Category Archives: Biological Sciences

Tracking Enzymes: A new way to diagnose cancer

Posted on April 9, 2017 by sukhvir toor | Leave a comment

Enzymes are small molecules in our bodies that are catalysts, which act as helpers to make a chemical reaction happen faster. These molecules can be affected easily when there are cancerous cells and molecules present if the environment changes, such as reduction in efficiency or loss of function. Since enzymes are involved with just about everything in our body, almost every disease affects enzymes.

A picture of an enzyme at work. The enzyme binds with the substrate at the active site to produce a new molecule. Source: Peter K. Robinson.

What if there was a way to track enzyme activity?

Well there is! There are biological probes that can track the progress of enzymes and the current probe used to detect biological molecules is called the FRET probe. However, an even better probe known as the cFRET (Concentric Forester Resonance Energy Transfer) probe has been invented by Dr. Russ Algar. In his 2015 research, he specifically tested if the cFRET was capable of tracking enzyme progress, and it worked great!

This means that simply by tracking enzymes, you could detect something awry in your body. The cFRET probe works by using a luminescent or glowing core, known as a quantum dot, and having two spokes with dye in them. These dyes then bind to the molecules that you’re trying to track, in this case, the substrate and the product.

The cFRET isn’t the only application of quantum dots. Here is a video that talks more about the quantum dot:

The tumor in the brain matter is glowing and is now easy to see and identify. Source: The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania via The New Mind Journal

Once the probes are added into the body, they can travel throughout it and attach to the cells and molecules you are targeting. These molecules then begin to glow.

Another great application of these probes is in the topic of personalized medicine. Meaning that even if two people are diagnosed with the same cancer they will each still have a slightly different version of it. These different types can also be determined by the cFRET probe. By attaching specialized molecules to the probe’s spokes we will be able to track the progress of each individual person according to the molecules in their body. Dr. Russ Algar talked about the usage of the cFRET probe and its medical applications in this podcast:

This new technology could be revolutionary in the diagnosis of various diseases. By tracking enzymes, doctors will be able to track the progress of many diseases in each individual patient.

By: Harpun Brar, Kidong (Eric) Jeong, Esteban Proano, and Sukhvir Toor

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged Biological Analysis, Biological Probes, Biology, Body, brain, cancer, Cell Activity, Chemistry, Diagnostic Imaging, Enzymes, Glowing, Luminescent, Medicine, Outreach Project, Research, science, UBC

Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy: Is light drinking safe?

Posted on March 27, 2017 by harpun brar | Leave a comment

We’ve all heard some people say that one of the hardest parts about being pregnant, is the fact that you have to be sober for 9 months. It can get quite difficult for some to abstain from having a glass of wine or some champagne during New Year’s. However, would a small amount cause any harm?

Everything you eat or drink when pregnant affects your baby. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol travels to the baby through the bloodstream. From there it can damage and affect the cells of the baby. Brain cells and Spinal Cord cells are most likely to be the ones damaged.

Baby with Fetal alcohol syndrome.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes the range of effects alcohol can have on a child. The effects can be anywhere from mild to severe. These effects may include an abnormal appearance, growth problems, learning and behavioural problems, and birth defects.

Video Source: AGLCdotCA from YouTube

On the contrary, there have been some studies done which suggest that a drink or two each week will have no effect on the unborn child. There have been a series of studies done in Denmark on five-year-old children, whose mothers had drank alcohol during pregnancy. These children seemed to have suffered no ill effects. Surprisingly enough, a UK study done in 2010 indicated that children born to light drinkers actually did better on cognitive development tests compared to the offspring of mother’s who drank no alcohol at all.

Approximately 10% of pregnant women drink alcohol during pregnancy in the United States. While 3% of women even reported to binge drinking, which is the consumption of more than 4 drinks in one sitting. While this may seem like a lot, the consumption of alcohol among pregnant women in the UK, Ireland, and Australia is a lot more. In these countries, between 15 and 20 percent of the women drink alcohol while being pregnant.

The problem now lies in the fact that there is no way of knowing how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Women who consume alcohol do so at lower levels where the offspring’s growth and developmental effects are less well understood as opposed to when large amounts of alcohol is consumed. I would never want to risk the health of my child for just a glass of wine once a week, as the consequences could be much worse than being sober for 9 months. Therefore the only way of avoid the risks, and have a better chance of a normal and healthy child, is to simply abstain from drinking any alcohol at all.

– Harpun Brar

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged addiction, alcohol, babies, canadian health, FASD, Pregnancy, science, side effects

Do Older Women Make Better Mothers?

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Andrew Ting | 1 comment

Humans, naturally, like other animals, want to provide the best for their offspring. Couples generally take into account their financial situation, look at certain patterns in their family trees to try to prevent the risk of hereditary diseases and also prepare immensely before trying for a baby. But have couples ever looked at the biological effects of age and its offspring?

Elderly Mom with Children
Image by Niloy via Flickr

According to a research done in Denmark, older women tend to be better mothers. In the study, it was discovered that children who are born to women over forty years old were healthier, cleverer and had more emotional stability, as opposed to children who were born to parents in their twenties.

The average age of pregnancy is rising in North America, as many women in the United States are waiting longer than ever to have their first child. Just fifteen years ago the average age for women pregnancy was 24 years, but by the year 2014 that age had risen to 26 years.
Dion Summer, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, analyzed the psychological maturity of older women and has shown benefit of children’s success until mid-teens due to their parents emotional stability. Regardless of the mothers background and education, they have found that children’s language and social development also increased as their mothers’ age increased.

Another study published in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology has found that mature women do not physically discipline their children as much as younger mothers. Researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Michigan have done five decades worth of research which involved more than 160,000 children and showed disciplinary spankings increase childhood mental health issues. Older mothers tend to discipline and scold their children less than do those of younger age. After the child passes the age of 15, there is no difference in the amount of scolding done by the mother, regardless of their age. This helps explains the importance of childhood development as childhood defiance and scolding is closely related to their specific age.

Childhood Punishment
Image by Colour via Flickr

The increasing age of pregnancy in North America means people are getting older before they get pregnant. Maybe the increase in pregnancy age may help future generations of adults to succeed.

-Andrew Ting

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

Tagged Biology, Children, Discipline, Parenthood, Parenting, Pregnancy

Acne Medication Responsible for Infant Deaths and Teen Suicides

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Lisa Liang | 2 comments

With promising results of clear skin and boosts of self confidence, many choose to commit to the Accutane (a drug to be taken daily 4-6 months as acne treatment). As heroic as the drug may sound as advertised by pharmaceuticals, researchers have found alarming side effects of Accutane users, including bowel disease, birth defects, depression, and suicide.

Image from: http://www.etrebelle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Acne.jpg

Acne is reported to be the most commonly seen skin disease amongst teenagers with an average of 4 in every 5 teens suffering from constant breakouts. Although most common treatments are sold as over-the-counter drugs, patients who suffer from severe acne are often referred by dermatologiests to go on Accutane.

Image from: http://www.njlawjournal.com/image/EM/NJ/accutane-Article-201412301735.jpg

It was reported that 43% of pregnant women on Accutane treatments have babies suffering from fetus defects and deaths. After Accutane was identified as the most toxic drugs for embryos, Britain introduced laws that require women to undergo abortion when pregnancies occur during Accutane treatments.

Another equally or rather more serious side of effect of Accutane is suicide. Researches have shown that Accutane users have approximately 21% decrease in orbitofrontal cortex activity (region of the brain responsible for cognitive decision making). This may explain the 11% suicidal rates amongst accutane users.

Image from: http://mypregnanthealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Why-is-My-Belly-Button-Painful-During-Pregnancy.jpg

Is it worth it? Even with all the known side effects and precautions of Accutane, doctors are prescribing these pills to more and more patients. Most teens often resort to Accutane as a solution due to embarrassment and lowered self confidence caused by acne. However, non-medical methods including drinking sufficient amounts of water and having quality sleep is not only effective, but also risk free. On top of that, as a society we can eliminate discrimination towards those with acne to avoid embarrassment and loss of self confidence.

Lisa Liang

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in the News

Tagged abortion, acetone, acne, breakouts, defects, disease, infant defect, medication, Outreach Project, side effects, skin problems, suicide, teen suicide

Beauty and the Hypertrichosis

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Kidong (Eric) Jeong | 2 comments

Have you seen Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast? The movie received raving reviews and is currently topping the box office, which is probably a happily ever after for Hollywood. Needless to say the movie is based on the fairy tale of the same name, but did you know that the fairy tale was based on real life events?

If only he knew how many times his story would be rebooted. Source: Real Distan.

Meet Petrus Gonsalvus. His ties to Beast from the fable are clear to see. Wolf-like nobleman? Check. Ostracized by townsmen? Check. Got married to a beautiful maiden? Check. Had a happily ever after? Well, four of his children were given as gifts to other rulers, so I’m going to make a wild guess and say no.

If you’re wondering if Petrus’ condition was unique, it’s not. The condition which afflicted Petrus is called hypertrichosis, which has been dubbed the ‘werewolf syndrome’ for obvious reasons. Here’s an interview with an actor who has hypertrichosis.

(The Hairy Syndrome That Affects Only 50 People Worldwide by Smithsonian Channel via Youtube.)

According to Medscape.com, the condition affects anywhere from one in a billion to one in ten billion people. No one’s really sure what causes hypertrichosis, but considering that family members tend to share the condition, there seems to be a genetic component to hypertrichosis.

So where does the hair come from? Well normally, before we’re born we grow fine silky hair that we shed later in our development. People who are born with hypertrichosis never shed this hair, and on the contrary the hair grows throughout life. However, note that you could also acquire a milder form of hypertrichosis by taking certain drugs, which is another reason to not do drugs and stay in school.

The condition itself isn’t harmful, just mildly annoying. The more prevalent issue is typically the reactions of society. Here’s an excerpt from an interview conducted with Jesus Fajardo Aceves, a circus performer with hypertrichosis:

“The worst part are the people who are afraid of me. They see me as something evil, but then they see anyone different as evil. It is difficult to get a regular job. Going out in public is difficult, I don’t mind being stared, but I don’t like when people make rude comments about me, especially when I am with my children or younger cousins. It hurts their feelings.”

Jesus “Chuy” Aceves in Copenhagen, Denmark. Source: Chris Smith.

It’s good to see that people haven’t changed since Petrus Gonsalvus’ days. There’s not much in the way of treatment for hypertrichosis other than standard methods of hair removal: shaving and waxing. Laser hair removal seems to be a promising solution, but maybe reduction of social stigma of hypertrichosis is what we really need for a happily ever after.

-Kidong (Eric) Jeong.

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged beauty and the beast, fairy tales, hypertrichosis, werewolves

Organic: Putting the Pro in Produce?

Posted on March 24, 2017 by sarah ries | Leave a comment

Organic farming has become a huge player in the agriculture industry, and is often regarded as the ultimate health and environmental route. New insight brought to light by a research team at UBC may suggest that organic produce may not always be the best choice.

photo by Mike Coglhan via Flickr

Buying organic has become widely accepted as the healthy route for our produce needs. Organic produce is farmed without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The word synthetic causes a lot of people to shy away, especially in regards to health. This allows farmers to be able to market organic at a higher price because of the belief that organic is better for you. Eating something covered in synthetic chemicals sure sounds like it couldn’t be good for you, but what actually are pesticides and how do they affect us? Chemical studies have determined that in actuality the exact same chemicals are naturally present inside the fruit/vegetable and up to 100 times the amount! It’s quite logical when you think about it, pesticides were first discovered from natural organisms own protection against insects and pests. Synthetic chemicals are really just the exact same compounds, but not coming directly from the natural source. This does not make synthetic pesticides good for you, but it means that other factors may be more important when comparing organic vs non-organic.

The biggest benefit of organic produce is it’s smaller environmental impact. Conventional farming is known to have a larger affect on the land and surrounding animals than organic farming. The issue with organic farming however, is that the crop yield can be up to 30% lower and will require more land to sustain food requirements leading to land clearing and degradation. The following video discussing the theory behind organic farming:

video by FuseSchool – Global Education via youtube

Brand knew research coming from the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC this month looked at this issue in regards to how large a role organic farming should play. They found the main benefit of organic is it’s more controlled method, while the environmental benefits are mostly mediated by the lower crop yield. Overall the methods are very context dependent, and organic produce is not the ultimate technique in a sustainable future.

So should you buy organic? Sure, it is a completely regulated farming method that is more likely to be guaranteed quality. However, choosing to buy exclusively organic produce and support the elimination of conventional farming may serve to make produce less accessible to everyone due to it’s higher price tag. What is important is that we are eating lots of produce, and have industries that encourages people to do so. We should be supporting the improvement of both farming techniques to create the most efficient and safest way to meet our nutritional needs. At the end of it all, do we really want to live in a world where produce is more expensive than twinkies?

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science in the News

Tagged agriculture, farming, health, organic, UBC

Can you bee-lieve our bee crisis?

Posted on March 20, 2017 by FlorenceNg | Leave a comment

Honey Nut Cheerios with their mascot Buzz on the box.
Image courtesy of LIfe Made Delicious.

Recently, the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios has removed their mascot Buzz Bee, or simply Buzz, from the boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios to send a message about the plummeting bee populations around the world.

It’s hard not to notice the empty space where the smiling cartoon Buzz used to be.

Since 2006, there has been a sharp decline in the number of beehives around the world, with over 10 million beehives lost worldwide. Bees are responsible for 80% of pollination and up to 70 out of the top 100 food crops worldwide, so their deaths have caused significant economic losses as well as lower agricultural output.

So pardon the bad pun, but you’d better bee-lieve that this is a serious issue.

Worker bees in a beehive colony. Image courtesy of Greenpeace.

This phenomenon is called colony collapse disorder (CCD), which happens when most of a hive’s worker bees abandon their home and disappear, leaving behind their queen and immature worker bees. The exact cause of CCD remains a mystery, but researchers have pointed to a variety of factors such as habitat loss, use of pesticides, and infections from parasites and pathogens.

Some solutions to our bee crisis including those proposed by Greenpeace include the banning of harmful pesticides, reducing habitat loss and practicing ‘ecological agriculture’, or to plant more diverse crops in order to encourage pollination.

Since removing Buzz from their boxes, Cheerios has also launched a campaign called #BringBackTheBees where you can learn more about the current bee crisis. You can also sign up to receive free wildflower seeds to plant in your garden and help bring back the bees!

Check out the video below for a beautifully animated video on our bee crisis.

Hopefully before long we’ll also get Buzz back on the boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios!

Florence Ng

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged bee crisis, bees, CCD, cheerios, colony collapse disorder, pollination, seeds

Why do People Feel Tired after Sleep?

Posted on March 20, 2017 by zhaolin deng | 5 comments

Imagine it is a Friday night. Because you had a number of midterms, you didn’t sleep well and were devastated the whole week.

So you decided to make up for it. You turned off your alarm clock and fell into dreams quickly. When you open your eyes again, it is noon on Saturday.

You want to wake up. Contrary to your expectations, you feel more tired and fizzled out than yesterday. You have to stay at home and your Saturday is ruined.

An oversleeping meme. From theberry.com

But how could this have happened? Why does having had sufficient sleep constitute to a lack of energy?

There are two reasons that cause an over-tired body after a much-needed sleep. First of all, it turns out that every person body has its own sleep-wake pattern; when somebody breaks this pattern, their body will punish them with fatigue. This pattern is called the “circadian rhythm”. Even though every person has their own circadian rhythm, the circadian rhythm of human beings repeats every 24 hours on average. When we decide to violate our own circadian rhythm, whether we make it earlier or later, our body will initialize a “reset” process trying to fit the new rhythm. This process will make us feel lethargic.

Secondly, sleep itself has a cycle. People have on average five sleep cycles every night and each of them last from 80 minutes to 120 minutes. When we sleep in, we are entering an extra cycle. Nevertheless, we may not finish a whole cycle and we may wake up in the middle of this extra cycle. This gives your body information that you still need sleep and makes you feel tired.

There are a lot of problems caused by oversleeping other than ruining a day. The video below shows some of them.

Beyond the video, an article published in March 2017 suggests that sleeping disorder may result in obesity.

So how to prevent oversleeping from happening?

A recent research has discussed the current state and future perspective of treating sleep-wake disorders. The current treatment involves using chemicals to control the tiredness and using machines to track the sleep status.

However, these methods seem too much for me. From my perspective, other than these artificial ways of treating sleep-wake disorders, there are some small things we can do in our daily life to stop oversleeping. For example, we can have a steady sleeping schedule; setting an alert 8 hours after bedtime to avoid oversleeping will be a good way to achieve it. We can also prevent oversleeping through improve the sleep quality; there are multiple ways to improve our sleep quality, such as avoid engaging in exercises at late night.

Sleeping feels good, but people cannot have too much of a good thing. It is hoped that everyone will have a balanced sleep-work pattern.

— Zhaolin Deng

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged fatigue, oversleeping, Psychology, sleep, sleep cycle

Earth, It’s Time For Your Injection

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Angus Lee | Leave a comment

When pollution in Beijing became so bad that poisonous smog formed and remained for several days, China finally realized that climate change is a real threat. However, the effects of climate change isn’t isolated to just China, it affects the rest of the world as well. Personally, I prefer my regular Summer weather to be warm and not scorching hot, but in 20 years I may have to live with unbearably hot afternoons. A recent breakthrough involving the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, by injecting it into the ground has caught my attention.

A study by Matter in Iceland used a method where they separated CO2 gas from the atmosphere and inserted it in the rock near volcanoes. The study found that the CO2 that was injected in these areas reacted with the volcanic material to form new materials such as limestone. The carbon is trapped in the form of new material and does not reenter the atmosphere, therefore reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The general process behind how greenhouse gases work to trap energy that is released by the Earth. From Wikimedia Commons.

What does a greenhouse gas do exactly? The Earth radiates its own energy outwards and some of it escapes into the depths of space. However, most of the energy hits a greenhouse gas molecule such as carbon dioxide (CO2), causing the energy to be shot out randomly in any direction. This means that the energy could potentially be redirected down back to the Earth, trapping the energy and causing the temperatures to rise as a result.

Graphs showing the change in amounts of different greenhouse gases across a period of time from 1975 to 2015. From Wikimedia Commons.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? If this method proves to be viable in all regions that have access to a volcano, then perhaps a worldwide collaboration involving the injection of carbon could be discussed. As more carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the ground, lower amounts of energy will be trapped by greenhouse gases which may allow the Earth to slow down its current warming trend. However, not all countries will be able to readily use this method due to its high cost, but perhaps future advancements in technology will lower these costs so that it becomes viable for any country to perform.

I think our current year round weather is great in Vancouver. However, as the amount of greenhouse gases increases, it’s going to make the Summer season much harder for me to enjoy. Therefore I’m personally hoping that this research gains more recognition so more studies can be performed on the long term viability of its findings.
Angus Lee

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged carbon dioxide, climate change, greenhouse effect, Greenhouse gas

Thicker than Fish Skin

Posted on March 19, 2017 by anna tam | 1 comment

Does the underwater superhero name ‘Aquaman’ sound familiar to you? Notice that Aquaman is part fish, and part human. His scaly costume provides incredible strength, torpedo swimming speed, and impenetrable skin. Ever wonder what it’s like to have scaly fish skin, or even become half fish? Science is getting close!

Aquaman’s upper torso is covered with fish skin, which enables him to breathe and swim underwater at tremendous speeds. Image Credit: sfgate.com

A new medical innovation was recently discovered in Brazil, after the number of skin donors started to become scarce. The dean of plastic surgery in São Marcos Hospital, Dr. Maciel, collaborated with his research team to utilize the skin of Tilapia fish for treating burns. Tilapia skin showed progressive healing properties when applied on skin wounds. They call this an alternative treatment- with surprisingly good results!

A victim suffered from second degree burns after a gas canister explosion. Instead of wrapping her wounds with gauze, doctors applied an unusual bandage- using Tilapia fish skin! I mean, how weird is that? Her arm looked like a fish mutant straight out of the X-Men comics, if you ask me!

The fish skin is first sterilized by using chemicals, and then undergoes radiation treatment to kill viruses. Once cleaned and processed, they are vacuum-sealed, and can last for up to two years.

Tilapia was chosen as the prototype for the animal skin-grafting experiment because it is the most common, disease-resistant fish found in Brazil. Image Credit: feednavigator.com

Doctors then apply the fish skin to the burned skin area. The tilapia skin sticks on the wound and creates a buffering effect that blocks out contamination while keeping in moisture. It stays bonded to the wound until it completely heals over. The tilapia skin dries up and flakes off after 10 days, and reveals new scar tissue underneath. The greatest advantage is that you don’t have to change this bandage dressing daily, which reduces the trauma and pain suffered by patients. I think that’s an excellent plus!

After suffering from horrific burns from a canister explosion, Maria was the first patient to receive tilapia fish grafts on her damaged skin. Her arm is pictured below after treatment once the fish skin was removed, revealing healthy scar tissue. Image Credit: thesun.co.uk

Lab analyses revealed that tilapia skin is rich in Type 1 collagen and proteins, which help restore damaged skin for a speedy recovery. Type 1 collagen is important for wound healing because it provides skin with a stretchy, elastic-like quality. It also enhances growth of connective fibres that hold skin together to prevent tearing. As a result, collagen stimulates healthy skin cells to grow and creates a new layer of scar tissue. The high level of humidity in fish skin helps to soothe wounds and eliminates the need for painkillers.

As of today, more than 50 patients have received tilapia fish-skin graft treatments for their painful burns, and all patients have shown successful healing results. It’s the first aquatic animal skin in the world to be tested in burn patients. Researchers say the skins are cost-effective and eco-friendly, and believe it will help burn victims to save time, medication costs, and hours of pain.

<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/206483609">http://www.vimeo.com/206483609</a>

This video shows how tilapia skin is sterilized and then applied on the wounds of burn victims. Video Credit: statnews.com

The revolutionary treatment is currently only being practiced in Brazil, where tilapia skin is plentiful, and is donated to create more skin grafts. Brazilian plastic surgeons hope that this new pioneering treatment will spread to other countries in the nearby future.

-Anna Tam

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged alternative treatment, bandages, brazil, burn victim, fisheries, healing, medical innovation, plastic surgery, skin burns, skin grafting, tilapia

Category Archives: Biological Sciences

Tracking Enzymes: A new way to diagnose cancer

Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy: Is light drinking safe?

Do Older Women Make Better Mothers?

Acne Medication Responsible for Infant Deaths and Teen Suicides

Beauty and the Hypertrichosis

Organic: Putting the Pro in Produce?

Can you bee-lieve our bee crisis?

Why do People Feel Tired after Sleep?

Earth, It’s Time For Your Injection

Thicker than Fish Skin

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