2016 Research Report
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2016 RESEARCH REPORT i PB 2016 FAST FACTS BC Cancer Agency Research 52 full-time scientists 124 clinical investigators 149 health professionals 341 research papers 6 new technology licensing 303 active clinical trials published agreements signed 99.3 million Construction of the Conconi Family 317 patients in research funding Immunotherapy Lab completed participated in the POG Program 4 researchers named among ASCENDE-RT clinical trial World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds 416 trainees completed after 14 years 3 A message from Dr. François Bénard, Available province-wide: a Vice President, Research more personalized approach for the analysis of myeloid 4 A message from Sarah Roth, cancers and solid tumours President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation 18 Celebrating the Epigenomics: BC Cancer Agency’s leadership of women leadership role in a coordinated in cancer research publication release with the International 5 Human Epigenome Consortium project 22 Personalized treatment for Liquid biopsy for lymphoid cancers is a daily reality patients with advanced for patients in British Columbia prostate cancer 12 27 HIGHLIGHTS: 10 Distinguishing pseudo-metastasis 20 Dr. Poul H. Sorensen awarded 25 Dr. Sohrab Shah: UBC Killam from metastasis in synchronous the Canadian Cancer Society Research Prize winner endometrial and ovarian cancers Robert L. Noble Prize 28 Quantitative proteome profiling: 11 Autophagy and breast cancer 21 PANCREOX: Results of a BC Cancer development of the subtypes Agency-led Canadian phase III clinical SP3-CTP technology trial in advanced pancreatic cancer 16 Successes in commercialization: 29 Understanding genetic characteristics Celator, Aquinox and ARTMS 24 Dr. Sam Aparicio named of super seniors: exceptionally Fellow of the Royal Society healthy individuals over the age of 85 17 Completion of the ASCENDE-RT clinical trial A message from Dr. François Bénard, Vice President, Research esearch has always been an integral complementary expertise are very effective when part of the BC Cancer Agency. As the it comes to tackling problems together. Now is the Cancer research is evolving R Agency’s new vice president of Research, time to start recruiting the next generation of sci- rapidly. We have the my goal is to embed research even more deeply entists, who can be mentored by our experts and ability to learn from our into the fabric of daily work at the BC Cancer then bring us to the next level of cancer research. Agency. By increasing the integration of our cli- patients and generate BC Cancer Agency’s most powerful nicians and researchers, we can learn more from new knowledge and new opportunity: the ability to view cancer on a our patients, be more efficient with research treatments. population-wide basis. We are the organization funding and accelerate our research progress. that cares for all the cancer patients in British What sets BC Cancer Agency research apart: Columbia over the long term, which is extremely our strong sense of community and a common powerful from a research perspective. Although purpose. This spirit of collegiality and coopera- it will be a challenge, we need to improve the tion extends to our research partners at the uni- interaction between the population-based data versities, hospitals and health research institutes. sets and the genomic infrastructure. I hope to strengthen and grow these relation- Cancer research is evolving rapidly. We have the ships so that we can increase collaboration. ability to learn from our patients and generate Our biggest strength: our fantastic research- new knowledge and new treatments. We now ers, many who are pioneers in their fields. We need to bring our research back into the clinic so are learning about the value of teamwork, and that we can help our patients do even better. This how people with very specialized but highly is what I am hoping to achieve. 3 PB A message from Sarah Roth, President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation he BC Cancer Foundation is proud treatment options for a wide range to be the largest charitable funder of of cancers. Three hundred and T cancer research in BC, because we see seventeen patients took part in the the difference breakthroughs in the lab make in Personalized Onco-Genomics— the lives of cancer patients each day: Two new POG—Program, providing a targeted therapies are in the clinic, specific to the tailored approach for their care deadliest forms of breast and prostate cancer. while building knowledge into the This is a direct result of donor support fuelling genetic factors that drive individ- drug development in our labs. The construction ual cancers. We invite you to learn of the Conconi Family Immunotherapy Lab was more at bccancerfoundation.com completed to catapult T Cell Therapy research into patient trials to bring promising new 4 PB The BC Cancer Agency celebrates just a few of our many outstanding women and their research achievements and awards in 2016. omen in science continues to be an important topic of discussion, Celebrating the Leadership of W with a heightened awareness that relatively few women proceed from doctoral Women in Cancer Research studies to senior positions in academia or biotech. The BC Cancer Agency is proud of our Dr. Connie Eaves is an also a professor in the Department of Medical many outstanding women scientists who work internationally recog- Genetics at the University of British Columbia, in cancer research. They have risen to be stars nized leader in normal a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a in their respective fields, have major scientific and cancer stem cell corresponding fellow of the Royal Society of and administrative leadership roles and serve as research and a distin- Edinburgh. In 2016, Dr. Eaves was awarded important mentors and role models for the next guished scientist in the the 2016 Dr. Chew Wei MBBS [HK] FRCOG generation of female scientists. Terry Fox Laboratory at the BC Cancer Agency. [ENG] Memorial Prize in Cancer Research. The BC Cancer Agency celebrates just a few of She was a cofounder and former director of the This is arguably the most prestigious award our many outstanding women and their research Terry Fox Laboratory and the former vice presi- for cancer research in Canada, and honours a achievements and awards in 2016. dent, Research of the BC Cancer Agency. She is Canadian physician or scientist who has made 5 PB outstanding contributions to in cultivating future leaders in the In 2016, Dr. Mager’s laborato- agent, I-EPI-002, that may be improving the treatment of cancer. field, as her support and mentor- ry demonstrated that IFR5, or useful for prognosis or selection This award acknowledges her dis- ship have launched the careers of Interferon regulatory factor 5, a key of treatment options for advanced tinguished record of discovery and many BC Cancer Agency research- transcription factor in Hodgkin prostate cancers that are resistant seminal contributions to under- ers, as well as others who have gone lymphoma, is driven by an ancient to current treatments. In July 2016, standing normal and cancer stem on to major scientific leadership retroviral promoter. In addition to they published their findings in cells of the blood and mammary positions around the world. research, Dr. Mager has mentored the journal JCI insight. I-EPI-002 many other scientific trainees, is an analogue of EPI-506, a gland, and their application to Dr. Dixie Mager, distinguished both in her own laboratory and first-in-class prostate cancer drug clinical advances. The award also scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory, is as a past Chair of the Medical candidate brought to clinical trials celebrates her remarkable ability in a pioneer Genetics Graduate Program at the by her research group at the BC promoting research partnerships and an University of British Columbia. Cancer Agency the previous year. fostering collaborative cancer internation- Her research is supported by the Dr. Sadar’s work is supported by research advances and their clinical al leader Natural Sciences and Engineering the BC Cancer Foundation and implementation. Importantly, the in the field Research Council of Canada, National Cancer Institute/National award also speaks to her success of study Canadian Cancer Society Research Institutes of Health, USA. focused Institute and Canadian Institutes of on a form of genetic material Dr. Xiaoyan Jiang, distinguished In 2016, Dr. Health Research. Mager’s laboratory derived from ancient retroviruses scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory, that is now recognized as playing Dr. Marianne Sadar, distinguished is working demonstrated that important roles in a wide range scientist, Michael Smith Genome to identify IFR5, or Interferon of cancers including lymphomas. Sciences molecules regulatory factor 5, Her laboratory developed a novel Centre, and and path- a key transcription strategy to identify gene expres- her collabo- ways leading factor in Hodgkin sion abnormalities, and has used rators at the to new, lymphoma, is this method to study the role of BC Cancer rationally driven by an ancient transcriptional promoters - that Agency and designed, more effective and less retroviral promoter. drive gene expression - in cancers. UBC identified a novel imaging toxic, personalized molecularly 6 PB targeted therapies. Her work focus- embryonic Natural Sciences and Engineering es on understanding the molecular genes are Research Council of Canada and As the leader of the mechanisms of several newly reactivated the Heart & Stroke Foundation. BC Cancer Agency identified cancer driver genes