UBC Reports, February 2, 2006
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ubcr5202-30jan06 1/31/06 9:35 AM Page 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VOLUME 52 | NUMBER 2 | FEBRUARY 2, 2006 UBC REPORTS 2 New Library Branch 2 UBC Awards 4 Street Music 5 Largest Black Box 6 UBC Okanagan Management The Changing Face of Romance in 2006 financial security and men to want UBC EXPERT INSIGHT physically attractive partner lingers into later life. Friends, relatives, and work (for those still in the labour force) are still Are Valentines Just good ways at this point in the lifecy- cle to find dates. Social groups for the Young? including singles clubs, matchmaking BY DAN PERLMAN, services, and the Internet are also Professor of Family Studies helping older adults get together. Given that there are 2.4 women for When you think of dating couples, every man aged 55+ in Canada, it is what sorts of romantic partners not surprising that men in this age come to mind? Attractive couples group find it easier than women to like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in locate dating partners. late adolescence or young adult- Men and women also differ in hood, perhaps? Certainly many how quickly they establish new rela- people associate dating with youth. tionships after the death of a spouse. But, should you? More mid-life Men are three times as likely as Canadians are living alone and more women to do this within two years. are getting divorced. Added to this, Demographics play a part here but Canadians are living longer. In the recent widows’ attitudes are different past 20 years, these trends have than recent widowers’. Women who collectively contributed to the are recently widowed express more proportion of married Canadians reservations about forming new shrinking and there being a lot of romantic relationships than widowed single individuals in our country. men and are more apt to see it as a Indeed, today there are over 2.5 sign of disloyalty to their former million unmarried Canadians aged spouse. Establishing new unions 55 and up. Given the prevalence of may, however, be adaptive: Greater single seniors and the needs that all psychological well-being has been humans have for enduring, close PHOTO: MARTIN DEE demonstrated to be correlated with relationships, it is not surprising that Later life dating is becoming more common as the number of single Canadians above age 55 grows. being remarried or in a new romance later life dating is becoming more 25 months after the spouse’s death. common. Many older adults are happy to Although it may be less so among While the human need for love has not changed, social trends are influencing simply date without necessarily the recently widowed and the very wanting to remarry. What is called old, most single older adults are relationships in new ways, for young and old. In this month of romance, three Living Apart Together (LAT) is a interested in dating. When asked UBC professors illuminate some of these changes: youth no longer have the form of relationship first noted in the why, they are likely to answer in monopoly on dating; children of divorced parents aren’t less happy; and the Netherlands over 25 years ago that terms of companionship, saying they Internet makes relationships more vulnerable to deception. is now finding its way to Canada. In would like to have someone with LAT relationships such as that of whom to do things, to talk/confide, Simone de Beauvoir and John Paul and to have fun. Sex is of some Sartre, partners define themselves as interest, especially for men, but is no companionship. When it comes to with a pleasing personality (e.g., a moral, religious and/or personal a couple, see each other often, but where near as likely to be mentioned the ideal date, both men and sense of humour), common interests, values. The tendencies of younger maintain separate residences. For as a reason for dating as is women are looking for partners and a person with appropriate females to seek partners offering continued on page 7 Diabetes Researchers Convert Viruses into Agents for Good BY HILARY THOMSON If you think all viruses are all bad, all the time, think again. to specific cell types. UBC diabetes researcher Timothy Kieffer is using the some- The research, conducted in animal models, offers scientists the times-lethal life form as a harmless courier to transport genetic first tool to deliver therapeutic genes specifically to beta cells information into a diseased pancreas — information that can Institute, along with Assoc. Prof. Bruce Verchere and Assoc. Prof. within the pancreas. trigger regeneration and repair and may end the need for insulin Rusung Tan from the Child & Family Research Institute in The team’s focus is Type 1 diabetes, which can be diagnosed injections. Vancouver, have launched a five-year study to develop a viral from infancy to the late 30s. Patients must inject insulin several Diabetes is caused by the inability of specialized cells of the vector, or carrier, that can deliver new genetic instructions to times every day. pancreas, called beta cells, to produce sufficient amounts of pancreatic beta cells. The gene therapy involves removing the virus’ “It’s heartbreaking to think that children as young as two or insulin, a hormone critical for regulating blood sugar levels. own genetic blueprint and replacing it with genetic codes that can three have to do pinprick blood sugar checks up to a dozen times Although causes are not entirely known, scientists believe the trigger growth of new beta cells and protect them from the immune a day and use needles to deliver insulin for the rest of their lives,” body’s own immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta system. says Kieffer. “Also, the life expectancy for these kids can be cells in Type 1 or juvenile diabetes, and that the cells are present “Helping the body to regenerate its own cells would take us shortened by up to 15 years.” but dysfunctional in Type 2 or adult onset diabetes. beyond treatment to a cure,” says Kieffer, who is an associate Until now, scientists have been stumped by the problem of Termed an epidemic by the World Health Organization, professor in the Depts. of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and how to deliver genetic material directly and only to beta cells — diabetes currently affects about 177 million people worldwide, Surgery. because the cells are few in number and scattered throughout the including two million Canadians and 18 million Americans. The The research group is one of only a handful of researchers pancreas. health-care costs associated with diabetes are about $13 billion worldwide looking at viral vectors as a tool to combat diabetes. Viruses make excellent messengers because they can target annually in Canada and $132 billion in the U.S. according to Investigators have teamed up with gene therapist Paul D. Robbins, particular cell types with great efficiency. They are also very effec- Canadian and U.S. diabetes associations. director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Viral Vector Core tive at transferring their own genetic information into the host Kieffer and Assistant Prof. Jim Johnson at UBC’s Life Sciences Facility, who is an expert in how genes can be transported continued on page 2 Iraq Three Years Later: What Should Be Done? STORY ON PAGE 5 ubcr5202-30jan06 1/31/06 9:35 AM Page 3 2 | ubc reports | february 2, 2006 RETIRING WITHIN Towards a Cure continued from page 1 FIVE YEARS? cell. By replacing the virus’ replica- body’s entire immune system. Want to plan ahead? tion genes with genes that trigger Viral vectors also have the poten- beta cell regeneration, scientists can tial to help combat a variety of inher- exploit the vectors’ natural ability to ited and acquired illness, including • Retirement and estate planning transfer genetic information to a cancer, infectious disease and athero- • UBC pension expertise specific target. sclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries. • Complimentary consultations for Additionally, vectors’ ability to hit Kieffer emphasizes that viral specific targets means therapies vectors are a tool, not a therapy, and UBC faculty & staff would affect the pancreas only. estimates it will be at least 10 years Currently, to combat severe cases of before his research can be translated diabetes, doctors can transplant into therapies. The research may also Don Proteau “Frank and Don made me feel very comfortable clusters of beta cells — called islets help combat Type 2 diabetes. BComm, CFP with their advice and long-range planning. Their Senior Financial — from donated organs. However, Project funding of $300,000 Planner knowledge of the faculty pension plan is also a plus the entire immune system must be annually comes from the Canadian Assante Financial for UBC professors.” suppressed with potent drugs to Institutes of Health Research and the Management Ltd. Dr. J.H. McNeill, stop it destroying the new beta cells. Juvenile Diabetes Research Professor Emeritus, Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Targeted viral vectors may mean the Foundation of Canada. Frank Danielson ‘battle’ can be fought in the pan- For more information on diabetes, BEd, CFP creas alone, without disrupting the visit www.diabetes.ca. ■ Senior Financial Call or email today for a complimentary Planner Assante Financial retirement analysis! Lifespans for children with diabetes can be shortened by 15 years. Management Ltd. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION (604) 638-0335 • [email protected] • [email protected] The Assante symbol and Assante Wealth Management are trademarks of Assante Corporation, used under license Xwi7xwa Library Gains Full Branch Status What began as a dream of Indigenous scholarship 30 theses and dissertations is one of only a handful of years ago came to fruition recently when the publicly accessible Aboriginal libraries in the world.