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Animal models are often used to study how a cancer evolves or how effective a treatment could be, but Dr. Laurie Ailles, Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and OICR Investigator, has recently found that certain animal models could be used to predict the aggressiveness of a patient’s oral cancer and help inform treatment decisions in the clinic.
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Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe investigates why the 20 per cent of cancer patients with diabetes often experience worse outcomes
Several studies show that health outcomes – such as overall survival and preventable hospitalizations – are worse for cancer patients who also have diabetes. However, the reasoning behind this disparity is unclear. Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, an endocrinologist at Women’s College Hospital and Diabetes Canada Investigator Award holder, is investigating why these differences exist and what we can do to avoid preventable complications.
GA4GH releases its latest standards for genomics search engines, a project co-led by OICR Associate, Dr. Marc Fiume
While we are generating genomic data at an unprecedented rate, it is collected and studied in academic and clinical settings around the world with different data privacy requirements, making it difficult to share this knowledge. Researchers must undergo a lengthy process to request access to data and until now there has been no way to know if a data set contains information that is relevant to the research being conducted.
Researchers find a new way to detect small traces of tumour DNA in blood and determine the tumour’s tissue of origin
A blood sample can be used to detect and monitor certain cancers in select patients, but there are significant technical barriers that prevent the widespread adoption of this “liquid biopsy”. This type of blood test analyzes the rare traces of tumour DNA that are circulating in the blood, but distinguishing tumour DNA from healthy DNA is both difficult and expensive. New methods are needed to improve the accuracy, sensitivity and cost-effectiveness of liquid biopsies so that more patients can benefit from this less-invasive test.
Dr. Daniel De Carvalho discusses his study published in Nature Communications, which found a gene signature biomarker that may help predict which patients will respond to immune therapy.
Researchers studying ovarian cancer identify adapter protein 3BP2 as a key component of immune system function and a powerful tool that could be used to activate the immune system against hidden tumour cells.
Research team finds aggressive breast cancers are less frequent than previously thought, and less aggressive breast cancers need more of our attention.
Different subtypes of breast cancer respond to treatment differently and require different treatment approaches. Understanding the distribution of these subtypes and their respective clinical outcomes allows researchers to better understand the disease and identify key research priorities that may have been previously overlooked.
Brain tumour tissue is often stiffer than normal tissue. New research funded by OICR helps to explain how this occurs – and how this knowledge can be used to help slow tumour development.
Uncontrolled cell growth in solid tumours, such as brain tumours, causes tumour tissue to be stiffer than healthy tissue, creating an advantageous environment for tumour cells to proliferate rapidly, avoid cell death and develop resistance to drugs. But how tumour tissue stiffens is not well understood. A research group based at the The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) recently discovered how tumour cells sense and respond to tissue rigidity. Their findings, recently published in Neuron, show that stopping the mechanism that drives tumour stiffness could slow cancer growth.
Dr. Catherine Coolens with new DCE-CT calibration device
OICR offers new CT calibration service as part of its Collaborative Research Resources portfolio
Using imaging devices to help make treatment decisions in the clinic requires rigorous testing, quality assurance and routine calibration of the imaging machinery. These standards are especially important when the imaging technology is novel or unique, such as in the case of perfusion imaging – a relatively new technique used to diagnose a cancer’s stage by showing how blood flows through the tumour.
Strategic appointments of seasoned entrepreneurs add expertise and strengthen governance
TORONTO, ON (October 11, 2018) — FACIT announced the appointment of two new members to its Board, Mr. Har Grover and Mr. Ken Lawless. Both leaders are passionate supporters of the Ontario life science sector, have broad industry experience and decades of work with entrepreneurial ventures. As FACIT drives oncology innovations to the marketplace and highlights Ontario as a top-tier destination for biotech investment, strong governance by its Board is critical to achieving this mandate.
