Our Cause

BC Children’s Hospital treated over 138,000 children last year, diagnosing serious illnesses, applying life-saving treatments, and supporting patients’ physical and mental health. All of this work was built on research, which lays the groundwork for transforming the health of BC’s kids—both now and in the years to come.

Research can start small—maybe as the spark of a question in a researcher’s mind—but can lead to incredibly powerful and life-changing results. Researchers at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute are constantly working to turn questions into answers and make scientific discoveries that advance knowledge and improve care for children and families.

Research equipment and technology

Medical research is like a marathon, requiring perseverance and dedication to steadily move forward. With updated and improved technology, researchers can accelerate their research—the better the equipment, the faster they can move toward future breakthroughs.

Never underestimate the impact you can make. Funds raised at the 2023 SHINE Mother’s Day Tea will join in the efforts of the 35th annual Chinese-Canadian RISE for BC Kids and contribute towards its goal of raising $1.35 million. 

Here are three examples of state-of-the-art equipment that can provide tangible benefits across many areas of medical research:



Mass Spectrometer

A workhorse in the lab, this device is used to study molecules across a range of areas including cancer, mental health, and gastrointestinal diseases.

The existing mass spectrometers in the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute are fully booked 3-4 months in advance and run up to 20 hours a day, so an additional machine will provide opportunities to speed up test results and run new types of tests.



Gas Chromatograph

Often used alongside a mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph separates the chemical components of a sample and is used to research cardiovascular diseases, cancers and nutrition.

The Research Institute’s current gas chromatograph is 15 years old, so new equipment will provide higher test sensitivity and better allow researchers to push research forward.



High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)

An HPLC identifies and analyzes biomarkers, which are small molecules that can act as a signal of health or disease.

It is used in many areas of research including cancers, metabolic diseases, nutrition and diabetes. A new HPLC will allow researchers to run more advanced tests, compared to the current 20-year-old machine, and stay at the forefront of scientific discovery.

We want to unlock better health outcomes for kids, and research is the key.

Your generosity and support of this research will help change the lives of children diagnosed with devastating illnesses, now and in the future.

Give mom a gift that that will change lives