WELCOME Dear CRINA Research Day Attendee: Thank you for joining us at the fourth annual CRINA Research Day. Last year, at our third event we welcomed over 250 attendees and featured more than 100 posters from many departments and faculties across campus. We are happy to announce that many of those attendees signed up to be members of CRINA, forming the core of our cancer research community. One year later, we continue to build our cancer research community by hosting a cancer-themed Research Day yet again. This year, we have continued to provide trainees with an opportunity to organize the program and present their work orally to our cancer research community at the University of Alberta. We hope that you continue to explore what the University of Alberta has to offer in the cancer research sphere and grow your network of collaborators through future CRINA Research Days. CRINA as an institute has a well-established reporting structure with operations committees and advisory boards. At our core, we continue to strengthen connections within our cancer research community by hosting events throughout the year such as seminars and symposia. Our leadership team is working on defining University of Alberta cancer research strengths in terms of research excellence and available infrastructure and platforms, with plans to build on these strengths to accelerate discovery and innovation. CRINA also represents the interests of its members as a unified voice on the provincial stage, working with AHS, AIHS and the ACF. Our ultimate goal is to establish our Institute as a national leader in cancer research and patient care, wherein clinical outcomes are addressed with scientific inquiry and where research drives innovations in cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship. We hope you will enjoy today’s program and find time to strengthen or make new collaborations with the CRINA community. Sincerely, Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit Director, Basic Research, Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Cancers remain as the second leading cause of death globally, responsible for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. During the 2017 World Health Assembly, representatives from 40 States and 11 NGOs reached broad consensus that cancer is a growing public health concern in urgent need for attention and prioritizing. Almost half of the North American population will develop cancer in their lifetimes and 25 per cent will die from this disease. Furthermore, Canada’s new cancer case rates are projected to increase by more than 40 per cent by 2030. In Alberta, new cancer cases will reach an appalling number of more than 18,000, and death rates are more than 6,500 per year. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both Alberta men and women, and the most common cancers for males and females are prostate cancer and breast cancer, respectively. These increasing numbers can only be changed through partnerships between health systems and academia to bolster the research that will bring us closer to a cure. In April 2014, the University of Alberta established the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA), as a hub for talented clinicians and cancer researchers from all affiliated teaching hospitals, departments and faculties at the University of Alberta. CRINA’s research programs, aligned with clinical trials provided at the Cross Cancer Institute and the University of Alberta Hospital, as well as pediatric cancer clinical trials based at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, are setting a new course for cancer centres across Canada. We are committed to leading the fight against cancer by seeking the improvement of cancer diagnosis, primary and secondary cancer prevention, and developing novel treatment approaches through clinical trials. Through the work of CRINA and its members, we aim to make Alberta a global leader in cancer research, fostering an environment of innovation that translates into tangible solutions for patients everywhere. On behalf of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, we wish you a productive day to celebrate your achievements in the past year and share ideas that will inspire future research ventures. 2 Richard N. Fedorak, MD, FRCPC, FRCP (London), FRCP (Edinburgh), FRSC Dean (on leave), Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry University of Alberta Dennis Kunimoto, MD, FRCPC Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry University of Alberta 3 MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT (RESEARCH) More than 80,000 Canadians will lose their battles with cancer this year and, of these, 6500 will be Albertans. To improve outcomes for patients and families with cancer, the University of Alberta created the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA), one of the multidisciplinary Translational Science Institutes (TSIs) dedicated to fostering collaboration between researchers to move the latest discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic. CRINA has had two successful research days with over 250 attendees each year to highlight their achievements. They have engaged world-class scientists in several ways, including holding a cancer-focused Gairdner Symposia in 2016 and the hosting of Sir Paul Nurse in 2016, a Nobel laureate for his discoveries on cell cycle control. These and other events illustrate the exciting momentum that CRINA has initiated, and Research Day 2017 will continue to demonstrate its tremendous potential. CRINA will redefine the standard of cancer care in Alberta by improving our understanding of cancer biology, cancer imaging, development of new therapeutics and biomarkers to diagnose patients with greater accuracy that will improve relapse rates and aid in cancer prevention. I congratulate the life sciences faculties at the University of Alberta on this important interdisciplinary initiative and I wish you continued success. Walter T Dixon, PhD Interim Vice-President (Research) University of Alberta 4 5 CRINA RESEARCH DAY 2017 PROGRAM 7:30 AM REGISTRATION CCIS PCL Lounge 7:30 AM – 8:15 AM BREAKFAST CCIS PCL Lounge 8:15 AM – 8:40 AM WELCOME ADDRESS CCIS 1-430 Dr. Paula Robson, Scientific Director, Cancer Research, CancerControl Alberta and the Cancer Strategic Clinical Network Dr. Declan Ali, Acting Associate Vice-President (Research), University of Alberta Dr. Dennis Kunimoto Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta Dr. Lynne Postovit, Co-Director CRINA Associate Professor, Oncology 8:40 AM – 9:10 AM Keynote Address, Dr. David Huntsman Professor, Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of British Columbia Director, Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OVCARE) Medical Director, Centre for Translational and Applied Genomics, BC Cancer Agency Title: Cell Context Mutation and the Origins of Ovarian Cancer ______________________________________________________________________________ SESSION I: NOVEL THERAPEUTICS AND BIOMARKERS CCIS 1-430 Co-Chairs: Dr. Lena Bilyk (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Oncology) and Dr. Ing Swie Goping (Department of Biochemistry) 9:10 AM – 9:25 AM Dr. Hanne Ostergaard, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology Title: CD8+ T Cell Mediated Killing of Cancer Cells 6 9:25 AM – 9:40 AM Dr. Roger Zemp, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Title: Towards Label-Free Virtual Histopathology 9:40 AM – 9:55 AM Dr. Ratmir Derda, Department of Chemistry Principal Investigator in Alberta Glycomics Centre Title: Genetically Encoded Chemistry: Platform for Development of New Therapeutics and Bio Active Materials 9:55 AM – 10:10 AM Igor Paiva, PhD Student, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Title: Biodistribution of EGFR Targeted Polymeric Micelles in Orthotopic Colorectal Cancer Xenografts in Mice 10:10 AM – 10:30 AM CRINA 1st Annual Speed Poster Session CCIS 1-430 Co-Chairs: Dr. Mary Hitt (Department of Oncology) and Dr. Shairaz Baksh (Department of Pediatrics) Poster #2, Dr. Guanmin Meng, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Biochemistry Poster #7, Laura Lee, MD/PhD Student, Department of Oncology Poster #10, Dr. Mohammad A.M. Ali, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Oncology Poster #19, Mackenzie Coatham, PhD Student, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Poster #24, Bindu Thapa, PhD Student, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Poster #29, Dr. Kyle G. Potts, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology Poster #30, Dr. Deepak Dinakaran, Resident, Department of Oncology 7 Poster #31, Francesco Gentile, PhD Student, Department of Physics Poster #37, Michael J. Taylor, MD Student, Department of Medicine Poster #40, Dr. Amy Kirkham, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering ______________________________________________________________________________ 10:30 AM – 11:50 AM POSTER SESSION 1 CCIS PCL Lounge ODD NUMBERED POSTERS 11:50 PM – 12:30 PM LUNCH /NETWORKING CCIS PCL Lounge SESSION 1I: PREVENTION, LIFESTYLE AND SURVIVORSHIP CCIS 1-430 Co-chairs: Sarah Purcell (PhD Student, Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science) And Dr. Amit Bhavsar (Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology) 12:35 PM – 12:50 PM Dr. Carla Prado, Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science Director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit Title: Body Composition and Energy Metabolism: Applications to Cancer Care 12:50 PM – 1:05 PM Dr. Jennifer Vena, Research Lead, Alberta's Tomorrow Project CancerControl, Alberta Health Services Title: Alberta’s Tomorrow Project: A Health Research Resource Available Now ______________________________________________________________________________