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The ability to sequence and study the human genome and the genomes of different cancer types has allowed scientists to increase our understanding of the biology of these diseases. In turn this has helped to create new preventative strategies, diagnostic and prognostic tools as well as better treatments. But what if there was a way to make this information even more useful? An international group is working to establish a project that will do just that.
Cancer is a global concern. Cancer Research UK estimated that in 2012 there were 14.1 million new diagnoses of cancer worldwide and 8.2 million deaths could be attributed to the disease. While these staggering numbers alone may paint a bleak picture, it is important to remember that around the world scientists are improving methods to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Their efforts have drastically increased cancer survival over the last few decades.
OICR is proud to contribute to this global cause through its provincial, national and international research projects. Cancer is too large and complex an issue to be tackled by one organization alone. Below we’re sharing a selection of stories from the last several months highlighting the progress that has been made by researchers at the Institute, working together with our partners, to help reduce the impact of cancer on the lives of people around the world.
Pan-Canadian research team uncovers ‘signature’ to reduce overtreatment of prostate cancer
New findings challenge current view of how pancreas cancer develops
Cancer stem cell scientists create tool to aid in planning treatment for leukemia
An interview with Dr. David LeBrun, leader of OICR’s new molecular pathology network
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has honoured Dr. John Dick by selecting him to deliver the 2017 Tobias Award Lecture at the organization’s annual meeting June 14-17 in Boston. The honour, supported by the Tobias Foundation, recognizes promising research into stem cell therapies for haematological conditions.
The Toronto Bioinformatics User Group (TorBUG) will hold its first session of the New Year on January 25. Anyone with an interest in bioinformatics is encouraged to attend and hear from Katie Pollard, Director and Senior Investigator at Gladstone Institutes and Davide Chicco from the University of Toronto.
Event details
January 25, 2017
4-4:15 p.m. Trainee Speaker: Davide Chicco, University of Toronto: “Siamese neural network for prediction of long-range interactions in chromatin”
4:15-5 p.m. Guest Speaker: Katie Pollard, Gladstone Institutes: “Most transcription factors recognize DNA shape”
5-7 p.m. Reception
Location: 160 College St., Toronto, Red Room, Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto
A calendar of upcoming TorBUG events can be found at: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed src=q298n32s05bs5l3160afh302hk@group.calendar.google.com
Missed a session? Videos of the latest TorBUG talks are below.
For scientists working to understand diseases and develop new treatments, access to data is key. Ontario Health Study (OHS) participants have already provided the Study with a wealth of information about their health and lifestyle through the OHS online survey, and in some cases, blood samples and physical measures. Researchers can use this information to uncover the causes of various chronic diseases and to inform further research. Now, OHS participants are being given an opportunity to further help researchers by completing a follow-up questionnaire.
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health’s (GA4GH) Beacon Project has partnered with ELIXIR, the body that organizes Europe’s infrastructure for life science data, to make genomic data in that continent more easily discoverable by researchers. The Beacon Project is a demonstration project that enables genomic data centres to make their data more easily discoverable to users by allowing them to use simple queries to explore a dataset’s contents.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian men, but there is still no one-size-fits-all strategy for treating the disease. Currently it is difficult to choose exactly the right type and amount of treatment for each individual because it is hard to accurately assess how aggressive the cancer is. Researchers are now a step closer to bringing a powerful new prognostic tool into clinical use.
A team of researchers and clinician-scientists from across Canada have discovered a signature of 41 mutations that are common in prostate cancer and will help to prevent patients with non-aggressive disease from being overtreated. Dr. Paul Boutros, a Principal Investigator in OICR’s Informatics and Bio-computing Program and Co-Lead of the Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC-GENE), answered a few questions about how the signature was developed and its potential impact on patients.
Findings published in renowned journal Nature
January 9, 2017 – TORONTO, ON – The Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC-GENE) has published findings from the world’s most comprehensive genetic analysis of prostate cancer tumours in the journal Nature. Led by Drs. Robert Bristow of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Paul Boutros of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, CPC-GENE has uncovered the full set of mutations that can occur in the most common cancer in men. By fully cataloging these mutations, the CPC-GENE team was able to create a new signature that predicts at an early stage whether a prostate cancer tumour will become aggressive or not, allowing for personalized treatment.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukemia in adults and is one of the most deadly. Although AML is treated as a single disease, patient response to intensive curative-intent chemotherapy varies. It is currently difficult to predict who will do well with standard treatment, and who will not benefit from standard treatment and might do better enrolling in a clinical trial where they may be offered novel therapies.
