Our Goal for 2016
By 2017, an estimated 2500 Albertans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Most patients will receive surgery and almost one half will also require chemotherapy or radiation. Despite all these forms of treatment, almost 33 per cent of colorectal patients die of the disease.
The Alberta Cancer Foundation has made a significant investment into a comprehensive colorectal research program that will make life better for Albertans facing this disease. Biobanking is gaining momentum as more patient samples and clinical information are being stored to help scientists understand what causes cancer, which treatment options are likely to work best and how to improve patient care in the years to come. Alberta is no exception. Investigators from around the world are turning to the Alberta Cancer Research Biobank to access samples to conduct research in their own laboratories.
One piece of equipment that is speeding up the pace of discovery is a Multi-Mode Microplate Reader. This technology is a next generation laboratory Swiss-army knife that will support a number of research applications. For example, this new instrument can quantify and generate profiles for more than 15,000 DNA samples obtained from healthy Albertans participating in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. The same technology will be applied to DNA extracted from thousands of Albertans diagnosed with cancer, including the 2863 number of samples that have been provided by colorectal patients in the province. Together, these quantified samples will provide researchers with unprecedented power to study the mechanisms and genetic makeup of cancer.
All the funds we raise will help the Alberta Cancer Foundation reach their 3-year, $3M commitment towards a comprehensive colorectal research program. Thank you for making life better for Albertans facing cancer.
By 2017, an estimated 2500 Albertans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Most patients will receive surgery and almost one half will also require chemotherapy or radiation. Despite all these forms of treatment, almost 33 per cent of colorectal patients die of the disease.
The Alberta Cancer Foundation has made a significant investment into a comprehensive colorectal research program that will make life better for Albertans facing this disease. Biobanking is gaining momentum as more patient samples and clinical information are being stored to help scientists understand what causes cancer, which treatment options are likely to work best and how to improve patient care in the years to come. Alberta is no exception. Investigators from around the world are turning to the Alberta Cancer Research Biobank to access samples to conduct research in their own laboratories.
One piece of equipment that is speeding up the pace of discovery is a Multi-Mode Microplate Reader. This technology is a next generation laboratory Swiss-army knife that will support a number of research applications. For example, this new instrument can quantify and generate profiles for more than 15,000 DNA samples obtained from healthy Albertans participating in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. The same technology will be applied to DNA extracted from thousands of Albertans diagnosed with cancer, including the 2863 number of samples that have been provided by colorectal patients in the province. Together, these quantified samples will provide researchers with unprecedented power to study the mechanisms and genetic makeup of cancer.
All the funds we raise will help the Alberta Cancer Foundation reach their 3-year, $3M commitment towards a comprehensive colorectal research program. Thank you for making life better for Albertans facing cancer.
Our Goal for 2015
This year’s events are once again supporting Dr. John Lewis and his ground-breaking work in metastatic prostate cancer. Dr. Lewis and his team are in need of specialized equipment that will help them develop a diagnostic test for patients that can be used to determine whether cancer cells will spread to other areas of the body (metastasize).
Preventing cancer cells from leaving a tumour will mean enhanced care and specialized treatment options for patients diagnosed with this illness. More importantly, this equipment can be used to examine other metastatic cancers such as breast and melanoma. In addition, Dr. Lewis is working on a drug that behaves like glue, dubbed “tumour glue”, which stops cancer cells from leaving the tumour site. With the funds you helped to raise last year, Dr. Lewis and his team are able to use a highly specialized microscope to view cancer cells trying to crawl away from the tumour only to snap back every time like they are on an invisible leash.
This year’s events are once again supporting Dr. John Lewis and his ground-breaking work in metastatic prostate cancer. Dr. Lewis and his team are in need of specialized equipment that will help them develop a diagnostic test for patients that can be used to determine whether cancer cells will spread to other areas of the body (metastasize).
Preventing cancer cells from leaving a tumour will mean enhanced care and specialized treatment options for patients diagnosed with this illness. More importantly, this equipment can be used to examine other metastatic cancers such as breast and melanoma. In addition, Dr. Lewis is working on a drug that behaves like glue, dubbed “tumour glue”, which stops cancer cells from leaving the tumour site. With the funds you helped to raise last year, Dr. Lewis and his team are able to use a highly specialized microscope to view cancer cells trying to crawl away from the tumour only to snap back every time like they are on an invisible leash.
Our Goal for 2013 & 2014: High Speed Nikon 3D Microscope!
Dr. John Lewis and his team are developing a ‘tumour glue’ that can be applied to all metastatic cancers and will prevent tumour cells from detaching and stop the spread of cancer in its tracks. Because tumour glue targets cancer cells that could spread, tracking its effectiveness can also assist with predicting metastases. This microscope will be custom-designed by Nikon and will allow the team to see the effectiveness of the tumour glue drug at single cell resolution in real-time so that staff can precisely view when and where the cells attempt to detach. Moreover, this unique piece of equipment will allow staff to more accurately measure the impact of the tumour glue drug on metastatic cancers and will accelerate the translation of these results to Dr. Lewis’ overall goal of developing this drug to treat all metastatic cancers. [ read more ]
Dr. John Lewis and his team are developing a ‘tumour glue’ that can be applied to all metastatic cancers and will prevent tumour cells from detaching and stop the spread of cancer in its tracks. Because tumour glue targets cancer cells that could spread, tracking its effectiveness can also assist with predicting metastases. This microscope will be custom-designed by Nikon and will allow the team to see the effectiveness of the tumour glue drug at single cell resolution in real-time so that staff can precisely view when and where the cells attempt to detach. Moreover, this unique piece of equipment will allow staff to more accurately measure the impact of the tumour glue drug on metastatic cancers and will accelerate the translation of these results to Dr. Lewis’ overall goal of developing this drug to treat all metastatic cancers. [ read more ]
Update on our 2012 Goal: Linac-MR
As a generous supporter of Dr. Gino Fallone & team at the Cross Cancer Institute, I thought you might be interested to know Gino was honored for the Linac-MR invention at the prestigious ASTech Awards on Friday, November 2, 2012 for Outstanding Leadership in Technology. In accepting the award, Gino graciously acknowledged you — the Alberta Cancer Foundation donors — who “supported this work from its inception.” The Linac-MR Project is on track and progressing according to plan: MR magnet is now built and en route to Canada from Italy. Construction will get underway at the Cross Cancer Institute in early 2013, once the radiation vault renovations are complete (electrical modifications and radiofrequency shielding). [ read more ]
As a generous supporter of Dr. Gino Fallone & team at the Cross Cancer Institute, I thought you might be interested to know Gino was honored for the Linac-MR invention at the prestigious ASTech Awards on Friday, November 2, 2012 for Outstanding Leadership in Technology. In accepting the award, Gino graciously acknowledged you — the Alberta Cancer Foundation donors — who “supported this work from its inception.” The Linac-MR Project is on track and progressing according to plan: MR magnet is now built and en route to Canada from Italy. Construction will get underway at the Cross Cancer Institute in early 2013, once the radiation vault renovations are complete (electrical modifications and radiofrequency shielding). [ read more ]