Research being undertaken at the University of Northern British Columbia will increase understanding of how to control the growth and aggressiveness of cancer cells. The research is being undertaken by a team of researchers led by Biochemistry professor Dr Chow Lee.

Dr Lee has recently received a six-year, $450,000 appointment as a National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) Research Scientist. The award puts him in the company of researchers at large universities with medical schools, such as McGill, McMaster, and UBC. Dr Lee is one of only six researchers in Canada to receive an NCIC Research Scientist appointment this year, and he is the only one from a small university.

Dr Lee's research focuses on the manipulation of bio-molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is the carrier of genetic information and understanding how to control its level will eventually provide information on how to control many aggressive behaviours of cancer cells in the body. He and his seven students/research assistants are currently concentrating their research on two mRNAs for two genes that are implicated in cancer development: one makes cancer cells resistant to drugs and the other is responsible for the rapid growth of cancer cells. Dr Lee's current research interests stem from his six years of postdoctoral training with eminent scientists at the Ontario Cancer Institute, BC Cancer Agency, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. His research at UNBC would not have been possible without infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the BC Knowledge Development Fund.

"I feel very lucky to have been able to attract funding from national agencies," says Dr Lee. "Together with my outstanding and committed students and research assistants, we now have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to medical science and to help people. I am confident we will achieve this goal in the future."

Dr Lee's NCIC appointment will allow him to devote 80% of his time to research. The funding will allow UNBC to hire an additional faculty member with similar expertise to expand the University's capacity in biochemistry teaching and research.