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. 

Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia 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.   

Canadian Blood Services 2024 Lay Science Writing Competition offered in partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) provides research trainees an opportunity to exercise and enhance their science communication skills by sharing their research with lay audiences. The competition was open to research trainees in the broad Canadian Blood Services research network – including trainees that are directly funded by Canadian Blood Services, in laboratories that receive funding from Canadian Blood Services, and at the Centre for Blood Research in Vancouver. In this blog, graduate student Mahsa Yazdanbakhsh, author of the third prize-winning entry, provides some behind-the-scenes insights into the preparation of her submission. The full entry text is also shared below.  

Why did you choose to participate in the competition this year?  

I chose to participate in the competition because it gave me a chance to highlight important research in neonatal blood transfusion, specifically focusing on umbilical cord blood (UCB) transfusions for extremely premature newborns. I saw this as an opportunity to show how UCB could improve survival and outcomes for these vulnerable babies. Since I’m involved in this research, I felt it was important to share my insights and the potential benefits this work could bring to neonatal medicine. 

The theme this year was “Connecting science with society”; what did this theme mean to you?  

The theme was particularly meaningful to me because it emphasizes the importance of making scientific discoveries accessible and relevant to the broader public. For me, it’s about bridging the gap between complex research and real-world applications that can improve lives. In our work on umbilical cord blood transfusions for premature infants, the potential benefits go beyond the laboratory—they directly impact vulnerable newborns. This theme reminded me that research is not just about advancing knowledge within the scientific community, but also about ensuring that society understands and benefits from these advancements. By participating in this competition, I aimed to contribute to this connection, demonstrating how science can address critical healthcare challenges and ultimately improve outcomes for neonates. 

Did the writing process help you learn or discover something new about your research?  

Yes, the writing process helped me gain a new perspective on our research. It required me to step back and think about how to explain complex scientific concepts in a way that is clear and relatable to a wider audience. This helped me see my work from a different angle, focusing not just on the technical aspects, but also on the broader impact it could have on neonatal care. Writing about my research also reinforced the importance of effective science communication, reminding me that research isn't just about what happens in the lab, but how it can be applied to make a real difference in society. 

What tips would you share with others who are writing about research for lay audiences?  

When writing about research for lay audiences, I recommend simplifying complex ideas without losing the essence of the work. Break down the concepts into clear and simple language, but ensure key details remain intact. I suggest focusing on why the research matters by connecting it to real-world applications or benefits, helping readers understand its relevance. Avoid jargon whenever possible, and if you need to use technical terms, explain them in an accessible way. I also recommend using relatable examples to make complex concepts easier to grasp. Present the research in an engaging way, perhaps by telling a story or highlighting its human impact. 

Read the prize-winning entry in its entirety below...  

Evaluating umbilical cord blood transfusion efficacy and safety in neonates 

Imagine a small infant who was born prematurely and is having a hard time surviving in the outside world. These extraordinarily early newborns, referred to as ELGANs (Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns), are born before 28 weeks of pregnancy and must fight a losing battle against anemia, a disorder in which there are insufficient healthy red blood cells in their blood to carry oxygen throughout their bodies. A common strategy used by physicians to win this conflict is blood transfusions. These transfusions now depend on adult donors' blood. This method, while life-saving, has limitations. Adult blood cells might not always meet these delicate babies' unique needs, which could occasionally result in complications and less positive results. But what if there was a more efficient method? 

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been proposed as a treatment for anemia in infants in the past. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF), a particular type of hemoglobin that is beneficial at carrying oxygen and protecting cells from harm, is rich in UCB. The fragility of fetal red blood cells and low volumes presented practical challenges that led to a decline in the use of UCB, despite its promising results. However, scientists are now looking again at this overlooked hero. They think that the secret to safer and more efficient treatments for premature babies may lie with UCB. According to recent research, UCB may be able to supply the necessary transfusions, and ongoing clinical trials are examining its advantages over adult blood.    

How to store UCB is a big obstacle when using it. UCB has a shorter life span than adult blood, which can be kept in storage for longer periods of time. Scientists are actively working on new methods to freeze and store UCB so it can be readily available when needed. This process is known as cryopreservation. Our research team has developed a meticulous method to freeze and thaw UCB. This technique, involving the addition and removal of a substance called glycerol, aids in protecting the blood cells during the freezing process. Having demonstrated the effectiveness of this method with adult blood, we are now adapting it for UCB.   

Our research is guided by three primary objectives: optimizing the freezing process, minimizing immune reactions, and assessing survival rates. By refining our freezing and thawing methods, our aim is to ensure that UCB cells remain healthy and functional. Furthermore, we seek to compare how the immune system responds to UCB and adult blood to ascertain the safety and efficacy of UCB transfusions. Lastly, we will evaluate the survival of UCB cells after cryopreservation and thawing, comparing them to adult blood cells. Success in these endeavors could offer a more potent treatment for anemia in premature babies, leading to improved health outcomes and fewer complications, thereby revolutionizing neonatal care and providing these vulnerable recipients with a stronger start in life. 

In conclusion, our research in Dr. Jason Acker's lab on UCB aims to address the critical needs of premature infants by optimizing cryopreservation techniques, understanding immune responses, and comparing the efficacy of UCB to adult blood. The potential benefits of utilizing UCB are immense, and if successful, this work could transform the landscape of neonatal transfusions, offering these vulnerable babies a better chance at a healthy start in life. 

About the author:

Mahsa's research is supported by the Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program award. In her work, Mahsa focuses on optimizing blood manufacturing methods and investigating how to improve the efficacy of blood transfusion.  

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.