DESPITE DECADES OF STUDYING CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS between cells, scientists still know very little about how cells interact physically. How do cells’ physical movements, for instance, affect pathological processes in diseases, like cancer, in our bodies?

Dr. Isaac Li, an emerging leader in his field, is looking for answers.

“These physical interactions underpin a lot of processes that we’re just beginning to understand,” explains the Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology (Tier 2). “The problem with these forces—which push, pull and stick together—is that they happen on an incredibly small scale and are difficult to observe.”

As a visual person, Dr. Li was driven to translate these abstract forces into images so researchers could better understand them. Using specialized DNA-based molecular tools that change shape with force, Dr. Li is able to directly show these forces in action, under the microscope.

“For the first time, people can visualize processes that weren’t visible before.”

Though Dr. Li teaches chemistry, many of the questions asked by his research are biological. His work combines biology, biochemistry, biophysics, nanotechnology and bioengineering.

The impacts of visualizing cells’ physical interactions are far-reaching.

Investigating the physical touch between cells will guide a better understanding of how various diseases, including cancer, progress through the body. Eventually, Dr. Li hopes his research will lead to new strategies for treating these diseases through targeting and controlling the physical interactions.

“Often the approach is to find one molecule responsible for causing something bad and kill it,” says Dr. Li. “But biology is more complicated than that—what if we don’t kill it, but instead find it and manipulate it? Maybe it can actually help.”

He says the DNA-based tools he and his team have created to probe these processes also have the potential to enable other technologies that haven’t even been conceived.

“One hundred years ago they were studying quantum mechanics with no idea it would one day be applied to quantum computing,” says Dr. Li. “We’re advancing a body of knowledge so others can pick it up and take it from here.”

When he chose UBC Okanagan for his research, Dr. Li was drawn to the enthusiasm within his department. “I’m attracted to people and colleagues who I can collaborate with, and I think that’s what brought me here.”

In his time at UBCO, Dr. Li has found the campus’s intimate size and interdisciplinary environment allow him to easily collaborate with diverse faculty members who can benefit from his imaging methods and DNA-based tools.

Dr. Li’s research has flourished in this collaborative environment, earning him the recognition of UBC Okanagan’s 2023 Researcher of the Year for Natural Sciences and Engineering.

“I was quite humbled,” he says about his Researcher of the Year win. “I wouldn’t be here without all the support of so many people.

The post Examining single molecules for infinite possibilities appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.

SOMETIMES SCIENCE leads to discoveries that change society. Sometimes societal changes open the door for scientific advancement.

Zach Walsh, Associate Professor of Psychology, studies medicinal cannabis use. He says we are at an historic turning point in the public perception and use of medicinal plants, and our understanding of how to use them to help people suffering from a variety of issues.

Why Psychology?

“We are at an extraordinary intersection of a social-change movement and scientific explosion that will directly affect the lives of people around the globe,” he says. “Canada and British Columbia are leading the way in the acceptance of using cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Canada was among the first countries in the world to have a medical cannabis program.”

CONNECTING TO THE COMMUNITY

Dr. Walsh, who is a registered clinical psychologist and co-director of the Centre for the Advancement of Psychological Science and the Law at UBC’s Okanagan campus, balances his work as a clinical psychologist with his active research program.

“Researching the medicinal use of cannabis allows for a mix of applied and theoretical perspectives, and gives people in the community answers to pressing issues. The place where community engagement and high-quality science mix is a rewarding place to be as a researcher and an educator.”

SUPPORTING STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Since joining UBC Okanagan in 2009, Walsh has supervised students through the Irving K. Barber School Undergraduate Research Award program, which gives undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue innovative and original research.

He also believes in the importance of students working in the community to see the “big picture science” and experience one-on-one contact with practitioners and patient. Students see how research directly affects the lives of people who rely on plant-based medicines.

Walsh’s students have visited local seniors groups to discuss the benefits of medicinal cannabis for ailments such as arthritis, and have presented work at international conferences and to the House of Commons in Ottawa.

UNTANGLING MISCONCEPTIONS

“There is so much we don’t know about the use of medicinal plants,” he says. “Refining medicines derived from cannabis and other plants will have a dramatic effect on the health of Canadians and people worldwide. How do we make the best use of these plants and combine them with other therapies to create better outcomes for people who are suffering?”

Walsh believes British Columbia and UBC Okanagan are perfect places to conduct this type of research. “Our campus is small enough that undergraduates can work closely with faculty and senior researchers, and be involved in high-level research at one of the top research universities in the world.

“And, what better place to study an issue like this than in Kelowna, Canada, where tolerance and freedom are valued and celebrated?”

—by Deanna Roberts

MATHIEU BOURBONNAIS ALWAYS LOVED THE OUTDOORS. Born in Edmonton and raised in St. Albert, Alberta, in what he describes as an outdoorsy family, he learned to appreciate nature from a young age.

“We were always outside,” he says. “Hiking, camping, you name it — we did it — some of my best memories are just being outside and poking around in the bush.”

Find out more about our Geospatial Information Sciences minor

But Bourbonnais’ career path wasn’t as clear to him as his love of the landscape.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a profession, but I always had higher grades in arts and social sciences, so I ended up studying history and psychology,” he says.

Bilingual in French and English, Bourbonnais attended Campus Saint-Jean, a francophone campus at the University of Alberta (U of A). During summers, he worked as a conservation officer for Alberta Parks at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

While there, it was a conversation with a colleague that got Bourbonnais thinking about a career as a wildland firefighter.

After graduating from U of A, Bourbonnais applied to Alberta’s highly competitive Wildland Firefighter Rappel Program — where men and women were trained to rappel out of helicopters to fight wildfires in remote areas. After six weeks of training, he was accepted.

A FEW YEARS IN FIRE

Bourbonnais completed the program and was hired on to one of the province’s nine rappel crews.

“The idea behind these crews is that there’s a lot of remote country, and many wildfires can be difficult to access,” he says. “Wildland firefighters need to action fires as quickly as possible. If crews are landing kilometres away and hiking in, that can take hours depending on the terrain and is actually quite dangerous because you have fuels between you and the fire.”

The highly trained rappel crews descend right next to wildfires, allowing them to begin fire suppression efforts immediately.

“The rappel crews functioned in a paramilitary style where one person was in charge of the whole operation,” explains Bourbonnais. “They were the one communicating with the pilot — all other communication during a rappel was done by hand signal,” he says.

Each crew consisted of seven team members, six people to rappel and one spotter. When the spotter determined a safe route, the crew would rappel down the rope into the fire zone one-by-one. With the crew on the ground, the spotter would then swing open the cargo arm on the helicopter and large bags — containing tools, fire pumps, hoses and chainsaws — were lowered to crews.

It was gruelling work. Bourbonnais’ shift rotation consisted of 15 days on, six off days, often working 12 hours or more per day.

“It sounds like a crazy number of hours to work, but I had days where an 18-hour shift would go by in a flash. I’d be out on the fire line and it would hit me, ‘Wow, I’ve been out here all day and haven’t stopped once,’” he recalls.

Occasionally, Bourbonnais would work on wildfires overnight.

“At first, it sounds scary that they leave you in the bush next to a wildfire, but it’s always the expectation that there will be no significant change in fire size because helicopters can’t fly at night. So, if something did go sideways, you’re really on your own.”

Despite the risks, Bourbonnais enjoyed his time working as a wildland firefighter. “It was exciting — the rush of adrenaline I got when I was rappelling from the helicopter and working on a fire. It was like nothing else,” he says.

Enthusiasm aside, Bourbonnais admits there were times when the job could get uncomfortable.

“If you have forest fires to begin with, it’s likely hot out already, and then you are rappelling and working on the fire line. The heat is extreme and, combined with heavy smoke, it can be a lot to handle,” he says, noting wildfire crews, unlike city firefighters, are not equipped with oxygen or respirators.

“Generally speaking though, I never felt unsafe,” he explains. “Yes, I dealt with some minor cuts and burns but it was to be expected in that line of work.”

MAPPING OUT A CAREER PLAN

Bourbonnais spent six years as a wildland firefighter, working with the Alberta Wildfire Service and Parks Canada. With both organizations, his team was given daily briefings on the status of large wildfires.

“I started to get really interested in satellite imagery,” says Bourbonnais. “I began asking around to get more information and started learning about geomatics, geographic information sciences (GIS) and remote sensing.”

Upon further research, Bourbonnais discovered there was a big demand for people trained in GIS, turning his new interest into a viable career option. Bourbonnais enrolled in a two-year, post baccalaureate program in geomatics at the University of Victoria, working on his Honours thesis with geography professor Trisalyn Nelson.

“It’s crazy how meeting one person can change the direction of your life,” says Bourbonnais. “After my BSc, Trisalyn talked me into doing my master’s — so I ended up doing that for two years, followed by a PhD studying grizzly bear health, habitat, and movement ecology.”

Grizzlies in Alberta have been listed as a threatened species since 2006. Current estimates suggest there are approximately 700 remaining in the province.

“Most of my research was working with global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data. Every year the Foothills Research Institute Grizzly Bear Program would capture 15 to 20 bears and fit them with a GPS collar during the non-denning period,” explains Bourbonnais.

“We were able to track individual grizzly bears which helped us develop statistical models to better understand their movements and behaviours and how these were influenced by humans and habitat.”

LEARN BY DOING

Bourbonnais’ background in geography, spatial analysis, statistics and modelling set him up well for a career teaching GIS at UBC Okanagan.

In his courses, students learn the theory and application of geospatial tools and technologies.

A hands-on learner himself, Bourbonnais wants his students to do more than memorize a textbook.

“Students who take my classes leave with an understanding of geographic data, broadly applicable GIS tools, how to use them and what they can tell you about spatial patterns and processes.”

“Having a background in firefighting and wildlife management, I try to draw a lot of that material into the class,” he says.

In his labs, Bourbonnais works with wildfire and grizzly bear telemetry data to demonstrate to students how the data can be analyzed to solve real world problems.

While Bourbonnais’ experience with GIS leans towards the environmental side of things, he tries to show students other uses.

“GIS has so many applications,” he explains. “It’s important for me to illustrate that, so we also do work related to social sciences, business, health sciences and other areas.”

Beginning January 2020, all BSc and BA students with third year standing will have the option to pursue a minor in GIS, known as GISC on the UBC Okanagan campus. Bourbonnais call this an exciting opportunity.

“I hope as the GISC program grows, I start to see more students from other disciplines in my classes. Having GIS training will be really advantageous to students in their future endeavours.”

IMPACTFUL RESEARCH

One of Bourbonnais’ current research projects focuses on how to better prepare communities for challenges presented by wildfire. The project, Living with Wildfire, recently received funding from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).

“Fire is part of the Okanagan Valley’s landscape and an important part of the ecosystem — communities need to understand the risks and get equipped to handle them,” says Bourbonnais.

Bourbonnais’ project uses Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) — an active remote sensing system that uses light emitted from a rapidly firing laser to capture information about the earth’s surface.

Typically flown from a plane, helicopter or drone, LIDAR measures the time it takes for the emitted light to reflect off something and return to the sensor.

In the summer of 2018, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, in collaboration with communities and the province, flew LIDAR over the entire Okanagan Valley. It’s given Bourbonnais’ team a detailed 3D model of the forest to examine.

“The energy emitted by the sensor reflects off trees, logs, shrubs, the ground and even buildings. It’s very precise and there’s a lot we can do with that data in terms of mapping forest structure and wildfire fuel loads,” he says.

Aside from the natural science aspect of the project, Bourbonnais’ team is also researching the social dimensions.

“There’s definitely a stigma associated with wildfire, and I understand why,” says Bourbonnais.

“Whenever a fire is threatening homes, of course people are angry and scared— but what if we could shift attitudes and get to a point where people understand the very important role fire plays in our ecosystems and communities accepted the use of prescribed burns and other activities to proactively manage wildfire risk?” asks Bourbonnais.

“When we hear about wildfires in the news, it’s generally negative and sensationalized — even in movies it’s about firefighters losing their lives in a heroic act,” he says.

“Having done it, I never felt like a hero. I was just out doing a job. Wildfires aren’t a battle or a war, they’re an important part of our ecosystems, and I’m hoping this project will help clarify that message.”

Living with Wildfire is funded through 2022, and Bourbonnais hopes to secure additional funding to make it a long-term, multi-year project.

CALLING THE OKANAGAN VALLEY HOME

Bourbonnais relocated to Kelowna from Victoria in July of 2018.

A dad to Hadley, two, and Nolan, six months, Bourbonnais says it was the right move for his family.

“We’ve really enjoyed living here — we love the landscape,” says Bourbonnais. “It’s a fair bit warmer than Victoria, which I like, and we’ve found Kelowna to be a really fun city.”

Bourbonnais and his family spend their weekends hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and spending time at local beaches.

“I feel like I’m at a good place in my life right now,” says Bourbonnais. “Sure it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.”