Imagine a Healthier Tomorrow Research at the IWK Health Centre 2011-2012 Remembering a Woman of Great Imagination This edition of the IWK research annual report is dedicated to the memory of an extraordinary woman, Ruth Goldbloom. Her vibrant personality, unbridled enthusiasm and generous spirit have made an indelible impression on the hearts and minds of the people in our community. Ruth had the vision to see the possibilities – to imagine what the IWK community could achieve in its quest to improve the lives of women, children and families. She firmly believed that research was essential to realizing this potential and dedicated her time, talent and energy to fundraising efforts that have helped the IWK to establish itself as a world-class research institution. A longtime volunteer with the IWK Auxiliary and IWK Imagine What We Can Accomplish Foundation, Ruth co-founded and ran The Gift Horse gift shop, helped organize Kermesse, and took Telethon pledges for more By Patrick McGrath, Integrated VP of Research and Innovation, IWK and Capital Health than 25 years. At the same time, she was able to inspire others with the depth of her passion for this work and to fire their Our research report this year asks you to “imagine,” as it really our featured researchers has a vision of the change that she or imaginations with the possibilities she could see, just on the is the power of imagination that propels our research efforts he wants to lead – through a new medicine, diagnostic tool or horizon. forward. This is true for the scientists and clinicians who dream vaccine, or through new approaches to education, professional imagine of a healthier world and use their fertile imaginations to create practice or public policy. All are transforming their dreams into Ruth Goldbloom will ever be remembered for her radiant smile, new ways to get there. It’s also true for donors and volunteers, reality. whose imaginations are captured by our researchers’ quests and warm presence, courageous leadership and unflagging efforts who dedicate their time and/or money to help them on their way. You’ll notice another sort of change – my title is no longer VP on behalf of the many projects and causes she supported. The Research at the IWK. I am now Integrated VP of Research and IWK community will continue to be inspired by the depth of her This year, we are saddened by the loss of a great friend to the Innovation at the IWK and Capital Health. This expanded new I commitment and the breadth of her imagination. IWK, Ruth Goldbloom. Ruth's close connection to the IWK began mandate reflects the collaborative nature of research in our in 1967, when she and her husband Dr. Richard Goldbloom community and a desire among our academic health care moved to Halifax and he became our chief of research. Ruth was institutions to strengthen our research efforts through increased at Richard’s side throughout the years, observing and supporting partnership and integration. We believe that we can accomplish the development of research programs at the hospital. She more by pooling the research expertise of our two organizations shared his vision of what could be possible and threw herself – to learn from each other, to harmonize our processes for greater wholeheartedly into the hard work of raising money to make it efficiency, and to identify new opportunities for collaboration. As happen. She was a driving force and the spirit of her passion for more researchers share ideas and pursue common goals, we progress will guide and motivate us for years to come. will come closer to realizing our vision of better health care, and better health, in the Maritimes and beyond. As you peruse this report, I hope you will find yourself imagining “What is now proved was once only imagined.” – William Blake, English poet and thinker the progress that our researchers are making possible. Each of IWK Health Centre Research Annual Report 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 IWK Health Centre Research Annual Report 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 1 Imagine Curing Cancer with Measles Chris Richardson imagines a powerful new treatment for virus on canine cancer cells,” he explains. “We’re very excited cancer that uses the measles virus to target and kill cancer about the possibility of engineering the distemper virus into a cells. His discovery that many types of cancer cells are cancer treatment for dogs.” covered with measles receptors opens the door to just such a cure. Chris Richardson is the 2011 winner of the IWK Research Star of the Year award. While most people see measles as an unpleasant childhood illness that has virtually disappeared thanks to vaccines, Dr. Chris Richardson sees the virus in a different light. Through many years of examining measles virus, he has identified three key receptor molecules that allow the virus to latch onto cells so it can infect them. But his most startling – and hopeful – discovery is that these measles receptors are more than a thousand times more plentiful on many types of cancer cells than they are on normal cells. “Because of these receptors, it’s actually much easier for the measles virus to infect cancer cells than it is for it to infect normal cells,” notes Chris, an IWK-affiliated scientist and prof- essor in the departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Pediatrics at Dalhousie Medical School. “This is good news, because we’ve found measles receptors in abundance on lung, Level 3 Containment Lab Opens breast, colon, bladder and prostate cancer cells.” at IWK Health Centre The measles receptors are the keys that allow the virus to Gary Sisson, a senior lab technician and manager of enter the cancer cell. Once inside, the virus wreaks havoc on Dr. Chris Richardson’s lab, played an instrumental role in the cancer cell and its malignant neighbours. “The invading setting up the new Level 3 containment facility at the measles virus blows away the cancer cell membranes, creating IWK. This research facility meets stringent government one giant measles-infected cancer cell that then explodes,” regulations for the safe storage and handling of live Chris says. “This leads to the rapid infection and destruction of viruses and viruses from outside of Canada. Chris and the cancer cells in the area, without harming the healthy cells. Gary will use the containment lab in their work with their It’s incredible to watch through the microscope.” partners in Morocco to develop a vaccine against goat pox and PPRV (Peste des petits ruminants virus). These Chris and his team are now working with the vaccine strain of highly contagious diseases kill thousands of goats in the the measles virus to see if they can develop it into a safe and developing world each year, taking an enormous toll on effective treatment for cancer. He says that people’s immunity the herds and the people who rely on them for a living. to the virus – from being either infected or vaccinated – would actually enhance the treatment. “Cancer cells are typically able to hide from the immune system,” he explains. “Infecting them with the measles virus is like putting little flags on them, so that the immune system can see them and go in for the attack.” An animal lover, Chris also imagines using a virus to save dogs from cancer. “We’ve found receptors for the canine distemper 2 IWK Health Centre Research Annual Report 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 IWK Health Centre Research Annual Report 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 3 Imagine More Confident, Well-Informed Parents Amy Ornstein imagines new parents having the knowledge “Parents who took part in our Emergency Department study and confidence to handle all aspects of infant care – including agreed that the PURPLE Crying materials were a valuable re- how to calmly cope with prolonged bouts of intense crying. source and strongly agreed that all families with young infants should receive the program,” notes Amy, who has received three As IWK staff pediatrician Dr. Amy Ornstein discovered when IWK grants for her research. She believes that the information surveying new parents in the Family and Newborn Unit, most can help parents feel more confident in their parenting abilities don’t expect their baby’s crying to be a problem for them. In this and less stressed when their baby cries – which is better for 2009 study, Amy found that parents received very little pre-natal the health and wellbeing of everyone in the family. education about crying – and that those who had the least information about crying were the most confident in their ability to handle it. But, as Amy points out, ALL babies cry. “Some cry more than others, but they all go through a developmental stage from about two weeks to four months of age when they cry for no apparent reason,” she says. “There is nothing wrong with them – they just need to cry. And they may not settle for hours, in spite of parents’ best efforts, which can lead to a lot of frustration if parents don’t understand the crying behaviour.” The knowledge gap she uncovered in her research inspired Amy to launch further studies to test an infant crying education program called ‘The Period of PURPLE Crying,’ developed by Purple Hats Top Off PURPLE Dr. Ron Barr at the University of British Columbia. PURPLE is Crying Program an acronym that describes the key features of infant crying: Thanks to crucial support from the IWK Auxiliary, the IWK P – Peak of crying (around two months of age) was able to launch The Period of PURPLE Crying infant U – Unexpected (comes and goes and parents don’t know why) crying education program in February 2012.