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Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin | Aug 09, 2024

Recently Published Work

We are pleased to highlight the recent scholarly contributions of our faculty members. Below are some of the latest refereed publications:

  • Dr. Poul Sorensen: Blocking the oxidative stress response inhibits osteosarcoma metastatic activity. Dr. Sorensen's team, in collaboration with UCSF, has shown that targeting the mRNA translation factor eIF4A1 significantly reduces metastatic osteosarcoma in mice. Their study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, highlights the potential of eIF4A1 inhibitors, like Zotatifin, to improve outcomes for patients with metastatic osteosarcoma. Read more.
  • Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu: A new study from Dr. Kizhakkedathu's group, in collaboration with Dr. Anna Blakney's group, has developed an ultra-hydrating polymeric excipient to preserve RNA-LNP and protein therapeutics, offering new directions in biologics and LNP preservation. Read more.

Faculty Appointments

Dr. Andrew Churg has been appointed to the editorial board of the American Journal of Surgical Pathology.

Congratulations to Dr. Jonathan Gubbay on being appointed as a New Investigator at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.

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Notable Cases by Dr. Habib Moshref Razavi:

Todays case: A 65-year-old female with hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented to the ED with a 1-week history of shortness of breath and a 4-week history of dry cough. Her WBC was 16.3, with lymphocytes at 12.9. Hematology service recommended admission for an expedited workup of a lymphoproliferative disorder. Her medical history included a family history of lymphoma and cancer. Despite no exertional chest pain, she experienced significant fatigue and night sweats.

Initial tests revealed splenomegaly (20.6 cm in maximum dimensions in the coronal plane). The patient was admitted for further evaluation, including flow cytometry to determine the underlying cause of her symptoms. A bone marrow biopsy showed normocellular marrow (40%) with an atypical lymphoid infiltrate in a nodular and partially intrasinusoidal pattern. The infiltrate consists of medium to occasionally larger lymphocytes with irregular nuclear contours and prominent nucleoli. Immunohistochemical stains indicated that these atypical lymphocytes are CD20+, Cyclin D1+, and kappa light chain restricted. Flow cytometry confirmed a significant abnormal B-cell population. Cytogenetics reveals a complex karyotype with a MYC rearrangement, but no CCND1/IGH, IGH/BCL2, or BCL6 rearrangements. The findings suggested peripheral blood and bone marrow involvement by splenic B-cell lymphoma with prominent nucleoli (SBLPN), also known as hairy cell leukemia variant (HCL-v), without evidence of transformation to large B-cell lymphoma. (albumin slide of peripheral blood; May-Grünwald Giemsa stain, panels 1-4 X100; panels 6-7 aspirate slide x100 magnification.) View larger images on LinkedIn

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New Research Award in Women’s Health

Awards totaling $2,000 will be made annually through a gift from an anonymous donor in honor of Holly Ewanyshyn. This award supports Faculty of Medicine research-stream graduate students researching disease pathogenesis in women or female models of disease, with a preference for research on conditions historically overlooked in terms of sex and gender differences. Holly, a physiotherapist and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient, established this fund to address disparities in women's healthcare and promote equitable health outcomes. Submit an application by August 31, 2024.

Pathology Picks:

Here are some additional reads you might be interested in:

  • Dr. Muhammad Morshed along with colleagues, was recently interviewed by Medscape regarding the rise of tick-borne illnesses in Canada.
  • LQM 2025 Program - Registration is now open. Early Bird Rate Ends Oct 15.
  • Leandro Venturutti: In three weeks, Dr. Venturutti will cycle 200km in the BC Cancer Foundation's Tour de Cure, an event uniting patients, clinicians, and researchers to support cancer research. Donations are welcome and appreciated. Learn more about the research in their lab here .
  • @StemCellNetwork has announced the first of two national research funding competitions planned for SCN’s 2025-2029 funding cycle. This new competition will support world-class, translational, regenerative medicine research.
  • New Faculty Teaching Orientation: Making Connections (in person): August 15, 9:45 am–12:30 pm Join this half-day orientation at UBCV to build professional relationships and enhance teaching skills, supporting efforts to create significant, transformative learning experiences for students. Read more
  • Navigating Research Security Policies for CIHR Project Grants: August 22, 2024, 10-11am and August 27, 2024, 1-2pm
    These sessions will focus on accurately completing attestation forms and Risk Assessment Forms required for certain CIHR Project Grant applications, especially those involving a private sector partner or advancing sensitive technology research areas. Read more
  • CTLT Summer Institute (in-person & online): August 19–22, 2024 The CTLT Summer Institute focuses on the fundamentals of teaching and learning for new instructors and teaching assistants. Read more