THE WANG LABORATORY
Dr. Wang is a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar and a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada New Investigator (https://wanglab.med.ubc.ca/). In 2022, Dr. Wang was appointed as the Director of Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank, which has the largest collection of explanted hearts in Canada. Dr. Wang’s research program leverages biobank human specimens, mechanistic studies, and cutting-edge ‘Omics’ technologies to advance cardiovascular medicine for patients who suffer from atherosclerotic disease (blockage of the blood vessels). Therapeutics, vascular biology, and technology development are the three pillars of the research program.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
We are seeking one MSc student to join us in 2025. Their projects aim to build a 3D cell culture system to mimic diseased blood vessels. This system will be used for drug screening and designing biomaterials for medical devices. Cardiovascular events, like heart attack and stroke, could be lethal and they affect 6.9% of the total population in BC each year. Most of these deadly events are due to atherosclerosis, a chronic disease in which atherosclerotic lesions (or plaques) made of diseased cells build up in blood vessels. Over the last four years, our lab adopted new ‘Omics’ biotechnologies to determine the roles of cell-cell/microenvironment interactions in disease progression (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38842292/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34849613/). These innovative research methods created opportunities to characterize diseased blood vessels in-depth, but it is still challenging to link the research output to treatment outcomes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35872917/). We are collaborating with Dr. Yuan Yao’s group (https://mech.ubc.ca/yuan-yao/) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Cardiology to create 3D printing models for cardiovascular disease, nurturing expertise for the bio-printing hub of the new Clinical Support and Research Centre (https://www.providenceresearch.ca/en/clinical-support-research-centre).
EXPECTATIONS
During the first year of their program, the student will be expected to complete 12 credits of courses through the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC. It is highly recommended that candidates start in the summer to complete basic training with senior team members before the graduate program officially begins in September.
This project is supported by CIHR and NSERC led by Dr. Wang. Students will be working in the wet lab with senior lab members as a team and contribute to ongoing projects in the 6 months. The student will be expected to perform experiments independently after 6 months. Master’s students are expected to present results at local conferences and publish one research article as the first author. Students who aim to “fast track” to PhD program will have the opportunities to present at international conferences and short-term exchange studies in their 3rd and 4th years.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
§ Completed BSc
§ 1+ years of research experience in a wet lab or working experience in industry or clinical service
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
§ Strong molecular biology and chemistry background
§ Strong oral and written communication skills
§ Self-motivated
§ Hands-on experience in cell culture and microscopy imaging
§ Experience in handling animals is an asset
§ Experience with hydrogels is an asset
HOW TO APPLY
Please follow the instructions on our website (https://wanglab.med.ubc.ca/available-positions/). Submit the application package as a single document to: ying.wang@hli.ubc.ca
§ Curriculum Vitae (including contact information of 3 referees)
§ Academic transcripts
§ A cover letter stating your interest and fit. Of note, this research program will involve handling of small rodents and human specimens. Applicants should clearly state whether they are comfortable being involved in the cover letter.
FUNDING
An annual graduate student stipend will be available. Dr. Wang will support proactive candidates in applying for external scholarships and awards.