Return

ACRI awarded 3M research grant

Genomically-Guided Biomarker Discovery for CancerScientific

Project is awarded up to 3M from the Atlantic Innovation Fund

Prostate cancer is a leading form of disease in Canadian men while colon cancer is one of the three most prevalent cancers for both men and women. Current tests, such as the Prostate Specific Antigen Test (PSA) for prostate cancer and the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) for colon cancer, are often inaccurate and can lead to unnecessary and expensive medical procedures.

Minister Greg Thompson and Dr. Rodney Ouellette, CEO and Director of Discovery at the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, discuss with Dr. Adrian Culf about the various genomic projects at the Institute.

The Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, in partnership with the National Research Council Institute for Information Technology, recently patented highly accurate biomarker panels for diagnosing prostate and colon cancers using small amounts of tissue generally removed using a needle biopsy. This AIF project will extend this genetic research to explore possible biomarker panels for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer. As well, this initiative will expand the institute’s research capacity to include proteomics research. Proteins carry out the cell’s physiological functions and their fundamental impact on health and disease is an important consideration when researching ways to detect cancer at its earliest stages of development. Proteomics research will provide a foundation for developing various biomarker screening tests to determine the presence of cancer cells in blood, urine or stool. If successful, the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute and the National Research Council will commercialize these new cancer biomarker tests as a cost-effective way to detect cancer, thus reducing the need for costly and invasive medical tests and procedures.

Researchers at the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute explain breast cancer research fundings to Minister Thompson and Dr. Ouellette during a tour of the Institute.

This project, with total estimated costs of approximately $6.2 million, will receive up to $3 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a three-year period.

Minister Thompson talks with young researchers at the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute. Canada's New Government recognizes that innovation can help keep young people in Atlantic Canada and stem youth out-migration.

Dr. Rodney Ouellette, CEO and Director of Discovery at the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute explains microarray technology to Minister Greg Thompson during a tour of the Institute on January 15.