Drs Marra and Goldenberg win innovation awards
In September Drs Larry Goldenberg and Marco Marra were honored with 2008 British Columbia Innovation Council Awards. Dr Goldenberg was recognized with the BC Science and Technology Champion of the Year Award, while Dr Marra received the Frontiers in Research Award.
Dr Larry Goldenberg
As professor and head of the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia and clinical research director of the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, Dr Goldenberg has contributed significantly to championing research by raising funds to create the infrastructure for the state-of-the art facility—a leading national Centre for Excellence in prostate research, education, and health care delivery programs. He also spearheaded the creation of the Department of Urological Sciences at UBC and pioneered the concept of intermittent hormone therapy for the management of prostate cancer, a treatment option regarded as the standard worldwide. His clinical and research work have garnered him an international reputation in raising awareness and excellence in prostate cancer research and treatment. Dr Goldenberg’s vision and leadership continue to play a pivotal role in advancing BC as a global leader in urology and prostate cancer research and treatment.
Dr Marco Marra
As director of the Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Dr Marra is an internationally renowned expert in physical mapping and genome sequencing. His work focuses on cancer research, but his contributions also address other areas with global impact, including his work with the Human Genome Project and the sequencing of the SARS coronavirus—a discovery that initiated numerous activities within British Columbia to develop a vaccine and other therapeutics. In 1999 he established Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver, a state-of-the-art facility applying genomics and bioinformatics tools and technologies to cancer and disease research. Here, Dr Marra continues to raise the bar of research excellence by establishing the technology for a next-generation DNA sequencing platform, a powerful, leading-edge technology in the understanding of cancer genomics and the mountain pine beetle epidemic.