Inside this issue...
New Research
Fruit flies and cancer research
New treatment for depression
Personalized cancer therapy
Breaking News
CIHR makes funding announcement
Updates
New venture discussed in Shanghai
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UHN's Research Internet Site
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Pesky fruit flies provide cancer clues
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A team of OCI/PMH researchers including Drs. Tak Mak,
Fei-Fei Liu,
Armen Manoukian,
Ming Tsao and student Raymond Kim
have discovered that a molecule called DJ-1—previously implicated in Parkinson disease—plays a role in the development of cancer.
Using a genetic screening method in fruit flies, they discovered that DJ-1 prevents the tumour suppressor molecule PTEN from doing its job. With PTEN out of commission,
cell growth can rage out of control and cancer can develop. Human breast and lung cancer cells also have high levels of the molecule, and lung cancer patients with high
levels of DJ-1 are more likely to suffer a relapse. Says Dr. Mak, “Our results suggest that DJ-1 does play a role in the development of cancer, and in the future, it may represent a valuable new target for cancer therapy.”
Cancer Cell. 2005 Mar;7(3): 263-273. [PubMed abstract]
Funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Institutes: AMDI/OCI/PMH, The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, OCI/PMH
Division: Cell & Molecular Biology
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Parkinson disease treatment also alleviates depression
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In collaboration with a team of Toronto scientists, Drs. Andres Lozano and
Sidney Kennedy (TWRI/TWH) and Dr. Helen Mayberg (Emory University School of Medicine) recently showed that deep brain stimulation (DBS)—a procedure usually
reserved for treating Parkinson disease and epilepsy—alleviates severe depression.
Based on the team’s previous findings that an area of the brain called Cg25 is important for mood regulation, the research team suspected that DBS might be useful to
“retune” this area of the brain. The treatment was successful: changes observed in four of the six patients treated resembled changes that are seen when
patients respond successfully to the standard treatment. Says Dr. Lozano, “Our study shows that DBS can lead to striking and sustained remission of depression in some patients. It further suggests that DBS may become a standard therapy for treating severely depressed people who are resistant to drug therapy.”
Neuron. 2005 Mar 3;45(5):651-60. [PubMed abstract]
Funded by the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
Institute: TWRI/TWH
Division: Applied & Interventional Research
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Personalized cancer therapy: new test makes detection faster and easier
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TGRI/TGH researcher and MCMM Director Dr. Keith Stewart
and colleagues Drs. Suzanne Trudel and Hong Chang have developed a
simple, rapid, and inexpensive method for detecting a specific genetic defect that is associated with reduced survival in 10-20% of multiple myeloma (MM) patients.
Previous research by the group revealed that this genetic defect causes a protein called FGFR3 to “run wild” and contribute to the development of MM. In the
current study, the team used special labeling techniques to reliably detect the FGFR3 protein in MM cells. They found that 98% of the time, the presence of the protein
could predict the presence of the genetic defect. Patients with the defect experienced reduced overall survival. Says Dr. Chang, “Our study proves that using this new technique to assess MM cells is clinically useful for identifying those MM patients who are at higher risk, a finding which will be useful for assessing treatment options for patients.”
Blood. 2005 Mar 10 [PubMed abstract]
Funded in part by the Leukemia Research Fund of Canada
Institute: TGRI/TGH
Division: Experimental Therapeutics
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CIHR makes funding announcement
On March 15, 2005, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) chose OCI/PMH as the site of a media event announcing an investment of more than $91M to fund
218 health research projects across Ontario. UHN researchers received over $8M to fund 18 new research projects.
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New joint venture discussed in Shanghai
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Dr. Christopher Paige, VP Research, recently returned from Shanghai
where he met with representatives from the Institute of Health Science (part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) to discuss the possibility of establishing a joint venture
with UHN.
Says Dr. Paige, “I’m impressed with the potential of building a partnership with the IHS. It offers the opportunity to forge further relationships with other allied Chinese
Academies.” This initiative is part of the larger UHN Global Ventures strategy. Delegates from the institute have been invited to visit UHN in April.
| Research Fact |
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A recent international study involving OCI/PMH’s Dr. Warren Mason
has resulted in the development of a new standard of care for the treatment of glioblastoma, the most deadly form of brain cancer.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study marks the first advance in treating glioblastoma in 30 years.