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OICR researchers uncover sex-linked genetic differences that may be able to predict cancer severity and response to therapy
Cancer differs in males and females but the origins and mechanisms of these sex differences remain unresolved. A better understanding of sex-linked differences in cancer could lead to more accurate tests and treatments that are personalized for patients based on their sex.
Cross-Canada research team moves image-guided ultrasound system into clinical development
Traditional breast cancer radiation treatment requires multiple hospital visits over a period of weeks or months, which may be onerous to patients who live far from hospitals or in remote communities. An alternative radiotherapy technique, Permanent Breast Seed Implantation (PBSI), requires only a single hospital visit, but it involves the implantation of multiple small radioactive metal pellets into the breast of the patient within millimetres of a target. The procedure to administer this treatment is difficult to plan and complex to execute – impeding the adoption of PBSI in the clinic.
OICR takes part in international multicentre study to standardize promising breast cancer digital pathology test
The Ki67 immunohistochemistry assay is a test that can help evaluate the aggressiveness of breast tumours, predict disease outcomes, monitor cancer progression and identify patients who are more likely to respond to a given therapy. Despite its potential to help patients with breast cancer, the analysis of Ki67 has not been widely adopted in the clinic, mostly due to the lack of standardization across laboratories.
Today, OICR’s Dr. Paul Boutros was named the 2018 winner of the Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize. The award is part of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Awards for Excellence in Cancer Research.
Sunnybrook researchers develop new magnetic resonance imaging methods to help differentiate between aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancers
Current needle biopsy techniques have limited accuracy in detecting prostate cancer and determining the tumour’s aggressiveness. New methods are needed to better detect and characterize prostate cancer so that each patient can get the treatment that is most appropriate for them.
Prospects Oncology Fund seeds developing pipeline of Ontario-based biotech innovations
TORONTO, ON (September 13, 2018) – With an expanding portfolio of breakthrough innovations, FACIT is committed to supporting Ontario entrepreneurs through the latest round of its Prospects Oncology Fund. FACIT has selected three novel cancer therapeutic discoveries to receive early-stage capital – biotechnology start-up Talon Pharmaceuticals (“Talon”), the Drug Discovery team at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (“OICR”) and CCRM. The Prospects Fund provides entrepreneurial scientists with the capital resources necessary to achieve critical proof-of-principle studies for their cutting-edge breakthroughs aiming to benefit future patients.
OICR’s Genome Informatics team plays key role in development of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Portal
Toronto (September 11, 2018) – Today, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center (DRC) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia launched the Kids First Data Resource Portal, which will advance personalized medicine for the detection, therapy, and management of childhood cancer and structural birth defects. As the Kids First DRC’s chief outward-facing tool, the Kids First Data Resource Portal serves the needs of a diverse group of patients, researchers, and clinicians partnering to create the world’s largest database of pediatric genomic data, and provides the necessary tools and computational resources for their analysis and interpretation.
Hamilton researchers discover that cancer stem cells may not be the only culprits of acute myeloid leukemia relapse
Although current chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is effective in the short term, the disease often returns a few years after treatment. A new study suggests that the relapse of leukemia may not be caused by leukemic stem cells – a special set of cells that can avoid initial treatment by not dividing, then give rise to new cancerous cells after therapy – but rather a different class of leukemic cells.
OICR welcomes Dr. Christina Yung as Director of Genome Informatics. Yung is returning to OICR from the University of Chicago where she led and managed the National Cancer Institute’s Genomic Data Commons (GDC) – a unified data system that promotes the sharing of genomic and clinical data between researchers.
OICR-developed software tool, Heliotrope, gains attention from the private sector for its potential to analyze large amounts of genomic information and inform clinical decision making
