November 8, 2018
Gene signature discovery may predict response to immune therapy
Dr. Daniel De Carvalho discusses his study published in Nature Communications, which found a gene signature biomarker that may help predict which patients will respond to immune therapy.
Continue reading – Gene signature discovery may predict response to immune therapy
October 2, 2018
Understanding how cancer differs between sexes
OICR researchers uncover sex-linked genetic differences that may be able to predict cancer severity and response to therapy
Cancer differs in males and females but the origins and mechanisms of these sex differences remain unresolved. A better understanding of sex-linked differences in cancer could lead to more accurate tests and treatments that are personalized for patients based on their sex.
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November 2, 2017
Novel approach yields four robust biomarkers for breast cancer drug response
Biomarkers that can help predict a patient’s response to a given drug are central to testing new therapies in clinical trials as well as selecting which drugs to use in the clinic. Some of the biomarkers in use today rely on the overall expression of a given gene to predict if a drug will be of benefit. While these types of biomarkers have aided cancer research and treatment, a group led by Dr. Benjamin Haibe-Kains recently published research that is ushering in a new class of biomarkers – those based on gene isoforms (the different expression of the same gene within an individual). This work opens the door to more precise biomarkers.
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June 28, 2016
OICR’s Dr. Clare Jeon discusses how the discovery of protein signatures could lead to cheaper, easier diagnostic tests for prostate cancer
Researchers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, University Health Network and Eastern Virginia Medical School, in a paper published today in the journal Nature Communications, have identified protein signatures in urine that can accurately diagnose aggressive prostate cancer. The signatures could be used to develop a test for prostate cancer that uses a patient’s urine sample to determine whether he has prostate cancer and another test that could identify how aggressive the disease is. This would help to replace more invasive tests such as PSA test and biopsy, which also have high rates of over-diagnosis and in many cases lead to over-treatment.
May 13, 2016
New research better defines which patients will respond to colorectal cancer drug
The University Health Network announced today that Dr. Geoffrey Liu, clinician-scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and his team have identified a blood marker that better defines which patients will respond to the drug cetuximab. The research applies to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
See Dr. Liu explain his findings:
Dr. Liu’s research was funded by the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, the Alan B. Brown Chair in Molecular Genomics, the Cancer Care Ontario Chair in Experimental Therapeutics and Population Studies, the Canadian Cancer Society, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. The research was published today in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
See full release here:
Researchers Discover Blood Marker That Better Defines Who Will Respond To Drug Used In Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
January 25, 2016
Discovery by OICR scientists to assist in personalizing prostate cancer treatment
Researchers in OICR’s Informatics and Bio-computing and Genome Technologies Programs, together with their collaborators, have discovered a new sub-type of prostate cancer. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics, will assist scientists in creating better diagnostic tests and improve the personalized treatment of prostate cancer. The study was conducted as part of the Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC-GENE), a multidisciplinary team of researchers from across the country that is studying the genetic code of prostate cancer to better predict how patients will respond to treatment. CPC-GENE is part of the Canadian contribution to the International Cancer Genome Consortium.
Continue reading – Discovery by OICR scientists to assist in personalizing prostate cancer treatment
