Research Centres

Department of Urologic Sciences Centres

 

 

Vancouver Prostate Centre

The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC) has a track record of success that has earned it a reputation as one of the world’s most respected cancer facilities. It is a National Centre of Excellence and a designated Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research.

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in BC men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. By understanding the reasons for treatment resistance in advanced prostate cancer and translating that into new products and treatments, the Vancouver Prostate Centre is focused on improving longevity and quality of life for patients in BC, and around the world. We also have active research programs and clinical care for other urothelial cancers, including bladder and kidney cancer. Our large outpatient clinic sees thousands of BC men annually, and our respected surgeons and clinicians set best practices for care delivered in our Province. Our comprehensive, in-house research program ranges from molecular biology to functional genomics, and encompasses active clinical trials, socio-behavioral studies and research into complementary and alternative medicine. The combination of a large patient clinic and clinical trials facility, together with a world-class translational research program under the same roof, make the VPC the largest program of its kind in Canada. The Vancouver Prostate Centre is hosted by the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the University of British Columbia, and receives substantial financial support from the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation.

The Bladder Care Centre

The Bladder Care Centre (BCC) is an integrated multidisciplinary diagnostic, treatment and research facility for bladder disorders. The center is located at the UBC Hospital site, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Working at the centre are physicians, surgeons, nurses and physiotherapists who are specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms. The BCC brings together patients, health professionals and researchers with a common goal of excellence in clinical care and advancement of knowledge of lower urinary tract disorders.

Directions
UBC Hospital Bladder Care Centre
Unit 1B – Room F329, 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5
Main reception Desk: 604-822-6143
Main reception Fax: 604-873-3437

STELLAR

The Department of Urologic Sciences at UBC is a world leader in clinical renal transplantation and research, committed to achieving both successful transplant outcomes and investigating innovative methods to mitigate end stage renal disease.

Housed at Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital, the team provides the surgical service to renal donors and recipients throughout the province, having performed every renal transplant in British Columbia for the past 35 years. With a success rate of 98% for living related renal transplantation, the program is highly regarded for its exceptional outcomes record.
With hundreds of patients awaiting a transplant, the transplant program has brought about innovative strategies to increase donation rates including: facilitating anonymous altruistic donation, paired-donor exchange, and donation after cardiac death programs. By forging strong alliances with hospitals and Intensive Care Units across BC, the team continues to nurture deceased donor strategies with a clear objective of increasing the donor pool.

Clinical and scientific research is a key component of the department’s work. Studies are currently underway to better understand attitudes towards donation and outcomes of living donation, while scientific research is focusing on organ preservation, perfusate technology, and genomic analysis of transplantation.

Stone Centre at VGH

The UBC Department of Urologic Sciences brings together a collaborative group of urologists dedicated to the care of kidney stone patients. This group includes Drs. Ben Chew, Ryan Paterson, Chris Nguan, and Mark Nigro at Vancouver General Hospital; Drs. Joel Teichman and Brian Mayson at St Pauls Hospital; and Drs. Kiara Hennessey and Jennifer Mickelson at Richmond General Hospital.

The Department is a high volume provincial provider for stone care including the full spectrum of surgical interventions for stone disease: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy/laser lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.  The VGH Acute Stone Center is home site for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and the majority of percutaneous nephrolithotomy cases. The Acute Stone Center brings together the combined skills of urology and radiology to optimize timely access to kidney stone treatment.

At all sites, prevention of stone recurrence is integral to the management of stone patients. Ongoing collaboration between urology and nephrology (specialists in kidney diseases) continues to improve/advance the care of stone patients.

Dr. Dirk Lange manages the Stone Centre research laboratory with ongoing national and international collaborative research projects. Our center continues to be a leading center in the development of better materials for urinary tract stents. In addition, our investigators continue to evaluate the role that the bowel bacterial flora may play in the development of kidney stone disease; peri-operative strategies to prevent early recurrence of infection stones; and device development and testing of novel endoscopes and stone treatment accessories (laser fibers, baskets etc.).

  • Affiliated Centres
  • BC Cancer Research Centre
  • ICORD
  • MRI Research Centre

 

Centre for Male Reproduction & Sexual Medicine Research

Directed by Dr. Flannigan, the Male Reproduction & Sexual Medicine Research Program aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms of male infertility, and Peyronie’s disease. This research is based at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and is highly collaborative in nature. Using state-of-the-art genomic and molecular techniques such as single cell sequencing, 3-D bio-printing and AI machine learning, we are making strides to identify novel therapies for men suffering with infertility and Peyronie’s disease. These discoveries are being translated into clinical trials with the goal to bring cutting-edge therapies to our clinical and surgical practice.

Research is supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), New Frontier’s Research Fund (CIHR-NSERC-SSHRC), Canadian Urological Association Scholarship Fund (CUASF), American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI).