Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science. This blog post highlights just some of the achievements in education, training or knowledge mobilization accomplished by CBR trainees.

This is a repost of a blog written by CBR summer students Jackie Hagstrom, Mohammed Al-Seragi and Nastaran Davilu. It was edited by CBR Communications and Programs Coordinator Kaitlyn Chuong, and originally appeared on the CBR blog in September 2024. Each year, CBR’s Research Day provides an opportunity for CBR Summer Studentship Program participants to share their research projects with their peers and other labs while practicing presentation skills through short talks and poster presentations.

A look back at CBR Research Day 2024 

On August 15th, the CBR community gathered in-person and online to celebrate the hard work and research of this year’s summer students. The day kicked off with welcoming remarks, followed by oral presentations from students, where we heard from peers working on diverse projects. Each student had just 3 minutes to present their summer research projects, with the promise of a rubber chicken noise signaling if they exceeded their time limit.  

It was inspiring to learn what these four months looked like for this year’s summer students. The collection of three-minute flash talks was a striking window into the immense breadth of research behind the twenty-one-membered cohort. Everything from cancer glycoimmunology to stem cell differentiation, blood disease pathology and the like were subjects of the two-hour triage of presentations. More impressive than the research itself was how effectively everybody was able to collapse many weeks of work into a mere three minutes — something many students said they struggled with! 

The day provided both a platform to showcase our work and an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations within the CBR community.

Nastaran Davilu, CBR Summer Student 2024

This year’s Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Award was presented to Dr. Michael Sutherland who spoke on what excellent mentorship means to him, as he reflected on his 20+ years of working under Dr. Ed Pryzdial. He emphasized the value of giving students actionable advice when challenges arise, the importance of empathy, comradery and being understanding and even showcased his knowledge of “brat summer”, a term he learned from his students. A particularly memorable moment was Dr. Sutherland humorously mentioning being told he has no “rizz,” and shared his experience of checking if the term was offensive, only to have Reddit users call his question “cringe.” This lighthearted moment, featuring other classic Gen-Z phrases, added humor to the day and highlighted the inclusive and fun spirit of the CBR community. 

To top it off, Dr. Brianne Kent, this year’s keynote speaker, delivered a highly insightful address on the intersection of learning, sleep, and circadian rhythms with dementia and what that means for our aging and vulnerable populations. Dr. Kent began by discussing novel biomarkers that could help predict the onset age of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which may provide patients a better chance at benefiting from treatment. One such biomarker is disturbed sleep, with research suggesting that targeting sleep disturbances could prevent up to 15% of AD cases. She explored various topics, including the potential of the antidepressant Trazodone to slow cognitive decline. Overall, this research points to slow wave sleep as a key area of therapeutic intervention and suggests that cognitive tasks assessing pattern separation are particularly sensitive to sleep disruptions and sleep aids. Maybe a bit more upending was Dr. Kent’s realization that students don’t sleep nearly as much as she thought, something that many students can attest to. 

Following the keynote address, the event transitioned to the poster session in the UBC Life Sciences Centre West Atrium. The CBR community circulated and engaged in in-depth discussions with students eager to delve deeper into their research.  

Ending the day off with poster presentations was an amazing representation of the collaborative atmosphere that permeated the event. It was clear that this year’s Research Day was more than just a platform for sharing results; it was a space for building connections, exchanging ideas, and sparking new collaborations.”

Sajida Chowdhury, CBR Summer Student 2024

Poster judges provided valuable feedback, helping to explore future research directions, critiquing methodologies, and making connections to other related work happening at the CBR. With refreshments in hand, students also took the opportunity to explore their peers' posters, gaining insight into where their research paths might lead after the CBR Summer Studentship Program. The evening ended with a BBQ dinner shared with friends, families, and lab members, a fitting end to a summer filled with connections and opportunities. 

CBR Research Day was a hit in many more ways than the findings we were able to share. It was a time of learning but one of celebration as well. I have high promises for the Research Days to come and hope to be around for them too! 

Mohammed Al-Seragi, CBR Summer Student 2024

Congratulations to all of the award winners at this year’s Research Day: 

• Best Oral Presentation (voted by the students) – Madelyn Tisdale, Mizumoto Lab 
• People’s Choice Award (voted by the audience) – Houria Afshar Moghaddam, Av-Gay Lab 
• Best Poster Presentation (voted by the poster judges) – Simrat Binning, Cote Lab 

Many thanks to our sponsors, without whom the CBR Summer Studentship Program and CBR Research Day would not be possible: the Neil Mackenzie Memorial Fund, the Naiman-Vickars Endowment Fund, Canadian Blood Services, GSK, AstraZeneca, GRIFOLS, Beigene, Stago and Sobi. We’d also like to say thank you to the Life Sciences Institute for partnering with us on this year’s program. Lastly, we are grateful for all the support and kindness of Kaitlyn Chuong, the CBR Communications and Programs Coordinator. 

More about events at the Centre for Blood Research  

• Missed the event? Watch the recording of CBR Research Day 2024, see photos from the event and review the program on the CBR website. 
• Other upcoming CBR events: Registration is now open for the 18th Annual Earl W. Davie Symposium taking place November 13, 2024. The goal of the Earl W. Davie Symposium is to disseminate advances in the field of hemostasis-thrombosis, as applied to innate immunity, infectious diseases, inflammation and cancer. The registration deadline for oral presentations is October 8th with travel awards available for trainees to attend and present at the symposium. 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation 

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.  

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency. 

Dr. Melika Loriamini! 

This new award, in honour of Dr. Dana Devine, supports early career scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. It is awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s at their annual conference. 

“I truly appreciate the Committee for the recognition and I'm so proud that I'm the first person to win the Dana Devine Award,” Dr. Loriamini says. “When I walked into the conference, I felt like I was famous because everyone knew who I was. It was a great feeling that all the work, all the hard work, during these years that I did, it's now acknowledged, and everyone knows it.” 

Dr. Loriamini began her career in medical laboratory science in Iran, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree before immigrating to Canada. She completed a second Bachelor’s degree, this time in biomedical science from York University, and went on to enroll in the laboratory medicine and pathobiology PhD program at the University of Toronto. While completing her education, Dr. Loriamini worked as a Medical Laboratory Technologist at LifeLabs and the William Osler Hospital. 

As part of her PhD, Dr. Loriamini worked with Canadian Blood Services Senior Scientist Dr. Donald Branch which she says allowed her to “acquire expertise in the fields of transfusion medicine and immunology and we were able to publish various articles.” 

In fact, it was Dr. Branch who first sent her the application for the award and told her he thought she was a strong candidate. 

“I want to say thanks to Dr. Branch, who was my supervisor. Actually, thank you is not enough,” Dr. Loriamini says. “He taught me how to think as a scientist and how to become a scientist. I truly appreciate him. He always trusted me.” 

Dr. Loriamini’s research focused on developing a new drug to help people who have autoimmune cytopenias — a cluster of conditions which causes your immune system to attack your own healthy blood cells. She was able to identify a potential drug which is expected to undergo clinical trials in the future.

In addition to receiving the Canadian Blood Services Dana Devine Award, Dr. Loriamini has also been recognized with the Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program award in 2019 and 2021, the AABB Outstanding Abstract Award for Trainees as a Fellow/Post-Doctoral Student in 2022, the SGS travel award from the University of Toronto in 2022, the Best Poster for Translation/Basic research award from Hematology Academic Day in 2023, and the Best Poster for Infectious Diseases, Inflammation, and Immunology award from the 2023-Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Research Conference. 

Dr. Loriamini is now a Clinical Practice Leader at Humber River Health in Toronto which allows her to bring her research to a clinical setting. Congratulations Dr. Melika Loriamini! 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.  

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.

Dr. John Blake is a research engineer at Canadian Blood Services and a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Dalhousie University. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Blake and his trainees use engineering principles and various computer-based optimization techniques to inform large scale decisions at Canadian Blood Services.  

Applying network modelling to biologics  

To some, it may be surprising to learn that there is such opportunity to integrate engineering into the health-care focused setting of Canadian Blood Services. However, as Dr. Blake explains, the same engineering principles that apply to the development and quality assurance of other products also apply to biologics such as blood, stem cells and organs. One of these classic engineering approaches currently applied to improving operations at Canadian Blood Services is network modelling.  

Network modelling is a computer-based method that creates a virtual representation of objects and their relation to each other. The resulting models are particularly useful for maintaining adaptability in the collection of blood donations, as well as the distribution and inventory management strategies that allow Canadian Blood Services to remain a safe and reliable provider of life-saving products. 

Contributing to efficiency and sustainability in Canada’s Lifeline  

For Dr. Blake’s team, modelling is not about the data acquired but rather how they can turn existing data into real life change. Part of this approach is ensuring that Canadian Blood Services is asking the right questions when it comes to allocating resources. For example, Dr. Blake has worked on models to assess how changing stem cell donor recruitment will affect the number of matches for Canadian patients. By modelling things such as recruitment approaches, Dr. Blake’s work assists Canadian Blood Services to consistently identify ways to improve Canada’s Lifeline.

Recently, Dr. Blake has also been applying this method to optimize the number and location of mobile and permanent donor facilities across the nation. This redesign of the donation facility network will address the growing demand for donations by bringing Canadian Blood Services’ facilities closer to the donors. 

“I have waited my entire career for a problem of this type – it is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Dr. John Blake, Canadian Blood Services Research Engineer

Securing the future of Canada’s Lifeline  

To sustain a safe and effective blood system in Canada for years to come, network modelling and optimization is a never-ending process. This is one of the reasons that Dr. Blake is committed to securing the future of transfusion and transplantation systems by training and mentoring the next generation of engineers. In fact, seeing his former students join Canadian Blood Services and dedicate their talents to improving the future of Canada’s Lifeline is one of Dr. Blake’s proudest achievements.  

One of Dr. Blake’s former students, Matt Nelson, is now an industrial engineer at Canadian Blood Services.  

“In my role, I use systematic thinking to build and run complex models; collect and analyze the required data; produce useful results; and explain these results to non-technical leaders on a regular basis,” Matt says. Recently, Matt contributed to the launch and expansion of pathogen-reduced platelets, a new product that was implemented across Canadian Blood Services production sites starting in 2022. The implementation of pathogen-reduced platelets has provided an additional layer of safety for recipients by reducing the risk of potential transfusion-transmitted pathogens without compromising the quality of the component. Matt credited Dr. Blake in helping him develop the necessary skills he now dedicates to safeguarding Canada’s Lifeline:  

“Dr. Blake was the professor who introduced me to the uses of simulation to understand complex non-linear systems. This type of system is very common in situations that have a lot of variability – like the blood system – and simulation allows for exploration of the response of the system to changes.” 

Matt Nelson, Canadian Blood Services Industrial Engineer

Over the years, Dr. Blake’s ongoing modelling work and mentorship activities have also led to many recognitions and awards, but he is most proud of being recognized as Professor of the Year by Dalhousie Undergraduate students, and with awards for his contributions to the Canadian Operational Research Society. He has even the earned the distinction of being Dalhousie’s first engineer to be awarded grant funding from the tri-council agency, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 

“I am proud to work on projects that have a measurable impact on people’s health and well-being,” Dr. Blake says. “I am forever grateful to Dr. Dana Devine for first giving me the opportunity to serve Canadians in this role at Canadian Blood Services.” 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.   

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.