The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Dr. John Bell

Program Leader, Immuno- and Bio-Therapeutics

Program Description

Using viruses to kill cancer cells is a promising alternative to chemotherapy because it dramatically reduces the toxicity of treatment. Viruses are able to infect cells, replicate, induce cell death, release viral particles and spread through human tissues, making them an ideal weapon against cancer. Dr. Bell’s lab has shown that a variety of viruses selectively replicate in and kill cancer cell lines while leaving healthy parts of the body intact. The lab is currently seeking to understand the mechanisms by which viruses selectively target cancer cells. They are also optimizing the vesicular stomatisis virus as a cancer-fighting agent and testing the role of the immune system in both the enhancement and the inhibition of oncolytic virus activity.

Contact Information

Telephone
613-737-7700, ext. 70333 (Office)
613-286-2396 (Mobile)

Mailing Address
Ottawa Health Research Institute
501 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1H 8L6


Current

2007 - Program Leader, Immuno- and Bio-Therapeutics, OICR.
1998 - Professor, Medicine, University of Ottawa.
1998 - Career Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

 


Background

1985 - 1998 Professor, Biochemistry, McGill University.
1983 - 1984 Postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Gordon Foulkes, Medical Research Council.
1982 - 1983 Postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Mike McBurney, University of Ottawa.
1982 PhD, Virology, McMaster University, Hamilton.

 

Selected Publications

  1. Park BH, Hwang T, Liu TC, Sze DY, Kim JS, Kwon HC, Oh SY, Han SY, Yoon JH,
    Hong SH, Moon A, Speth K, Park C, Ahn YJ, Daneshmand M, Rhee BG, Pinedo HM, Bell JC, Kirn DH. Use of a targeted oncolytic poxvirus, JX-594, in patients with refractory primary or metastatic liver cancer: a phase I trial. Lancet Oncology. 2008 May 12 Epub.
  2. Breitbach CJ, Paterson JM, Lemay CG, Falls TJ, Parato KA, Stojdl DF, Daneshmand M, Speth K, Kirn D, McCart JA, Atkins H, Bell JC.  Targeted inflammation during Oncolytic Virus Therapy severely compromises tumor blood flow. Molecular Therapy. 2007; 15: 1686-1693.
  3. Power AT, Wang J, Falls T, Paterson J, Parato K, Lichty BD, Stojdl DF, Forsyth PAJ, Atkins H, Bell JC. Carrier Cell-based Delivery of an Oncolytic Virus Circumvents Antiviral Immunity. Molecular Therapy. 2007; 15(1):123-130.
  4. Parato KA, Senger D, Forsyth PA, Bell JC. Recent progress in the battle between oncolytic viruses and tumours. Nature Reviews Cancer. 2005; 5(12):965-976.
  5. Stojdl DF, Lichty B, TenOever BR, Knowles S, Marius R, Reynard J, Ruoso P, Poloquin L, Atkins H, Brown EG, Durbin RK, Durbin JE, Hiscott J, Bell JC. VSV strains with defects in their ability to shutdown innate immunity are potent systemic anti-cancer agents. Cancer Cell. 2003; 4: 263-275.

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