cancer treatment using radioactive alpha particles to kill cancer cells more effectively and with less damage to healthy tissue. Several therapies are in final stages of testing and could be approved by Health Canada within a few years. Potential applications include pancreatic, prostate, breast, and neuroendocrine cancers. Challenges include production of rare radioactive isotopes and high costs, with treatments expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars per dose.

Soligenix opens patient enrollment for Phase 2 study DUS-AUBD-01 evaluating SGX945 (dusquetide) for Behçet's Disease, aiming to address significant unmet medical needs.

Soligenix opens patient enrollment for Phase 2 study DUS-AUBD-01, evaluating SGX945 (dusquetide) for Behçet's Disease treatment.