MAPcore Awarded VPRI Shared Research Platform Status — One of Only Nine Core Labs Selected Across All UBC Faculties
The designation secures three years of funding and recognizes more than two decades of tissue-based cancer research. Department Head Dr. Zu-Hua Gao and Director Genevieve MacMillan visited the facility to celebrate this achievement.
The Molecular and Advanced Pathology Core (MAPcore) has been awarded status as a VPRI Shared Research Platform, securing three years of funding support from UBC's Vice-President, Research and Innovation Office. The designation places MAPcore among an elite group of only nine research core facilities selected across all UBC faculties—a testament to the facility's essential role in advancing translational pathology research.
This achievement represents the culmination of over two decades of pioneering work in tissue-based cancer research at UBC and validates MAPcore's critical role in bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications.
A Legacy of Innovation: From GPEC to MAPcore
The story of MAPcore is one of continuous evolution and dedication to bringing cancer genomics from the laboratory to the bedside. This achievement builds upon more than 20 years of groundbreaking research that has fundamentally changed how cancers are diagnosed and treated worldwide.
The Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre (GPEC) was established at the Jack Bell Research Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, by co-founders Dr. David Huntsman, Dr. Blake Gilks, and Dr. Torsten Nielsen. Founded as a collaborative research venture between the UBC Department of Pathology, the Prostate Research Centre at VGH, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), and the BC Cancer Agency, GPEC pioneered the use of tissue microarray technology to uncover novel cancer biomarkers.
GPEC played a leading role in defining the molecular subtypes of breast cancer. The landmark publication led by Dr. Torsten Nielsen became one of the most cited papers in the history of Clinical Cancer Research journal, fundamentally changing how breast cancer is diagnosed and treated worldwide.
Over nearly two decades, GPEC established itself as Canada's top tissue-based research centre. Under Drs. Huntsman, Gilks, and Nielsen, researchers used tissue microarray technology to connect archival patient samples at VGH with clinical data from BC Cancer to identify clinically useful biomarkers. This research led to several hundred publications and established the standard biomarkers used today to diagnose many breast and ovarian cancers, rare cancers, sarcomas, and other malignancies.
MAPcore was created by combining GPEC with the Molecular Pathology Research Lab (MolPath) of VGH. Led by Drs. Huntsman, Nielsen, and David Schaeffer, and empowered by new space at the Jack Bell Research Centre and state-of-the-art equipment funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, MAPcore introduced cutting-edge capabilities including multiplex immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and spatial transcriptomics.
MAPcore receives VPRI designation with three years of funding support, recognizing its essential role in supporting research excellence across UBC.
"We are looking to MAPcore to have the same international impact on pathology practices and cancer diagnosis that GPEC had 20 years ago."
— Dr. David Huntsman, MAPcore Co-DirectorBringing Spatial "Omics" From Glass to Clinic
MAPcore's mission is to bring spatial "omics" from the laboratory to patient care. The facility bridges the gap between validating complex disease biomarker discoveries and their application as clinical diagnostic or therapeutic targets. Through advanced technologies, MAPcore enables researchers to study the heterogeneity of disease tissues at the single-cell level with spatial context—essential for developing the next generation of precision medicine approaches.
Key Capabilities
Leadership and Impact
MAPcore is led by three distinguished faculty members from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine who bring decades of combined expertise in translational pathology research.
The VPRI designation ensures MAPcore can continue expanding its services and supporting the next generation of precision medicine research. As treatment options for complex diseases like cancer continue to multiply, the need for multiple accurate biomarkers has never been higher. Built from a team that has worked together for over 20 years, MAPcore represents a tremendous opportunity for the pathology community to accelerate and advance research.
Past, present, and future medicine will all depend on diagnostic information to be successful. Through the continued support of VPRI, VCHRI, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, MAPcore stands ready to help discover and validate the biomarkers that will shape the future of patient care.