Dr. Alice Mui is a talented investigator who was recruited back to the University of British Columbia (UBC) as an Assistant Professor, Co-Director of Centre for Surgical Research, Department of Surgery. Prior to returning Alice had spent seven years as a staff scientist at Schering-Plough’s research institute (DNAX) in California where she ran a research group devoted to understanding cytokine regulation of immune cell function in order to identify targets for the development of therapeutic strategies. Studies in Dr. Mui’s laboratory currently focus on elucidating the signaling pathways by which the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) inhibits immune cell activation.
In collaboration with Dr. Krystal, Dr. Mui showed that SHIP is required for the anti-inflammatory action of IL-10 on macrophages. Because of the central role of SHIP in this process, her laboratory developed a novel in vitro, high throughput assay to screen Dr. Andersen’s marine invertebrate library for small molecule activators or inhibitors of SHIP. Several “hits” were identified, one of which led to Aquinox’s lead product AQX-MN100. Dr. Mui’s work in cytokine biology has been recognized by the International Cytokine Society and she has received a scholarship award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
