Accelerating the development of lifesaving medicine

Every day, researchers across the Faculty of Medicine are translating scientific discoveries into clinical practice to solve some of life’s most pressing health challenges.  

Never was that more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when UBC researchers, staff, spin-off companies and partners mounted a rapid response that led to critical new treatments, innovations in public health, diagnostics and patient care, and importantly, contributions to the development of a vaccine. All in less than 100 days.

Now, UBC researchers are picking up the pace even further, bringing lifesaving innovations to patients sooner for everything from cancer to diabetes and dementia.

The key to this is translational medicine — an initiative of medical research that expedites the advancement of scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the patient bedside.

“Translational medicine turns research discoveries into real treatments and clinical applications, making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and in everyday health care,” says Dr. Robert McMaster, vice dean, research at the Faculty of Medicine. “It’s about getting the latest health and biomedical innovations to patients faster, improving lives and tackling health challenges head-on. It’s practical science at its best, making a real impact where it matters most.”

Fast-tracking drug development

To accelerate translational medicine, the Faculty of Medicine has embarked on a range of initiatives that are breaking down barriers to translation, driving research innovation and creating a culture of collaboration to amplify and expand research.

It’s why the Faculty established the Academy of Translational Medicine (ATM) in 2020. Under the leadership of Drs. Poul Sorensen and Dean Regier, the ATM is connecting people from diverse sectors in science, business, health and government to create a smoother, shorter path for biomedical translation and a more sustainable health care system.

The ATM’s goal: to cut the time it takes to bring health innovations to patients by half over the next ten years.

To do that, the ATM has fostered collaboration among research disciplines, facilitating industry-university partnerships and helping researchers navigate the translational pathway and regulatory landscape through consultations, training and resources.

Another vital ingredient is engagement with the growing and vibrant life sciences community in B.C. and across Canada. That’s an important part of Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH), a UBC-led national research hub that brings together a coalition of partners to accelerate the development and manufacturing of lifesaving medicine.

CIEBH recently received a $140 million federal investment to support four transformative research projects that span interdisciplinary research teams and multi-sectoral partners.

“We’re working together toward a common vision, across partners in academia, industry, non-profits, government and health authorities,” said Dr. Michelle Wong, executive director of CIEBH, and senior director, research at the Faculty of Medicine.

“By bridging connections and leveraging strengths across the whole ecosystem, we’re charting a path to make B.C. — and Canada — a global life sciences hub, which will be transformative for our economy and the health of Canadians.”

With the new federal funding, CIEBH aims to establish a seamless drug development pathway that will enable Canada to respond to future pandemic threats and other health challenges faster than ever before — in less than 100 days.

Patient-centered research

New therapeutics reach patients faster when research is integrated into clinical care, often through early-stage clinical trials. UBC scientists are harnessing this power to improve the lives of patients battling a range of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

Established in 2022, the B.C. MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network, or MS Research Network, is a world-class research and patient-care network focused on developing next-generation cell-based and biological therapies for MS and bringing them to patients in B.C. through early-stage clinical trials.

The MS Research Network was made possible thanks to a generous gift to the UBC Faculty of Medicine and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, and is a partnership among the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.

In another partnership, this one with the ALS Society of British Columbia, UBC has established an endowed professorship in ALS research that aims to expand access to clinical trials for patients with the debilitating disease. World-renowned clinician and ALS researcher Dr. Erik Pioro was recently appointed to the role, bringing decades of experience caring for people with ALS, advancing research on neurodegeneration and conducting clinical trials for novel therapies.

These are just the first important steps. In October 2023, the Faculty of Medicine joined Providence Health Care and the Government of B.C., among other partners, to announce a major expansion of clinical trials in the province. This includes a new UBC research chair in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics that will help build trial capacity, and the construction of Western Canada’s first non-cancer Phase 1 clinical trials unit at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital.

Together, these initiatives — and many others across the Faculty of Medicine’s research centres, institutes and distributed sites — are accelerating translational medicine to transform health for people across B.C., Canada and the world.