Jefferies lab demonstrates potential of a novel cell-based immunotherapy for cancer
A new study from the Jefferies lab (MSL, MedGen, MBIM, CBR) highlights a promising, novel avenue for cancer immunotherapy using Type 2 innate lymphoid cells.
MBIM students win prestigious awards during spring term!
Congratulations to Loujain Bilal (UBC Science Excellence in Service Award), Nicholas Viegas (UBC Wesbrook Scholar, Premier Undergrad Scholarship), and Abishek Wadhwa (NanoMedicines Innovation Network Award).
Welcome Dr. Kirsty McIntyre, our new Science Education Specialist!
Kirsty is excited to meet and collaborate with faculty and staff to co-develop the curriculum in response to increasing student numbers and a renewed focus on data science in the program.
BC Government investment funds expansion of MBIM undergrad program
On Thursday March 21, we hosted the Honourable Lisa Beare (BC’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills) to highlight the expansion of our undergrad program in the Biological Sciences Building.
Av-Gay, Eltis and Sun labs share how their research contributes to fight against TB
For World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, researchers from the Av-Gay, Eltis and Sun labs share how their research contributes to the fight against TB.
Lauren Durland and Thomas Worthington receive the 2023-24 Zymeworks Fellowship
The Zymeworks Fellowship in Advanced Protein Therapeutics supports students with a focus on health science research that aligns with Zymeworks’ focus on immune-based treatments for disease.
Wastewater monitoring: research aims to enhance TB prevention & detection in Nunavut
Dr. Jim Sun (UBC, uOttawa) is part of a research study in Iqaluit to explore wastewater monitoring as a tool to detect and prevent the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in Nunavut.
Welcome Dr. Jim Sun to the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
A Q&A with Dr. Jim Sun, who has officially joined the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology as an Assistant Professor.
Two Canada Excellence Research Chairs join UBC Science
Dr. Kayla King is one of two UBC Science faculty to receive a CERC - and has been appointed the CERC in Evolutionary Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions.
Biological fingerprints in soil show where diamond-containing ore is buried
UBC researchers have identified ‘biological fingerprints’ can reveal what minerals are buried tens of metres below the earth’s surface without having to drill.
The Science Behind Sexual Health Series
For World Sexual Health Day, labs from the Faculty of Science share their research that both directly and indirectly relates to sexual health.
The Science Behind Sexual Health: Research from the Tokuyama Lab
Professor Maria Tokuyama, PhD student Austin Guild, MSc student Ananya Saraph share their research on whether and how endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) could protect against HSV-2 infections.
The Science Behind Sexual Health: Research from the Tropini lab
Professor Carolina Tropini and MSc student Sophie Cotton share their research on how the gut microbiota influences levels of sex hormones throughout our bodies.
Q&A: Professor Selena Sagan joins the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology
We are excited to welcome Selena Sagan to the UBC MBIM after a decade of teaching and research at McGill University (Montréal) in the Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Biochemistry.
Professor Kayla King joins UBC Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Zoology
After 10 years of teaching and research in Oxford University’s Biology department, Dr. Kayla King has joined the UBC Departments of Microbiology & Immunology, and Zoology.
Congratulations to MBIM Winners of 2022 Dean of Science Excellence in Service Awards!
Congratulations to Michelle Moksa and Andrew Sharon, who were awarded for their service contributions and significant positive impact for the UBC Science community.
CIFAR researcher Carolina Tropini is appointed Alan Bernstein fellow
Carolina Tropini, a member of CIFAR’s Humans & the Microbiome program, has been named the inaugural Alan Bernstein Fellow in honour of CIFAR’s President Emeritus.
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.
Stephanie Besoiu & Petya Popova win 2022 Zymeworks Fellowship in Immunotherapeutics
Zymeworks Inc., a leading BC-based biotechnology company, has partnered with both M&I and MSL to fund these awards.
MBIM Staff Celebrate 25+ Year Milestones in the Department
This year, May Dang Lawson, Gilly Veniegas and John Nomellini celebrated milestone work anniversaries in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Maria Tokuyama receives MSFHR Scholar Award
Maria Tokuyama received the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Scholar Award for her research program on ERVs and their impact or influence on immune responses.
UBC-BCIT Biotechnology program celebrates 20 years!
On October 6, 2022, the UBC-BCIT Biotechnology program celebrated its 20+ year anniversary in the Life Sciences Institute at UBC.
Breastmilk & how it helps us better understand infant gut microbiome development
PhD student Zahra Pakzad (Deborah Money lab) shares her research on the Maternal Microbiome Legacy Project and how breast milk influences the infant gut microbiome.
Congrats Dr. Lisa Osborne on receiving funding from Scialog Competition!
Dr. Lisa Osborne wins funding for two projects from Scialog: Microbiome, Neurobiology and Disease competition.
Nicole Wang from the Haney lab awarded a Governor General’s Gold Medal!
Nicole Wang, an MSc student from the Haney lab, has been awarded a Governor General’s Gold Medal – an award for the top achieving student (academics and research) in all of UBC.
International Day of Immunology 2022
For International Day of Immunology, the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology interviewed three immunologists from different parts of the department to highlight their research.
New nasal spray treats Delta variant infection in mice, indicating broad results
Researchers have shown a new compound delivered in a nasal spray is highly effective in preventing and treating COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant in mice.
M&I Department members receive UBC Science Excellence in Service Awards
Congratulations to Dr. Parvin Bolourani and Paula Littlejohn from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
LSI core facility helps accelerate sustainable mining practices
Clean energy technologies have put society and the mining industry at a crossroads. The Hallam lab's Biofactorial High-Throughput Biology Facility hopes to make a positive change.
2021 Zymeworks Fellowship in Immunotherapeutics
Congratulations to Ashina Nagra (MBIM) and Cindy Shaheen (MSL) for receiving a 2021 Zymeworks Fellowship in Immunotherapeutics
Virginie Jean-Baptiste from the Horwitz lab is first to receive the Julia Levy Award
Virginie Jean-Baptiste, a PhD student in the Horwitz lab (Department of Microbiology and Immunology), is the first ever recipient of the Julia Levy Fellowship award.
National Postdoc Appreciation Week: Antonio Serapio-Palacios
National Postdoc Appreciation Week aims to recognize the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to research and discovery!
National Postdoc Appreciation Week: Sarah Grasedieck
National Postdoc Appreciation Week aims to recognize the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to research and discovery!
National Postdoc Appreciation Week: Bhav Dhillon
National Postdoc Appreciation Week aims to recognize the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to research and discovery!
World Sepsis Day: Raising Awareness of a Global Health Crisis
Dr. Bob Hancock and Andy An (Hancock Lab) share their sepsis research and hopes for the futures of post-sepsis patients.
The Tropini lab's vision for the future of microbiome research
How is the gut microbiota affected by physical factors? In a recent manuscript, the Tropini lab shares how their research explores the feedback between the gut’s physical environment, the microbiota, & disease.
Co-op students in the Tokuyama lab win 2nd place in 3-minute thesis competition!
Summer Co-op students Thomas Deckers (Engineering Physics) and Eric Liu (Physics and Astronomy), received 2nd place for their 3MT oral presentation at the Canadian Society for Virology virtual symposium.
Meet Evelyn Sun, M&I's newest lecturer
Evelyn Sun from the Hancock lab recently accepted an offer as a Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and shares how she hopes to continue improving the student learning experience.
COVID-19 Vaccine Info Session with Dr. Maria Tokuyama
What does the vaccine do? How does it protect us against SARS-CoV-2? Why is it important to get it?
Vaccine 101: How, why, and where to get vaccinated
Dr. Pauline Johnson from the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology shares some of her research and resources about the vaccine.
M&I alumni César de la Fuente wins 2021 CSM Thermo Fisher Scientific Award
César de la Fuente, a Ph.D. graduate and Postdoctoral Fellow from the Hancock lab, shares that his time at UBC was instrumental both personally and scientifically.
Biologizing our industry – how microalgae can help us support sustainability
Moritz Koch, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Hallam lab, shares research on a new kind of biodegradable bioplastics that could potentially relieve the burden of plastic trash in the ocean.
Jen Nguyen from the Tropini lab receives Killam Award Fellowship for postdoctoral re
Nguyen hopes that her research supported by this fellowship can demonstrate how the spatial organization of individual gut bacteria impacts how gut communities resist or are altered by environmental distresses.
Dr. François Jean and FINDER help identify new and promising treatment for COVID-19
A new anti-viral drug could improve COVID-19 outcomes and survival rates — and is highly effective against multiple variants — according to a new study led by researchers at UBC and Université de Sherbrooke.
How plants recruit beneficial microbes to protect against future pathogen attack
The Haney Lab in the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology published research in Nature Plants that shows how plants can benefit the future of microbiology research and agriculture.
New Prof Maria Tokuyama is motivated by the thrill of discovery & joys of mentorship
Get to know Microbiology & Immunology’s newest Assistant Professor, Dr. Maria Tokuyama: the projects in her new lab, and the inspiration behind her journey to becoming a research scientist.
World TB Day: Tuberculosis is an urgent global health matter and time is running out
Researchers from the Av-Gay lab bring awareness to TB research and emphasize the importance of collaboration.
Dr. Michael Gold’s Mentorship Program Provides Opportunities for First-Gen Students
First-Generation students share their positive experiences with the mentorship program’s first year.
Dr. Carolina Tropini tackles unanswered questions as Allen Distinguished Investigator
Dr. Carolina Tropini, Assistant Prof in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the School of Biomedical Engineering, has been named a Distinguished Investigator by the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group.
In-Person Labs at UBC Continue Successfully Amid COVID Times
Students in the Dept of Microbiology and Immunology share their experience in the Molecular Microbiology Laboratory (MICB 322) class and how it has helped them learn and prepare for their future as researchers.
New microbiology textbook features post-doctoral research from Prof Elitza Tocheva
Research conducted by Dr. Elitza Tocheva during her post-doctoral fellowship is featured in the new Atlas of Bacterial & Archaeal Cell Structure.
Cryptococcus Neoformans Research in the Kronstad Lab
For World AIDS Day, the Kronstad lab shares their current research journey with Cryptococcus neoformans, the human pathogen that causes an often-fatal infection in people with HIV/AIDS.
Parvin Bolourani Wins President’s Staff Award for Enhancing UBC Experience
Parvin Bolourani, the Outreach, Alumni Engagement, Postdoctoral Fellows & Project Coordinator, was recently awarded a President’s Staff Award. On Oct 21, we celebrated through a virtual ceremony.
Grad student Morgan Alford wins CIHR Gold Award with virtual research presentation
Congratulations to Morgan Alford, a PhD student in the Hancock Lab, for receiving an award of excellence (Gold category) in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research National Research Poster Presentation.
National Postdoc Appreciation 2020
National Postdoc Awareness Week aims to recognize the significant contributions that postdoc scholars make to research and discovery. Three researchers share why they love what they do!
Carolina Tropini is 1st Canadian Johnson & Johnson Scholar in global competition
Dr. Tropini’s research focuses on humans and the microbiota, studying the interactions between the environment in the body, disease, and the microbes that live on and within us.
Curtis Suttle | Without Virsuses, we would not be alive
The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies featured Wall Scholar and Microbiology Professor Curtis Suttle on the importance of viruses in our life and existence.
Student Spotlight: Farhang Ahadzadeh
A 4th-year undergrad student in the Crowe lab shares his personal story of overcoming hardships, his T1D research in the department, and advice on how to make the best of this current time of isolation.
Financial Support for UBC Students
Financial support from The Government of British Columbia and UBC for students in need.
COVID-19: Valuable resources for students
Some important resources for students in response to COVID-19.
New prof Elitza Tocheva shares the vast possibilities of a career in science
At UBC, Elitza Tocheva is excited to apply her knowledge and be inspired by learning something new. But she wants people to know that there’s more than one ending when it comes to a career in science.
Microbiology and Immunology awarded with two FoS 2019 Excellence in Service Awards
On March 4, 2020, Sarah Woodward and Sue Palichuk were formally presented their awards by Meigan Aronson, Dean, Faculty of Science.
Women in UBC Science: Isobel Mouat
This article is one of the many stories celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which takes place every year on February 11.
Newly renovated home for life sciences allows student research to thrive
The opening of the Undergraduate Life Sciences Teaching Laboratories (Biological Sciences Centre) celebrates a new space that brings together all undergrads in the life & biological sciences into one complex.
MBIM HON student Laurel Neufeld advances to finals of UBC Undergrad 3MT Competition
Laurel’s first draft of the 3 Minute Thesis, which qualified her for finals, is on “Modeling E.coli infections in the gut.”
Obesity, heart disease, and diabetes may be communicable
A new paper in Science by B. Brett Finlay and a team of CIFAR fellows in the Humans & the Microbiome program proposes that “non-communicable” diseases may be transmitted between people through the microbiome.
Student Spotlight: Connor Keane
Whether it’s conducting research, winning a grant for a nonprofit organization he co-founded with a friend, or hosting a workshop with an Indigenous Astronaut – Keane has made the best of his time at UBC.
Congrats to Prof. Wilfred Jefferies on his election to Fellow of the NAI
Prof. Wilfred Jefferies – a researcher, immunologist and professor – has been elected as a Fellow for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Introducing New Faculty Member: Carolina Tropini
Fresh off her postdoc at Stanford University, Tropini brings extensive experience and research techniques to her role as Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia.
MBIM Awards Archive
A record of awards from MBIM community over the years.