A Picture of Health

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN DEVOLLE

Spotlight

Frontiers of Medicine

A Picture of Health

From revolutionary gene-editing techniques to heart valves for kids made from synthetic materials that can last a lifetime, rapidly evolving technologies are leading us into a new era of medical science.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN DEVOLLE

Dr. Peter Cullis smiling, in a lab.
Saving the world, one bubble at a time
The most widely used COVID vaccine relies on a novel drug delivery system developed at UBC.
Rosemary Anderson, BA'74
10 Min
A doctor holding a cellphone presents augmented reality on a screen.
Medical innovations: Where is technology leading us?

Technology is rapidly advancing. UBC experts discuss how it impacts healthcare, ethics and AI.

3 Min
A colourful drawing of two hearts, looking at each other and sprouting flowers.
The future is now
Take a look at these UBC-grown medical marvels.
6 Min
A colourful drawing of microbes.
Can you catch heart disease?
Many “non-communicable” diseases may be transmitted through microbes in the human body.
6 Min
A man lies in a bed wearing a virtual reality headset. His bed transforms into a landscape of snowy hills, he holds his hand to a snowflake made of pixels.
Mind games
A UBC Nursing professor discusses virtual reality's potential to block out external pain.
5 Min
An abstract drawing of a human head connected to digital phenomena.
The language of the eyes
A novel method for assessing dementia risk could help populate critical drug trials.
Diane Haynes, BA'89
6 Min
A drawing of burning trees and fire.
Climate change is a public health emergency
Health-conscious choices on energy, transportation and cities will save lives.
Courtney Howard, MD'05
6 Min
A close-up image of the chip described in the article, plastic, with three cylinders attached to the top.
Human on a chip
UBC’s Hedtrich Lab takes on Canada’s other drug crisis.
Diane Haynes, BA'89
5 Min
A lab worker loading a sample in white plastic containers onto a robotic arm
The little discovery engine that could
A UBC spinoff’s COVID-19 response boosted its ability to discover more antibody therapies.
Richard Littlemore
11 Min
Two people shine flashlights onto a white background overlaid with colourful double helixes.
The long and winding code
Here’s how CRISPR gene-editing technology is changing the future of health sciences.
Chris Cannon
11 Min