BC Cancer Foundation 2014 Report to Donors - (Page 8)

PARTNERS IN DISCOVERY DR. BRAD NELSON AND HIS TEAM ARE WORKING TOWARD PERSONALIZED CANCER TREATMENT CANCER VACCINES ON THE HORIZON T his year, after a decade of research, scientists at the BC Cancer Agency's Deeley Research Centre (DRC) completed the ﬁrst description of the mutational landscape of ovarian cancer during progression from primary to recurrent disease. They also demonstrated how the immune system actively responds to mutations in ovarian cancer. Now, DRC Director Dr. Brad Nelson and his team are developing therapeutic vaccines that will boost the immune response to cancer, thereby helping to naturally eliminate cancer cells. Patients' tumours will be decoded using high-tech next-generation sequencing technologies, revealing all the mutations in the cancer. The strongest mutations-ones that can be targeted-will be incorporated into vaccines. The ﬁrst clinical trials are scheduled to launch within two years. "We believe that personalized vaccines will eliminate any cancer cells that remain after standard treatments and prevent cancers from recurring in the same way the immune system protects the body from bacteria and viruses," says Dr. Nelson. "There is no question that immunotherapy is one of the most promising new ways to treat cancer-and our team is working hard to launch clinical trials in the near future." 8 RESEARCH IS OUR FOUNDATION $405,000 AWARDED FOR MUCH-NEEDED EQUIPMENT AT THE BC CANCER AGENCY T he Innovation Support Fund was established in 2010 by the BC Cancer Foundation and BC Cancer Agency to provide funding for equipment and technology to support breakthrough cancer research. Once again this year, more than $405,000 was awarded to purchase state-of-the-art equipment vital to the Agency's strategic research projects. The 2013 applications were peer-reviewed by a committee of 14 clinicians and researchers, chaired by Dr. Keith Humphries, Director of the BC Cancer Agency's Terry Fox Laboratory. The pieces of equipment funded this year include: * A 3-D printer and model processing software to create prototypes for innovative tumour detection tools, plan surgical approaches and assist with clinical training; * A new ﬂuorescence microscope to aid researchers at the Deeley Research Centre in Victoria as they study speciﬁc proteins within tumours, DNA damage and repair from radiation treatment, and immune responses to cancer; * A liquid chromatography system to enable researchers to separate chemical compounds in order to develop novel imaging probes to target various cancers, including breast, prostate and liver. Made possible by support from the Milan and Maureen Ilich Foundation, this year's awards bring the four-year total for this fund to $1.8 million.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BC Cancer Foundation 2014 Report to Donors

BC Cancer Foundation 2014 Report to Donors
Contents
Partners in Hope
Partners in Change
Partners in Discovery
Financial Summary

BC Cancer Foundation 2014 Report to Donors