Who we are
We discover and translate innovative solutions for heart, lung, and critical care diseases
Message from the Director
The Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI), previously known as iCAPTURE and the James Hogg Research Centre, was established as the Pulmonary Research Laboratory in 1977 by Drs. James Hogg (2013 Gairdner Wightman Award Winner) and Peter Paré. Since then it has grown dramatically in scope, size, and worldwide impact. Basic and clinician scientists work together in an exciting multidisciplinary environment to address vital issues in heart, lung, and critical care disease. The HLI is the largest translational research centre within Providence Health Care’s St. Paul’s Hospital, a University of British Columbia teaching hospital. It is a translational research centre using basic molecular and cellular research discoveries to develop innovative approaches to prevent and treat human disease through our complementary and connected clinical research.
Our focus is on developing solutions to the biggest challenges: atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, failure, COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and other chronic cardiopulmonary diseases, severe infections such as COVID19 and multiple organ failure. These conditions are leading causes of morbidity, mortality and cost to society in Canada and the world. Combined, these diseases are by far the greatest killers. We seek out the underlying causes so that we can develop strategies for prevention and treatment. We link our basic discoveries to improved health care through clinical research, teaching, and by translating new knowledge into clinical practice at St. Paul’s Hospital and around the world. Since disease involves both the patient and the environment, our focus on prevention seeks to understand and prevent those patient-environment interactions that lead to disease and disability.
The Centre for Heart Lung Innovation has a unique multidisciplinary milieu that takes the best attributes of a busy tertiary care hospital (St. Paul’s) and combines them with the best attributes of a leading academic institution (UBC) to generate novel insight, knowledge, and solutions. It is not uncommon within the HLI to find a mathematician, a pathologist, a surgeon, and a basic scientist, joining forces to attack otherwise intractable problems. We link basic science with clinical innovation; we link a broad knowledge of inflammation with focused investigation into heart, lung, and critical care disease; we bring together universities, faculties, and departments to innovate in ways that otherwise are not possible in silos.
In 2024, the HLI will grow from strength to strength, adding at least 3 more labs (3-D cardiovascular bioprinting; CV Physiology; and functional MRI and data science) beyond the 7 we have already added in the past 5 years, bringing our total to more than 40 labs at HLI by the end of 2024. We will also officially start the process of designing the new labs at the CSRC (clinical support and research centre), which will be a state-of-the-art new building (370,000 square feet) on Station Street, directly adjacent and connected to the new St. Paul’s Hospital. It will be the new home of HLI for the next 100 years!
Strategic Plan 2022-2027
HLI’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027 was developed in collaboration with Providence Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine, Providence Health Care and Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences. Over the next few years, our vision is to discover solutions to improve the heart and lung health of peoples of British Columbia, Canada and throughout the world. To accomplish this, we will attract, support, and connect world class researchers to discover patient-centred therapeutic and biomarker solutions to improve cardiovascular and respiratory health by focusing on three core areas: research, education, and knowledge mobilization.
Pulmonary Research Laboratories (PRL)
With the support of St. Paul’s Hospital, the University of British Columbia, BC Lung Association, and the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Pulmonary Research Laboratory was established by Drs. James Hogg and Peter Pare.
McDonald Research Laboratories
The PRL is renamed as the McDonald Research Laboratories.
New Director
Dr. Bruce McManus, a UBC Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and cardiac pathologist specializing in heart and blood vessel inflammation, takes over as the Director of iCAPTURE.
New Director of HLI
Dr. Keith Walley, a UBC Professor of Medicine and internationally recognized expert in sepsis and critical care research, takes over as the Director, and the Centre is officially renamed as the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation.
New Director of HLI
Dr. Don Sin, a UBC Professor of Medicine and one of the top experts in chronic obstructive lung disease in the world, takes over as the Director of HLI.
Today
Led by Director Dr. Don Sin and Associate Director Dr. Jordan Guenette, the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI) now houses 38 Principal Investigators and over 250 students, staff, and faculty members.
New St. Paul's
Together with the rest of St. Paul’s Hospital, the HLI will move to a new site and become an integral part of the Clinical Support and Research Unit (CSRC).
Partnerships and Governance.
Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
Room 166
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Canada
P 604.806.8346
F 604.806.8351
E info@hli.ubc.ca
