Two faculty members, Samuel Aparicio and Torsten Nielsen, have received 2012 UBC Killam Faculty Research Prizes. Established in 1986, the $5,000 prizes are awarded annually to up to 10 full-time faculty members in recognition of outstanding research and scholarly contributions.
Samuel Aparicio
Dr. Aparicio, Professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, is the Nan and Lorraine Robertson Chair of Breast Cancer Research based at UBC/BC Cancer Agency, and the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Oncology. His work encompasses the fields of cancer genomics, mouse genetic models, high throughput screens, and translational breast cancer research.
In April 2012, a team led by Dr. Aparicio announced the decoding of the genetic makeup of triple-negative breast cancer and published the largest global study of breast cancer tissue ever performed.
Torsten Nielsen
Dr. Nielsen, Professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, is a clinician-scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the BC Cancer Agency, and the Associate Director of the MD/PhD program. Dr. Nielsen’s research is based in translating gene expression profiles into improved understanding of tumor biology, into new diagnostic tools and predictive clinical tests that guide improved treatment, and into rational targeted experimental therapeutics for cancer. His particular focus is in the areas of breast cancer and of musculoskeletal tumors (sarcomas).
Dr. Nielsen is a member of an international collaborative working to better understand myxoid liposarcoma and its response to various treatments.