Drs. Poul Sorensen and Aly Karsan, professors in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine, will be recognized for their achievements at the 22nd annual LifeSciences BC Awards.
Dr. Aly Karsan
Dr. Aly Karsan is the recipient of the 2020 Genome BC Award for Scientific Excellence. This award honours an individual, group or company in B.C. whose work has had a significant impact on advancing the fields of genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics or systems biology.
Dr. Karsan is a recognized leader in delivering clinical genomic assays. He established the first clinically accredited next-generation sequencing lab in Canada, the Centre for Clinical Genomics (CCG), which was among the first few in the world. The CCG delivers cancer genomic testing to the entire population of B.C.
Dr. Karsan is also internationally recognized in the field of blood cancer research. His translational research lab has generated seminal work on the role of noncoding RNAs and innate immune signaling in blood cancers.
Dr. Poul Sorensen
Dr. Paul Sorensen has been awarded the 2020 Aubrey J. Tingle Prize from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR).
The prize, created in honour of MSFHR’s founding president and CEO, is annually awarded to a B.C.-based clinician scientist whose work in health research is internationally recognized and which has had a significant impact on advancing research – and its implementation – to improve health, and the health system in BC and around the world.
Dr. Sorensen, a distinguished scientist at BC Cancer Research, is a molecular pathologist and cancer biologist who specializes in the genetics and biology of pediatric cancers. He has a long and distinguished record of translating scientific discoveries into practical applications, and his discoveries have changed the way researchers think about and manage cancers.
Drs. Karsan and Sorensen will be presented with their awards on Sept. 17 at the virtual 22nd Annual LifeSciences BC Awards.