As 2013 wraps up, the promise of a new year brings with it the possibility of more research audits. Fortunately, a variety of programs and resources are offered through VCHRI to better prepare VCHRI researchers.

“Making educational resources accessible – for example, they’re free of charge or available online – is an essential way in which we support our research community,” says Kerri Abramson, VCHRI coordinator of research education and internal awards. “We’re here to help staff prepare for audits and answer any questions they may have before, during, or after the process.”

In addition to hockey playoffs, Canadian men now have another reason to grow and show off their facial hair: Movember. The month of November is being dubbed “Movember” in more countries around the world every year to raise money for prostate cancer research and raise awareness about the disease and other men’s health issues.

Although the intensity or size of magnetic resonance waves that an MRI scanner collects to create an image has typically been considered the most valuable part of a scan, the frequency of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal has proven even more telling in a study of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

When it comes to treating heart disease, it is unclear whether waiting for surgery is a better choice than having a less invasive procedure done immediately.

“In non-emergency situations, modern medicine offers two alternative strategies for treating multiple arteries: bypass surgery and stenting,” says Dr. Boris Sobolev, health services researcher at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation (C2E2). “In the past, more than one-third of patients needing non-emergency bypass surgery had to wait longer than deemed safe by a doctor.”

Individuals suffering from clinical depression can find hope in a study currently underway that aims to define the biological markers (biomarkers) of depression subtypes and help identify better, more effective, personalized treatments.

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) reflect the aggressiveness of tumours and they are the prognostic markers in metastatic breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. An accurate prognosis provides prediction of the probable course and outcome of cancer. Many research studies have been made to develop assays that accurately detect CTC. Through monitoring CTC levels, doctors and physicians can obtain more information about a cancer patient’s prognosis.

Dr. Gleave is the executive director of the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) and a distinguished professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at UBC.  Hosted by the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the University of British Columbia, VPC is Canada’s leading prostate cancer research institution as well as an internationally recognized Centre of Excellence.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the leading cause of neurological disability in the world¹.  Canadians have one of the highest rates of MS and three Canadians are diagnosed with MS every day². The disease randomly attacks the myelin coating of nerves in the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord causing permanent scaring.  MS patients are in need for treatments that can make a difference in their quality of life — this is the driving force in health and medical research.