As Canada faces renewed trade tensions with the United States, investing in domestic biomanufacturing could strengthen both national security and economic independence.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David A. Wood as the inaugural Chief Scientific Officer of the Dilwari Cardiovascular Institute, for a five-year term to May 19, 2030.

💥 VCHRI’s Research Impact Series is here! Explore VCHRI’s vision, impact and the transformative work that drives health care innovation in a first video featuring trailblazers of health research — Drs. Martin Gleave, Brian Kwon, Gabrielle Legault, Lynn Raymond and Teresa Tsang. This video is a pa

YouTube video by Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

A new study led by Dr. Helen Tremlett, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher and professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, sheds light on the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). Published in JAMA Network Open and with funding from the National MS Society and MS Canada, the research team found that the disease process may begin up to 15 years before characteristic symptoms used to make a diagnosis appear. 

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute has over 2,400 personnel engaged in research in a large variety of disease areas, clinical settings and research laboratories. Clinical research, laboratory and basic science extend across many health disciplines with VCH, and there is no shortage of opportunities for new and established researchers, trainees and staff.

With funding from Genome BC, UBC researchers are advancing biotherapeutics, RNA medicines, cell therapies and policy innovation for Canada.

Background: Consent forms have become too long and often do little to help people understand the risk elements of their participation in research, instead focusing on risk reduction for research institutions. Under the auspices of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, we identified a core set of elements for participant consent documents to be used in clinical research and present these as a template consent form. Methods: Our guideline core team comprised experts in the legal and ethical aspects of research, and a clinical trialist–scientist. We conducted a directed review to compile a list of applicable regulatory, policy, and guidance requirements for the documentation of informed consent for research conducted with human participants in Canada. We used a gap analysis to identify the elements required in a research consent form, based on these documents and in comparison with 10 existing research ethics board (REB) informed-consent form templates. The guideline, as well as a fillable template for the form, was created with input from a pan-Canadian advisory group, interested parties, and broad public input. We tested the template with a small group of studies across several research domains. Our process for managing competing interests adhered to Guidelines International Network principles. Recommendations: From our gap analysis, we identified 75 core elements for participant consent forms in clinical research, which we have grouped under 6 main categories (i.e., information for potential participants about participating in research in general and in the particular study; harms and benefits of participation; protection of participant data; points of contact; and giving consent) in a fillable consent template. Because studies vary, specific elements should be included in a study consent form only if relevant to the type of research being conducted and the corresponding compliance requirements, as identified in our gap analysis. Interpretation: The template with the core set of required elements is intended to be used by any researcher applying for REB approval to document participant consent and, when applied with consideration of our associated guidance, is sufficient to meet regulatory requirements for research in Canada. Identifying the required elements for consent forms is intended to streamline consent documents across the country, facilitate multi-site projects, and simplify the approval process for all those involved.