BIOF Alumni

About Dr. Lim

Dr. Emilia Lim will be an Investigator in the ELCHA and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She obtained her BSc in Bioinformatics at the University of Alberta, where she completed her thesis on the Human Metabolome Project with Dr. David Wishart. She then pursued her PhD in Bioinformatics under the mentorship of Dr. Marco Marra at UBC and the BC Cancer Genome Sciences Centre. Here, she worked on epigenomic and transcriptomic biomarker discovery for treatment refractory hematological and pediatric cancers. Most recently, she completed her postdoctoral training with Dr. Charles Swanton at the Francis Crick Research Institute and University College London (UCL), studying chromosomal instability and how it shapes lung cancer evolution.

Her interest in lung cancer in never smokers directed her to develop a framework for studying the environmental impact on cancer initiation. Through this work, she discovered that air pollution triggers lung cancer initiation by promoting clonal expansion of cells harbouring oncogenic mutations which have accumulated due to aging. Moving forward, she envisions leading an environmental gero-genomics group, with an emphasis on areas of unmet need in Canada. Her research program will concern how environmental exposures disrupt normal cells to accelerate the initiation of age-related disease states such as cancer. Her team will perform multi-omic investigations of how environmental pollutants co-opt molecular mechanisms to shape tissue landscapes into diseased states. This will be done with a view towards molecular disease prevention, revealing targets for screening and intervention.

Tangled Arrows: Navigating the Complicated PhD path

A PhD is a wonderful time to learn and grow professionally and personally. Everyone's path through their PhD is distinct, but there is one common thread: it is never uncomplicated. Sometimes, the best opportunities are cloaked in adversity. As such, it is important to hear from many different perspectives, and surround yourself with a positive environment that will encourage you in this endeavour. In this session, I will share how I have navigated through the ups and downs of my educational journey. It is but one perspective, but I hope it will serve as an inspiration to all.

IOP Alumi

About Dr. Lau

Dr. Joseph Lau is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and a Scientist in the Department of Integrative Oncology at the BC Cancer Research Institute (BCCRI). Before joining UBC, Dr. Lau was the Associate Director, Discovery at Alpha-9 Theranostics, a radiopharmaceutical company based in Vancouver BC. His research group focuses on radiopharmaceutical development for cancer diagnostics and therapy.

Crossroad? Research in Academia and Industry

Navigating graduate studies is undoubtedly challenging, yet it is crucial to recognize that completing your degree also signifies the start of a new chapter. For some, it entails continuing research in academia, while for others; it involves pursuing a career in industry. In this session, we will look at the differences, goals, and motivations inherent in conducting research in academia versus industry. We will discuss transferable skills and attributes that enable success in both settings. Through this analysis, we aim to offer insights for researchers grappling with the decision between academia and industry, while fostering a deeper understanding of the dynamic interplay.

GSAT Alumni

About Dr. Hamadeh

Dr. Zeid Hamadeh is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and a Scientist in the Cytogenomics Laboratory at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). His current research focuses on validating genetic technologies, such as Optical Genome Mapping and Oxford Nanopore Sequencing, for use in front-line diagnostic testing for hematologic cancers. Before joining UBC and VGH, Dr. Hamadeh was completing his PhD in Genome Science and Technology under the supervision of Dr Peter Lansdorp at UBC and the BC Cancer Research Centre. His research focused on exploring the ways in which DNA repair is perturbed in cancer using single-cell whole genome sequencing approaches.

When Will my Work “Translate” into Healthcare?

With translational research, it often feels like “translating” into healthcare can be slow or even uncertain. In this talk, I explore the necessary challenges of bringing research from the academic PhD realm to the clinic through key examples that highlight common hurdles, while also discussing how key breakthroughs can happen with the diverse skill set acquired during a PhD. This talk can hopefully pave the way for those looking to bridge the gap between academia and healthcare.

Novel Techniques and Limitations to Modern Methods

Clinical Translation and Patient Experience

Professional Development

About Dr. Zoubeidi

Dr. Zoubeidi’s research program focuses on understanding mechanistic insight into the molecular (genetic and epigenetic) sources that fuel prostate tumor cell plasticity and emergent resistance phenotypes following targeted therapy in prostate cancer.

Unraveling the Phenomenon of Lineage Plasticity in Prostate Cancer: Insights and Implications

At the BIG24, Dr Zoubeidi will be discussing why is treatment-induced lineage reprogramming biased toward particular lineage? How the change in the chromatin architecture can permit an opportune environment for transcription to be “reprogrammed” and, in turn, facilitate tumour cell plasticity and therapy resistance? Does this inherent epigenetic plasticity can be therapeutically re-direct cell fate using epigenetic or transcription factor inhibitors?

About Dr. Holt

Dr. Holt's research focuses on understanding the structural diversity of T cell and B cell receptors to genetically engineer immune cells for cancer treatment. Additionally, his work also explores the link between pathogens like Fusobacterium nucleatum and colorectal carcinoma, with efforts underway to develop a vaccine against this bacterium.

The Future of T cell Engineering

Over the past several decades methods to genetically modify T cells in order to improve their cancer-killing capabilities have been developed. These methods have led to dramatically improved clinical outcomes for relapsed and treatment-refractory leukemia and lymphoma patients, and have the potential to revolutionize therapy for other cancers, autoimmune disorders, and many other conditions. However, current T cell engineering approaches are hampered by the need for ex vivo manufacturing, testing and reinfusion of personalized T cell products. Dr Holt’s lab and others are now exploring alternative approaches where gene delivery to T cells is accomplished in vivo, as gene therapy, rather than ex vivo as cell therapy.  Challenges and opportunities associated with this new direction will be discussed.

About Dr. Yip

Dr. Stephen Yip completed his combined M.D-Ph.D. training followed by 4 years of neurosurgical training at UBC. He switched to neuropathology and obtained his Royal College certification in 2007. He completed fellowship training in molecular neuro-oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. David Louis as a RC Clinician Investigator Program fellow and molecular genetic pathology at MGH/Harvard Medical School under the supervision of Dr. John Iafrate. He is on staff at Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer (VCC). Specialty: neuropathology, molecular pathology. Hobby: neuropathology, molecular pathology.

Cancer Diagnostics in the Era of Molecular Advances – The Long and Short of It

Aberrant alterations of the genome/epigenome are the basis of vast majority of cancers. The identification of these molecular biomarkers is critical in this era of precision oncology to improve diagnosis and the identification of treatment targets. Dr. Yip will review these changes and discuss recent implementation of advanced molecular technologies into the clinical realm. Importantly, I will discuss exciting research projects that strive to integrate epidemiology, clinical and genomic features, and deep learning to advance molecular diagnosis.

About Dr. Steiner

Dr. Steiner is a researcher at the Immunity and Infection Research Centre at the University of British Columbia specializing in studying the inflammatory response to flagellin from enteroaggregative e. coli (EAEC), an emerging diarrheal pathogen. Additionally, he has clinical expertise in general consultative infectious diseases, with a specific focus on infectious diarrhea and tropical medicine.

Challenges and Rewards of Clinical Research

While basic scientific advances ultimately underlie most medical progress, clinical research is a key component in bringing discoveries into practice. Specifically, clinical trials are generally the only way to know if a new treatment will be safe and effective, and are the standard on which regulatory agencies rely when they make decisions about licensing new products and determining their medical indications. For clinical trial results to be valid, strict guidelines must be followed, to avoid pitfalls that can lead to type I or Type 2 error, or in some cases completely invalidate a study. Moreover, international standards require that clinical trials be done within an ethical framework, to avoid exposing study participants to unnecessary risk and to preserve their autonomy and privacy. Sometimes it requires a complex dance to balance the responsibilities to participants, investigators, sponsors, and the global medical community to make a clinical trial successful. In this talk, I will discuss some of the key features of good clinical practice in clinical trials, and some of the challenges that researchers face.

About Dr. Genge

Christine Genge is the Director, Global Talent Acquisition at STEMCELL Technologies, a privately-owned biotechnology company based in Vancouver that helps power leading-edge life science research around the world. Christine first joined STEMCELL Technologies as a Scientific Inside Sales Representative after completing her PhD in molecular cardiac physiology at SFU in 2016. Having transitioned from an academic research background into industry, she is passionate about helping STEMCELL grow through recruiting talented individuals committed to moving science forward.

Career Paths for Science Grads

Wondering what to do with your science degree? Christine will share personal stories of transitioning from academic research into the biotechnology industry after a Ph.D., as well as providing insight into industry opportunities and career paths. This session will also provide tips and advice from a recruiter perspective on securing that next career position.

About Jacqui

Jacqui Brinkman, MSc, is the Director of Graduate Student Professional Development at Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Through this role, she works to improve the graduate student experience. Previously, she has managed postdoctoral and undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Medicine and was a lab-based researcher both within academia and industry. She completed her MSc in Biology at McGill University.

“Designing your Grad School/Career Strategy”

Graduate students today have a plethora of academic and professional obligations as well as opportunities they may engage in during their graduate journey. There are also many ways to define success both within and after graduate school.

• How do you choose which opportunities to take advantage of?

• Are you setting yourself up to succeed in your intended career path after graduate school?

• Do you even know that path?

Join this interactive workshop to take the lead of your education and hone your career intentions! The session will help you to:

• develop or enhance your academic plan for completing your graduate degree,

• explore possibilities and design your career path,

• build a road map for navigating the many opportunities available, and

• establish strategies for attaining your professional objectives.

About Cameron

Cameron completed his BSc. in Biophysics at the University of British Columbia in 2018. In 2017 he spent 8 months in the Wyatt lab as a bioinformatics co-op student and completed an honours thesis in the lab in summer 2018. Cameron began his MSc in September 2018. The main focus of his work is to computationally identify genomic alterations in metastatic prostate cancer patients undergoing docetaxel treatment both in the castrate-sensitive and castrate-resistant setting. Cameron won a UBC Genome Sciences and Technology Program Rotation Award worth $17,333, travel awards from CIHR and the UBC Genome Sciences and Technology program, and in 2019 won a CIHR Master’s Award worth $17,500.

A Roadmap for Navigating Paper Writing, Peer Review, and Publication as a Graduate Student in Science

Publishing papers drives scientific knowledge dissemination and is the currency of conventional academic achievement. For graduate students, embarking on this process can be challenging as we are seldom exposed to manuscript writing and publishing during routine academic coursework. This presentation aims to demystify the process of paper writing and provide actionable insights on the following topics: when to initiate writing your first paper, individualistic versus collaborative paper writing, writing style and clarity, how to improve your writing skills (and why this is important), what to expect during journal submission, strategies for navigating Peer Review, and the role of ChatGPT for writing assistance.

About Eric

Eric Brace is an Engineering Science PhD candidate in Simon Fraser University’s Interdisciplinary Oncology program. He holds Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Applied Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. At the BC Cancer Research Institute’s Optical Cancer Imaging Lab, Eric studies the clinical utility of multimodal endoscopic optical coherence tomography for biopsy guidance and surgical margin detection of cancer in luminal organs.

Optics and You - Illuminating the Inner Workings of Microscopy

Microscopy plays a critical role in visualizing and assessing samples for biomedical research, however it can be challenging to troubleshoot a suboptimal image. In this interactive workshop, we will explore the principles of optics with a focus on the mechanisms of microscopy and fluorescence. Building on this foundation, we will look at examples of various lighting techniques, polarization, common optical aberrations, and methods to ensure uniform sample illumination.