Project Highlights

Last updated: Nov 1, 2007

Link to Highlights from 2005-06.

Alzheimer's Disease

Our main achievement in this area is to complete a manuscript for publication, summarizing our work with Merck scientists (Das et al 2007) on amyloid-beta dynamics. We explained the overshoot of plasma amyloid observed following injection of a gamma-secretase inhibitor.

Autoimmune (Type 1) Diabetes

We completed, submitted, and revised a second manuscript on macrophage dynamics in healthy and diabetic animals (Maree et al 2007). This study enabled us to more accurately compare the properties of the macrophages, and to characterise defects that could result in Type 1 diabetes.

Amyloid in Type 2 Diabetes

One of our trainees (Bailey) applied for and was awarded an internship at the Children's Hospital in the laboratory of collaborator Bruce Verchere. His combined experimental, modeling, and data-fitting work allows us to understand Islet Amyloid Poly-Peptide (IAPP). We plan to prepare this work for publication.

CIHR award

Our team applied to investigate the outcome of enhanced transmission prevention in individuals recently infected with HIV. From a modeling perspective, we are interested in the transmission of disease on a realistic contact network, by individuals whose infectiousness changes over time. Team investigator Dan Coombs is part of a group that has been awarded a CIHR grant to carry out such research.

New Team Member Added

We welcome Prof Eirikur Palsson (SFU, Biology) to our team. Prof Palsson works on multicellular aggregation and cell sorting. He is serving on student supervisory committees and initiating joint work with our UBC contingent.

Students Graduated

• Clive Glover received a PhD. (Piret lab, UBC), and is now working in the marketing division of Stem Cell Technologies, Vancouver.

• Kevin Davis received an MSc. (with Mackey, U McGill) and is teaching at John Abbot CEGEP, Montreal.

• Raluca Apostu received an MSc. (with Mackey, U McGill) and is continuing for a PhD.

• Mitsuhiro Komba received an MSc. (with Finegood, SFU) and is seeking employment.

Team Members' Awards and other highlights

• James Bailey, Internship Award of Excellence (Life Sciences), Nov 2007.
  (Awarded at Accelerate BC Internship Showcase, Nov 27, 2007).

• Jun Allard, NSERC graduate fellowship (2007).

• Jennifer Hubbarde, NSERC graduate fellowship (2007).

• Raluca Apostu, 3rd prize in the MITACS poster competition, 2006 meeting.

• Kevin Davis: Mathematics and Statistics Graduate Teaching Award, McGill University

• Kevin Davis: 2nd prize in the MITACS poster competition, 2006 meeting.

• Leah Keshet: Discovery Accelerator Supplement (DAS), NSERC, 2007.

• Diane Finegood: Elected as a Fellow in Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (September 2007)

• Diane Finegood: Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award (Trailblazers & Trendsetters Category) 2006

• Alexandra Jilkine, NSERC graduate fellowship (2007)

• Yoichiro Mori: Leslie Fox Prize in Numerical Analysis (2007)

• Yoichiro Mori: Kurt O. Friedrichs Prize for outstanding dissertation (Courant, 2007)