Dr. Sofia Arshavsky-Graham did not always imagine a career in science.
That changed when she was introduced to biotechnology and saw how biology and engineering could work together to address real medical needs.
Around the same time, cancer research became deeply personal. She saw firsthand how cancer was affecting people close to her. She began to ask why treatments work for some patients but not for others.
From then on, the connection for Sofia was clear – to contribute meaningfully to health and medicine. Her goal is to create tools that address urgent questions in cancer research.
That motivation now sits at the core of her work.
Studying cancer where it unfolds
As the inaugural Michael Smith Health Research BC and Conconi Family Foundation BioDevice Innovation Fellow, Sofia is developing new tools to understand how cancer interacts with the immune system. Her project, Plug-and-Play in a Plate: Modular Microfluidic Biodevices for Reconstructing the Tumour-Immune Dialogue, looks at tumor-draining lymph nodes (glands that are part of the immune system). These nodes regulate immune responses and are often early areas of cancer spread, yet they have been difficult to study outside the body – until now.
Sofia is developing miniaturized devices that mimic how tumours and immune cells communicate over time. The devices allow researchers to control fluid flow, bring tumour and lymph node cells together, and detect when the immune system isn’t working as strongly as it should.
“What excites me most is the opportunity to combine engineering and biology to shape how we study cancer,” she explains. “This allows us to observe tumour–immune interactions in real time.”
With these models, researchers can better understand why patients respond differently to immunotherapies. Over time, the same devices could also be adapted for use in other types of organ modelling and drug discovery, extending their impact beyond cancer research.
Partnership that turns ideas into impact
Sofia’s work is supported through a partnership between Health Research BC and the University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) to establish the fellowship.
Fellows are based at the Conconi Family BioDevice Foundry for up to five years. They will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, collaboration across sectors, and industry partnerships.
“This fellowship provides the stability to focus fully on the science, pursue ambitious research, and build meaningful contributions without being limited by short-term constraints,” says Sofia.
The program also supports new research career pathways and strengthens connections between academia and industry.
“This fellowship enables the next generation of researchers to advance cutting-edge biodevice innovations, while at the same time strengthening BC’s capacity for both the biotech and medtech sectors,” says Muneerah Kassam, Director, Partnerships, Health Research BC.
Over the next five years, this program will support up to five researchers. Their work will contribute to advancing BC’s leadership in biomedical engineering and biotechnology and help build a strong, connected life sciences community.
In the coming years, more fellows will join the program, each bringing new perspectives and approaches shaped by their own experiences. Health Research BC will continue to support researchers as they work on questions that matter most to patients.
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Dr. Sofia Arshavsky-Graham
Dr. Sofia Arshavsky-Graham is the 2025 Michael Smith Health Research BC and Conconi Family Foundation BioDevice Innovation Fellow at the University of British Columbia. She is supported through a partnership between Health Research BC, the University of British Columbia School of Biomedical Engineering, and the Conconi Family Foundation. Her research is embedded within the Conconi Family BioDevice Foundry, where she develops biodevices to model tumour–immune interactions and support the development of more effective cancer therapies.
