Eight research projects at the University of Victoria received a total of $1.45 million in federal support, helping keep our researchers at the forefront of science and innovation.

A world-known proteomics researcher is appointed new research chair at UVic. Using cutting-edge technology, David Goodlett will study proteins and lipids to better understand diseases like cancer and environmental challenges such as climate change.

Improved diagnosis and treatment of a range of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's is the goal of more than $18 million in funding awarded last month to two national platforms in which UVic plays a key role.

Improved diagnosis and treatment of a range of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's will be the outcome of more than $18 million in funding awarded today to two national research platforms in which the University of Victoria plays a key role. UVic's Christoph Borchers, an internationally recognized protein chemist and director of the UVic-Genome BC Proteomics Centre, is leading a new pan-Canadian proteomics research platform.

A project co-led by UVic biochemist Christoph Borchers will use more than $3.8 million in new funding from Genome Canada to make mouse models more powerful and meaningful to the study of health and disease. Also funded is UVic chemist Fraser Hof, who receives $238,800 to investigate “methylation”—the smallest form of biochemical control switch.

A small six-person team of scientists and lab technicians are leading a global revolution in medical diagnostics—from right here, in Victoria. Healthy or not, all of us at some time have been subjected to one of the most common forms of medial diagnostics—the dreaded blood test. But what if there was a way to avoid this uncomfortable process?

UVic leadership in genomics and proteomics research took another big leap forward late last month with the announcement of a new national Genomics Innovation Network (GIN). The $15.5-million network is made up of 10 nodes, each of which is receiving core operational funding from Genome Canada, with matching funds from various public and private sector partners.

Proteomics—the study of proteins found in human cells and how they regulate their actions—is one of the most promising areas for developing new therapies for human diseases. Mouse models are the mainstay of most biomedical research, but researchers are limited by the small volumes of blood that can be sampled from live animals. Now, using $1.2 million in new funding from Genome BC and Genome Canada, the UVic-Genome BC Proteomics Centre and spinoff company MRM Proteomics Inc. will continue their work to develop new tools to help medical researchers measure the concentration of individual proteins in mouse plasma.

Dr. Christoph Borchers, director of the UVic-Genome BC Proteomics Centre, has been jointly appointed as the Proteomics Chair for the Jewish General Hospital at McGill University in Montreal. Borchers is an expert in the use of mass spectrometry to study the structure and function of proteins. At the UVic centre, Borchers directs a research program that applies proteomics technologies to areas such as medical diagnostics, drug development, forestry and alternative fuels.