Unconventional secretion of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease opens the door for new extracellular biology in viral infection
A recent Cell Reports paper by Grin et al. from the Overall Lab presents the first evidence of a viral protease being secreted from infected cells. 3C-like viral proteases (3CL) are utilized by coronaviruses, including […]
Pioneering technology to simulate blood vessel networks in organ-on-chip models
A new publication from Dr. Josef Penninger’s lab in the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) at UBC, and collaborators in France, Austria, and the UK, reports a major advance in the […]
Muscle health depends on lipid synthesis
Muscle degeneration, the most prevalent cause of frailty in hereditary diseases and aging, could be caused by a deficiency in one key enzyme in a lipid biosynthesis pathway. Research led […]
Sex Differences in Islet Stress Responses Support Female β Cell Resilience
This week Science in Vancouver profiled a recent publication in Molecular Metabolism from the labs of Drs. Elizabeth Rideout and James Johnson at UBC, with first author George Brownrigg. This article […]
B.C. sea sponge has COVID-blocking powers
UBC researchers have identified three compounds that prevent COVID-19 infection in human cells, derived from natural sources including a B.C. sea sponge. The discovery paves the way for the development […]
Av-Gay Lab identifies infection-halting compound, broadly effective from COVID-19 to the common cold
Researchers at UBC’s Life Sciences Institute have identified a compound that shows early promise at halting infections from a range of coronaviruses, including all variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the common […]
HUSHing repetitive-like elements contributes to normal brain development and function
The gene-silencing complex HUSH might be involved in complex disorders affecting the brain and neurons. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Researchers from the Penninger lab at the Institute […]
Cembrowski lab profiled in Nature Methods story on Patch-seq
Patch-clamp electrophysiology, one of the most powerful methods in neuroscience, and true a workhorse technique in the field, was on the verge of falling out of fashion 30-some years technique […]