The meandering course of Shoshone Creek in Dixie Valley, Nevada, is one of the key watercourses considered in the study, as it displays well-developed meanders in the absence of vegetation. Photo Credit: Dr. Alessandro Ielpi

Scientists have long believed that rivers form bends with the help of plants that stabilize and anchor their banks.

This theory is rooted in the evidence that rivers became more winding or “sinuous” around 425 million years ago—about the same time that land plants first evolved.

But research recently published in Science is putting a new twist on that theory. UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Alessandro Ielpi co-authored the paper with Michael Hasson, a Stanford University doctoral student. Dr. Ielpi, Associate Professor of Geomorphology and the newly-appointed Forest Renewal BC Watershed Enhancement Research Chair in UBCO’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, is a long-term collaborator with the Stanford Earth and Planetary Research Group.

Here, Dr. Ielpi explains why this new study is making researchers rethink their long-held beliefs.

What makes this research significant?

Most of the world’s population lives in river lowlands, many of which are occupied by meandering rivers. The more we understand how plants influence these rivers, the better we can plan for life in regions facing deforestation, wildfires and climate change—factors that affect vegetation along river banks and riparian corridors. These kinds of adaptations can save us from costly damages or even loss of life in response to floods.

What are the key discoveries in this new research?

Many geoscientists believe that the evolution of plants caused major changes in how rivers behave. In particular, ancient river rocks suggest that rivers became more winding around the time land plants first appeared.

This led scientists to believe that the rise of vegetation caused rivers to start meandering, owing to stabilization of their banks by roots. But recent studies of modern, active meandering rivers in desert areas challenge this notion, showing that well-cemented banks alone can sustain meandering. In this study, we suggest that while vegetation isn’t needed for meanders to form, it does affect how their shape and direction change over time.

What rivers did you study for this work?

We studied more than 4,400 river bends from 49 rivers around the world to get clear results across different climates and ecological regions. This includes rivers in desert environments almost entirely barren of any type of vegetation year-round, such as the Great Basin in the western USA and the Altiplano-Puna Plateau of South America. For comparison, we also looked at rivers in vegetated regions, including Alaska, the eastern USA and Oceania.

How was this determined?

By analyzing satellite images of active rivers, we found that vegetation along the banks changes the direction in which meanders grow, favouring outward growth instead of downstream-ward growth of meanders. This also helps explain why it has been difficult to identify meandering river deposits that are physically older than the rise of vegetation on Earth.

To learn more about this research, visit: sustainability.stanford.edu/news/rise-plant-life-changed-how-rivers-move-study-shows

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While fasting is a popular diet trend, UBCO researchers say its effects vary depending on body type.

While fasting has become a popular trend, particularly for people who hope to lose weight, new UBC Okanagan research suggests fasting does not have the same effect on all body types.

Fasting as part of a ketogenic—very low-carbohydrate—diet is becoming more popular, as people aim to burn stored fat as a fuel source for energy when their bodies run low on carbs.

Dr. Hashim Islam, Assistant Professor in UBCO’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences and the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, says fasting and low-carbohydrate meals can benefit many people, but the effects might be different for people living with obesity.

“These diet trends continue to grow in popularity,” says Dr. Islam. “But our study found that people with obesity may respond to fasting differently than leaner individuals, especially in how their immune systems react.”

Fasting has become trendy due to coverage in popular media, but lead author Dr. Helena Neudorf, says scientists also value it because it makes the body switch from burning sugar to burning fat while producing ketones.

She adds that fasting may improve health by changing metabolism to strengthen the immune system and reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to many diseases.

“However, we wanted to find out if fasting affects metabolism and the immune system differently in people living with obesity compared to those who are lean.”

The research team had people with obesity and their lean counterparts fast for 48 hours. Participants gave blood samples before, during and after the fast, so the researchers could measure hormones, metabolites, metabolic rate, inflammation and activity of T cells—white blood cells that fight infections but can also cause chronic inflammation.

The study, led by Dr. Islam and Professor Jonathan Little’s research groups at UBCO’s Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, was recently published in iScience. It found that people living with obesity had more pro-inflammatory T cells, and kept producing inflammatory signals, even after fasting. This same group also had a smaller increase in ketones and lower levels of important chemical reactions linked to immune regulation—such as ketones attaching to amino acids or proteins.

“We also found the immune cells in lean participants adapted to fasting by burning more fat. This didn’t happen in those living with obesity,” says Dr. Neudorf. “Overall, their shift toward a more balanced, anti-inflammatory state was weaker in this particular group.”

Dr Islam notes that fasting can have health benefits, but obesity seems to reduce its effects on metabolism and the immune system.

“People living with obesity may respond differently to an isolated two-day fast compared to those who are leaner, but we don’t yet know if this is good or bad,” he adds. “Our study shows the complex relationship between nutrition, metabolism and immune function, and that more research is needed to see how fasting can be used as a therapeutic tool for people with different body types.”

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New federal funding continues to support the partnership between UBCO and the First Nations Emergency Services Society, where the two work together with AI models to help predict hotspots. FNESS photo.

A partnership between UBC Okanagan and the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS) to develop new technologies supporting Indigenous fire stewardship received a funding boost yesterday.

The federal government is contributing more than $2.3 million to support the partnership, part of Natural Resources Canada’s Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program, which provided $41.7 million for 20 projects across Canada—all with the common goal of protecting Canadians from the increased threat of wildfire.

“Protecting the safety, health and economic wellbeing of communities across Canada is a top priority as we face the ongoing threat of wildfires,” says The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

“Our government is leading efforts to strengthen wildfire management and reduce wildfire risks in Canada,” he adds. “Today’s announcement will allow us to prepare for future challenges by advancing wildfire knowledge, accelerating risk and mitigation strategies and supporting Indigenous fire stewardship to build resilience and protect Canadian families and homes.”

A portion of the funding will support Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, Assistant Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and his continued work with the FNESS.

“By weaving Indigenous knowledge and values with new fire-risk sensor technology and predictive models, this project will help mitigate the risk of severe wildfire to Indigenous, economic and natural resource values, and contribute to the restoration of cultural and prescribed fire practices on traditional territories,” says Dr. Bourbonnais.

This includes deploying 150 fire-risk sensors in collaboration with First Nations communities in British Columbia. Data from the sensors will then be used in AI predictive models developed by UBCO researchers to forecast wildfire risk and potential fire behaviour.

Mapping of values and infrastructure integrated with the established fire risk will support the development of integrated fire management frameworks centred on the needs of the community, explains Matt Nelson, FNESS Integrated Fire Management Supervisor.

“This support from Natural Resources Canada is a game-changer. This funding allows UBCO and FNESS to work collaboratively with First Nations communities on holistic fire mitigation,” he says. “By combining Indigenous knowledge with new technology, we’re helping to predict wildfire risk while respecting and integrating traditional fire practices. This initiative is about empowering communities to protect their land and their people.”

The funding will support the UBCO-FNESS project through to 2028.

Yesterday, along with the Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program, the government also announced an additional $3.9 million in grants for 10 Indigenous-led projects.

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A satellite image representing remote sensing technology. UBCO’s new segmentation method helps researchers detect wildfire sparks and other small-scale changes in satellite data.

A group of UBC Okanagan students has helped create technology that could improve how doctors and scientists detect everything from tumours to wildfires.

Working under the guidance of Associate Professor Xiaoping Shi from UBCO’s Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, the students designed and tested a system called an adaptive multiple change point energy-based model segmentation (MEBS).

This method uses advanced mathematics to pick out important details in complex or noisy images, the kind that often confuse existing detection methods.

“This project gave us a chance to work on something that can make a real difference,” says Jiatao Zhong, a UBCO master’s student and lead author of the study. “It’s exciting to know that what we built could help doctors spot illnesses sooner and help scientists track wildfires more effectively.”

The work, recently published in Scientific Reports, shows that MEBS can help health professionals find signs of disease in medical scans, assist plant scientists in tracking cell growth and give wildfire monitors a faster way to identify hotspots from space. 

“Our students played a big role in building and refining this model, and they had a chance to apply it to real-world problems,” says Dr. Shi. “The skills they gained in programming, data analysis and applied mathematics will give them an edge in their future careers.”

The team’s research showed success across several key areas:

• In medical scans by detecting tumours and fluid buildup in X-rays and mammograms with greater clarity than standard tools.
• In wildfire monitoring by picking out small but critical sparks in satellite images, which can lead to faster response times.
• In biological research by helping scientists count and track cells in plant studies, important for agriculture and growth research.

Dr. Yuejiao Fu collaborated with Dr. Shi on the paper while the student team—Zhong, Shiyin Du, Canruo Shen, Yiting Chen, Medha Naidu and Min Gao—worked on tasks ranging from coding and testing to running experiments on medical and satellite images.

Together, they demonstrated that MEBS can do what many existing tools cannot: automatically adapt when an image does not follow typical patterns, improving accuracy without extra manual work. 

Most image tools use fixed rules that don’t always work in the real world. Medical scans and satellite images are often noisy or inconsistent.  

MEBS stands out because it adapts to the image itself—detecting subtle shifts and dividing complex visuals into useful sections. This leads to more accurate results for doctors, scientists and wildfire monitors alike. 

The project was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and UBC Okanagan’s Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation. 

Breast tumour detection in a mammogram using UBCO’s adaptive image segmentation method. The MEBS model outperformed other tools in identifying subtle, multi-region tumours.

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UBCO master’s student Hongyuan Zhang and Dr. Isaac Li prepare decoy DNA samples as part of their latest research, work that explores the visualization and manipulation of nanoscale interactions within living systems.

Researchers at UBC Okanagan have made two major discoveries that are set to revolutionize how scientists observe and measure molecular forces within living cells.

Published recently in two leading scientific journals—Advanced Science and Angewandte Chemie—these discoveries significantly advance the field of molecular mechanobiology. These breakthroughs offer unprecedented precision and durability in force imaging, explains Dr. Isaac Li, Associate Professor of Chemistry with the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science.

Led by Dr. Li, Canada Research Chair in Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology, the research team created qtPAINT—a groundbreaking imaging technology.

qtPAINT is the first imaging method that can measure molecular forces with nanometre-level spatial precision and minute-scale time resolution. It works by combining DNA-based molecular tension probes with advanced microscopy, giving researchers a clearer view of how tiny mechanical forces behave inside living cells in real time.

“Tiny molecular forces drive many important functions in the body like fighting infections, healing wounds and cancer progression,” explains Dr. Seongho Kim, lead author of the qtPAINT study. “Before qtPAINT, researchers could see where these forces were happening, but we couldn’t measure how strong they were or how they changed over time.”

After the success of qtPAINT, Dr. Li’s team tackled a long-standing challenge that limited the use of DNA-based tension probes: their rapid degradation by natural enzymes called DNases.

Dr. Li explains that the tension probes help scientists watch and measure these tiny mechanical forces taking place within cells in real time, revealing how they communicate and behave.

The team’s second paper introduces a simple yet powerful solution called “decoy DNA,” where extra strands of harmless DNA are added to experiments to act as sacrificial targets for DNases. This approach significantly extends the lifespan of functional tension probes from just a few hours to more than 24 hours, or even several days.

This approach greatly improves the stability and accuracy of cellular force measurements, says Hongyuan Zhang, lead author of the decoy DNA study.

“Rather than using complex and costly chemical modifications, our approach is more like distracting predators with these decoys,” says Zhang. This protects our DNA probes and significantly improves the quality and duration of our measurements.”

Together, these two breakthroughs place UBCO researchers at the forefront of molecular force imaging and give scientists powerful and affordable tools to explore the mechanics of life.

“Longer-lasting, quantitative force imaging gives researchers the ability to delve deeper into complex biological systems, potentially driving new breakthroughs in cancer research, immunology and regenerative medicine,” adds Dr. Li.

His lab specializes in single-molecule biophysics and mechanobiology, developing advanced methods to visualize and manipulate molecular forces within living cells. The research includes designing mechanosensitive DNA nanostructures—tiny DNA-based tools that respond to physical forces—to control how cells move and sense their environment, as well as developing high-throughput biophysical assays for use in drug screening and diagnostics.

The lab takes an interdisciplinary approach—combining cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, nanotechnology and bioengineering—to create a unique platform for transformative scientific discoveries.

“Our goal has always been to develop effective and accessible tools,” says Dr. Li. “These studies reflect our ongoing effort to develop technologies that support meaningful discoveries across many areas of science.”

Dr. Li’s research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chair program and Michael Smith Health Research BC. His research reflects UBCO’s commitment to fostering groundbreaking research that delivers meaningful real-world outcomes.

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The Waterways exhibition highlights the Indigenous teachings about human-water relations. The interactive exhibit has led to several research papers and there are potential plans for it to be displayed in Vernon next year.

An art installation, featuring interactive 3D virtual panels that share Syilx teachings about human and water relationships and values, continues to be used as a teaching tool years after it was first inspired.

Dr. Aleksandra Dulic, Visual Arts Professor in UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, is the artistic director behind Waterways—Past, Present and Future.

The project is the result of a multi-year collaboration between UBCO students, faculty, Syilx Okanagan Nation Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Kelowna Museums Society, En’Owkin Centre, Okanagan Basin Water Board and the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program.

Featured at the Okanagan Heritage Museum from September 2021 to January 2022, the installation shares video accounts of Knowledge Keepers, scientists and conservationists discussing the meaning, stewardship and sustainability of water.

The exhibition is interactive—visitors can use a touchscreen interface to see what the Okanagan waterways were like before colonization.

More recently, research from this project has been published in several visual anthropology journals. Articles in Social Sciences & Humanities Open and Sustainability—based on the doctoral research of Maria Correia—outline the ethics and methods behind the project. The work combines community-based research with artistic expression, drawing on the knowledge of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts.

Dr. Dulic explains that a key feature of the project is the partnership between the Indigenous and settler communities to protect and restore the Okanagan waterways.

How did the Waterways project come about?

The project aims to create a knowledge-sharing framework that bridges Indigenous and settler worldviews, particularly around water and land use.

It connects traditional Indigenous knowledge with Western science, encouraging understanding, collaboration and reconciliation. While the exhibition was designed for a settler museum, it also celebrates Indigenous cultures by supporting youth and showcasing cross-cultural successes such as the Okanagan Nation Alliance’s Bringing the Salmon Home project.

The project highlights the importance of water as a life source and governance tool. At its core, Waterways promotes respectful collaboration and models of shared leadership to support more inclusive and caring approaches to the environment.

Can you explain the importance of using creative research methods combined with scientific research? As well as the connection to the Indigenous Knowledge Keepers in this project?

The exhibition’s design—its graphics layout and videos—emerged from years of following both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists in the field, along with community interviews and workshops. This process allowed for a rich, layered narrative rooted in lived experience and local knowledge.

By combining scientific GIS data with Indigenous knowledge, the project uses art to explore complex ideas and share difficult truths in a more open way.

As my Balinese teacher says, “With beautiful images and beautiful song, we can hear difficult things.” That’s exactly the core approach of this project. Using beauty, song and imagery, the exhibition gently invites people into tough conversations—like reconciliation and the realities of settler benefit—without feeling judged. It encourages visitors to pause, notice the details and think about the importance of water, place and our shared responsibilities.

What is next for Waterways?

The project continues to evolve, with plans to show the work in Vernon and possibly highlight the salmon project and themes of ecological connectivity. The work has also been invited to appear at events centred on water and environmental relationships. As a multi-channel installation, the format is flexible—we can arrange the installation’s five screens to create a more immersive experience.

The work is based on careful research and cultural knowledge, making it useful as academic material and meaningful to the public.

This was a team effort, correct?

Absolutely. Waterways—Past, Present and Future is funded by a grant from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

As the principal investigator, I worked with many UBCO colleagues, including co-investigators Drs. Jeanette Armstrong, John Wagner, Lael Parrott, Miles Thorogood and Marlowe Sam. We also had assistance from graduate students Sarah Alexis, Maria Correia, Rylan Broadband, Sepideh Safari, Jordan Pike, Carla Mather, Emerald Holt and Jacen Denis.

For more information, including a list of the many students and partners involved in creating and sharing the project, visit: waterways.ok.ubc.ca.

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New UBCO research finds that a simple spit test to measure insulin levels can also be used to detect early metabolic changes linked to obesity and other health risks.

Measuring elevated levels of insulin in blood, called hyperinsulinemia, is a proven way to measure metabolic health and can show risk of developing future health concerns, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Now, a team of UBC Okanagan researchers has found that measuring insulin levels in saliva offers a non-invasive way to do the same test—without the need for needles or lab-based blood work.

Dr. Jonathan Little, Professor with UBC Okanagan’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, says that a simple spit test goes a bit further. It can also be used to detect early metabolic changes linked to obesity and other health risks.

The study, recently published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, included 94 healthy participants with a range of body sizes. After a period of fasting, each participant drank a standardized meal-replacement shake, then provided saliva samples and underwent a finger-prick blood glucose test.

“People living with obesity had much higher insulin levels in their saliva than those who were slightly overweight or had lower body weight—even though their blood sugar levels were the same,” he says. “This suggests that saliva testing could be a simple, non-invasive way to identify people at risk of Type 2 diabetes before symptoms appear.”

Type 2 diabetes affects about 400 million people worldwide and is diagnosed by high blood glucose levels. But Dr. Little notes that prediabetes conditions—such as insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia—may develop 10 to 20 years before a person is diagnosed.

“If hyperinsulinemia can be detected before blood glucose levels start to rise, people at risk for Type 2 diabetes could be identified early, allowing for lifestyle changes and other treatments to be introduced long before glucose levels rise.”

Taking preventive steps at an early stage is important because hyperinsulinemia is a known predictor of several chronic conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and most recently, it has been linked to obesity.

Co-author Dr. Hossein Rafiei explains that the study aimed to help develop a practical non-invasive test for hyperinsulinemia, but they also found an interesting result following the consumption of the meal-replacement drink.

Dr. Rafiei’s previous research at UBC Okanagan showed that saliva insulin levels closely follow plasma insulin levels across the day following high and low-carbohydrate mixed meals.

“This suggests that saliva insulin may help distinguish between high and low plasma insulin responses, and could play a role in predicting the severity of hyperinsulinemia and possibly insulin resistance.”

During the study, participants provided saliva tests 30, 60 and 90-minutes after drinking the beverage.

Dr. Rafiei notes that, interestingly, some participants with lower body weight also experienced large saliva insulin spikes after the meal. This suggests they may be at heightened risk for Type 2 diabetes, even without excess weight and having normal blood glucose levels.

“The finding that some people who are lean have high insulin is intriguing,” says Dr. Rafiei. “This indicates that saliva insulin may be more useful than measuring someone’s weight or waist size.”

The study also looked at the relationship between waist circumference, BMI, age and sex, and found that waist size had the strongest link to saliva insulin levels.

“These findings suggest that waist circumference could be a more reliable indicator of hyperinsulinemia than age or overall body weight when using saliva insulin,” he says. “Our results also suggest that saliva insulin may be better than blood glucose at distinguishing between those who are more metabolically healthy and those who are more likely to live with hyperinsulinemia.”

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Dr Gino DiLabio and doctoral student Hossein Khalilian discuss their research paper about how quantum Coulombic interactions can manage and prevent unwanted cell damage from free radicals. The image created for this research made the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. UBCO photo by Mai Huynh.

A new study, published by a team of UBC Okanagan chemistry researchers, is creating a major rethink of how enzymes work. And how a quantum phenomenon helps an important enzyme control essential yet dangerous molecules.

Enzymes, also known as biocatalysts, are the tiny machines behind every process in living things, explains study co-author Hossein Khalilian, a doctoral student in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science’s Department of Chemistry. Enzymes make molecules that are crucial to life, while also breaking down molecules that are bad or unnecessary for us.

Radical enzymes represent an important class of biocatalysts that generate extremely unstable molecules—called free radicals—to enable a wide range of biochemical reactions. Free radicals are often negatively viewed, explains Khalilian. Uncontrolled ones contribute to serious conditions like cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Yet, these molecules are essential for many biological functions and the body produces them as part of normal cellular functions.

The research, featured on the front cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reveals that nature has developed a clever way to control these free radicals—using little-known quantum Coulombic interactions to manage them and prevent unwanted damage.

The researchers focused on an enzyme called viperin, which plays a role in the body’s immune response by producing and controlling highly reactive radicals that Khalilian describes as chemical loose cannons.

“While radicals can be useful, they can also cause serious damage if they’re not carefully controlled,” he says. “We’ve known for some time that viperin uses radicals to perform its function. But we didn’t expect to find quantum mechanical effects play such an important role in keeping that radical in check.”

Khalilian, who studies enzymes using computer modelling, explains that viperin is an antiviral enzyme activated as part of the immune response to many viruses. While running computer simulations to investigate viperin’s behaviour, he discovered that it uses a range of strategies, including previously unknown quantum Coulombic interactions, to get the radicals under control.

The Coulombic interaction is an electrostatic force between positive and negative charges, like the force that creates static electricity. The simulations reveal that the quantum version of these interactions is a key strategy employed by nature in radical enzymes to control the free radicals they use.

“This was something unexpected,” says Khalilian. “The radical was being gently held in place by Coulombic interactions to perform only the desired reaction. Like a magnetic tug, these forces are enough to stabilize the radical just long enough for the enzyme to do its job.”

Normally, he says, radicals like to move around or react with other things quickly, but in this case, something was keeping it still.

“These interactions are hard to see, and easy to overlook,” says Khalilian. “But it turns out it’s crucial. Without it, the radical would be too unstable to manage. It’s exciting because this is the first time quantum interactions have been shown to be this important in an enzyme. It gives us a new lens to look at biochemical reactions.”

This study provides evidence that the quantum Coulombic effect is likely a universal yet underappreciated feature of radical enzymes. The discovery could lead to new ways to design drugs, enzymes and catalysts.

The work doesn’t stop there, as principal investigator Dr. Gino DiLabio says ongoing studies are exploring whether this effect applies to other radical enzymes. If confirmed, it could reshape the traditional understanding of catalysis and boost advancements in biotechnology.

“Many modern medicines rely on reactions involving radicals,” Dr. DiLabio adds. “If we understand how nature controls them, we can also do it—perhaps more safely or effectively.”

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Dr. Emmanuel Osei has developed a way to 3D print tissue that resembles a living lung. This work could change how lung disease is studied and improve health options for those living with the illness.

UBC Okanagan researchers have developed a 3D bio-printed model that closely mimics the complexity of natural lung tissue, an innovation that could transform how scientists study lung disease and develop new treatments.

Dr. Emmanuel Osei, Assistant Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, says the model produces tissue that closely resembles the complexity of a human lung, enabling improved testing of respiratory diseases and drug development.

“To conduct our research and the testing that’s required—where we’re studying the mechanisms of complex lung diseases to eventually find new drug targets—we need to be able to make models that are comparable to human tissues.”

The research team used a bioink composed of light-sensitive polymer-modified gelatin and a polymer called polyethylene glycol diacrylate to 3D print a hydrogel that includes multiple cell types and channels to recreate vessels, mimicking the structure of a human airway.

Once printed, the hydrogel performs much like the complex mechanical properties of lung tissue, improving how researchers study cellular responses to stimuli.

“Our goal was to create a more physiologically relevant in vitro model of the human airway,” says Dr. Osei, who also works with UBC’s Centre for Heart Lung Innovation. “By integrating vascular components, we can better simulate the lung environment, which is crucial for studying diseases and testing therapeutics.”

Dr. Osei explains that when someone has lung cancer, a surgeon—with the patient’s consent—can remove the cancerous section along with some normal lung tissue and provide these samples to researchers.

“However, a researcher has no control over how much tissue they will receive,” he explains. “They might get a small piece of tissue, which they bring to the lab and add various chemicals for testing. Now, with 3D bioprinting, we can isolate cells from these donated tissues and potentially recreate additional tissue and test samples to conduct research in our labs and not rely on or wait for contributed tissues.”

Dr. Osei says many forms of lung disease currently have no cure, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. Being able to establish models that allow for testing is a significant advancement in respiratory disease research and drug development.

Published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering in collaboration with Mitacs and supported by Providence Health Care, the study is a step toward assessing aspects of lung diseases such as scarring and inflammation, and may lead to future cures for various illnesses.

The paper detailed tests, including exposing the bio-printed 3D model to cigarette smoke extract, allowing the researchers to observe increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines, or markers of inflammatory responses to nicotine in lung tissue.

“The fact that we’ve been able to create the model, then use particular triggers like cigarette smoke, to demonstrate how the model will react and mimic aspects of lung disease is a significant advancement in studying complex mechanisms of lung disease that will aid in studying how we treat them,” says Dr. Osei.

“Our model is complex, but due to the reproducibility and optimal nature of bio-printing, it can be adapted to include additional cell types or patient-derived cells, making it a powerful tool for personalized medicine and disease modelling.”

Dr. Osei notes that moving forward with this work puts his research team in a unique position to collaborate with colleagues such as UBC’s Immunobiology Eminence Research Excellence Cluster, biotechnology companies and those with an interest in advancing bioartificial models.

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UBCO’s Dr. Francisco Peña is leading an international team that will translate and digitally preserve the General e grand estoria—the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe.

One of the world’s most unique and important texts—the General e grand estoria will soon be translated, analyzed and made widely available, thanks to a global endeavour led by a UBC Okanagan researcher.

Dr. Francisco Peña, Professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, is leading a team of international scholars in the collaborative effort to translate and digitally preserve the General estoria (GE)—the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe.

The project was awarded more than $2.1 million through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant, announced today by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. It’s part of a larger funding announcement for Canadian university research that included $9 million for UBCO.

“While this is one of the world’s most unique and important texts, it is unfortunately not widely known,” says Dr. Peña. “Many relevant texts written in medieval Spain have disappeared. Through our efforts we hope to change that and preserve this valuable piece of literature forever.”

The GE was commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile, who ruled Spain from 1252 to 1284. It was an effort to record the entire history of man, from the origins of the world as narrated in the Bible up to the time the work was commissioned.

Written in Spanish, the GE is unique in several ways, explains Dr. Peña. It’s the first work of its type in a language other than Latin and it includes the social and cultural history of the world to that point in time, not just the political history. Also noteworthy is that the authors spanned multiple religions. While many texts of the time were commissioned and written by Christians alone, the GE’s authors included Christians, Muslims and Jews.

It totals more than 6,000 pages, and is an integral piece of Spain’s history.

Dr. Peña will oversee the project along with co-directors, Dr. Katie Brown from the University of Exeter in England and Dr. Francisco Gago-Jover from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The project team includes 55 scholars and practitioners from 18 partner organizations across Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Tunisia.

“The text hasn’t been well understood to date because it’s impossible for a single scholar to tackle a project of this size and complexity,” says Dr. Peña, explaining it will be translated to suit a lay audience. “So, we’ve assembled this team from across the globe to tackle it together.”

They’ll be using a digital platform called Colabora, developed by Dr. Peña and colleagues in 2018 to transcribe, digitize, translate and annotate the original GE text. For this project, he hopes to train Colabora’s AI components to read the 13th century handwriting to speed up the document’s transcription.

The original text is housed at the Biblioteca Nacional de España, and part of the SSHRC funding will provide graduate students with experiential learning opportunities in Spain alongside the document.

“In the spirit of how the original text was written, we want to create a network of students from many countries and cultures and give them opportunities to work and study together at the same time. This is an invaluable opportunity for us to provide training and experience they can’t receive any other way,” says Dr. Peña.

The team also plans to create a series of additional materials to help lay audiences understand the original work, and will partner with libraries and school districts in North America, Europe and North Africa to help disseminate the information.

Connecting with a general audience is a huge component of the project.

“In the last few years, there’s been a mistrust of academic institutions—a perceived distancing of universities from non-university communities. We want to bridge that gap,” he says. “This document was written in the language of the people—there was an aim to reach as many of them as possible. We’re going to do exactly the same thing.”

The Canadian government’s willingness to support the work of preserving a Spanish document is also unique, notes Dr. Peña.

“I love that Canada has stepped up to do this for something that’s not Canadian. To help preserve history, reach people, and spread knowledge,” he says. “This may be a Spanish text, but the values—that’s what’s Canadian.”

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