Engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new ultrasound transducer, or probe, that could dramatically lower the cost of ultrasound scanners to as little as $100. Their patent-pending innovation—no bigger than a Band-Aid—is portable, wearable and can be powered by a smartphone. Conventional ultrasound scanners use piezoelectric crystals to create images of the inside of the body and send them to a computer ...

For every three individuals who have had a stent implanted to keep clogged arteries open and prevent a heart attack, at least one will experience restenosis—the renewed narrowing of the artery due to plaque buildup or scarring—which can lead to additional complications.

An experimental treatment that sends electrical currents through the spinal cord has improved 'invisible' yet debilitating side effects for a B.C. man with a spinal cord injury. A diving accident six years ago left Isaac Darrel, of Langley, British Columbia, with a spinal cord injury. Side effects of the injury include dizziness, fluctuations in blood pressure and changes in bladder and bowel function.

Network operator enabling the Internet of Things, eleven-X has announced its second smart campus initiative with the University of British Columbia aimed at real time tracking of fill levels of on campus outdoor waste disposal and recycling bins associated with the campus parking facilities. The pilot project is designed to improve waste collection efficiencies by providing optimised route planning and pick up, while reducing costs by optimising ...

A new bio-ink that may support a more efficient and inexpensive fabrication of human tissues and organs has been created by researchers at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Keekyoung Kim, an assistant professor at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering, says this development can accelerate advances in regenerative medicine. Using techniques like 3D printing, scientists are creating bio-material products that function alongside living cel...

A University of British Columbia computer scientist has created a new software that can create a design sketch of an everyday object, addressing the challenge of accurately describing shapes. The program, called FlowRep, was designed by computer science professor Alla Sheffer, in cooperation with Adobe Research and Washington University in St. Louis.

  Research offers a possible explanation for why a new type of cancer treatment hasn't been working as expected against bladder cancer. The study finds that checkpoint immunotherapy, which is designed to activate the immune system, is not effective on some bladder cancers because there are no immune cells in the tumours.

An inexpensive sensor developed at the University of British Columbia could help make advanced devices, such as a tablet that you can fold into the size of a phone and put away in your pocket, or an artificial skin that can sense your body's movements and vital signs. The sensor uses a highly conductive gel sandwiched between layers of silicone that can detect different types of touch, including swiping and tapping, even when it is stre...

University of British Columbia researchers have developed a magnetic drug implant—the first of its kind in Canada—that could offer an alternative for patients struggling with numerous pills or intravenous injections. The device, a silicone sponge with magnetic carbonyl iron particles wrapped in a round polymer layer, measures just six millimetres in diameter. The drug is injected into the device and then surgically implanted in t...

The mass wood structure and façade has been completed for UBC's Brock Commons student residence - the world's tallest wood building at 18 storeys (53 metres, about 174 feet) - four months ahead of schedule, showcasing the advantages of building with wood. The structure was completed less than 70 days after the prefabricated components were first delivered to the site.

First-year medical students at the University of British Columbia will begin using a state-of-the-art touch-screen table that displays detailed images of internal anatomy that can be rotated, enlarged and even sliced open. The anatomy visualisation table will be used with traditional anatomical dissections to teach first-year medical students about human anatomy and the medical conditions they are likely to encounter as physicians.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland have created a microneedle drug monitoring system that could one day replace costly, invasive blood draws and improve patient comfort. The system consists of a small, thin patch that is pressed against a patient's arm during medical treatment and measures drugs in their bloodstream painlessly without drawing any blood.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a new way to optimise electron transfer in semi-conductors used in solar fuel solutions. The finding, published in Nature Chemistry, could have a big impact on devices that convert sunlight into electricity and fuel. Researchers have already shown that the efficiency of electron transfer at semi-conductor interfaces depends on the...