Micorscope is used by researcher who use her hands holding and adjusting while science research in laboratory
Researchers at University of Alberta have uncovered a link between the expression of the protein galectin-9 (gal-9) and whether a cancer patient will benefit from immunotherapy.
The discovery could help inform physicians about which patients will likely respond to immunotherapy, and lead to better treatment options.
Shokrollah Elahi, a member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA), collaborated with oncology professor John Walker on Phase 2 clinical trial that examined 40 patients with virus-associated solid tumours (VASTs) who were put on immunotherapy.
They found there was a direct link between patients with high levels of gal-9 and those who had a poor prognosis and did not respond to immunotherapy. Further, patients with lower levels of gal-9 responded better to treatment.
Share
Afsaneh Lavasanifar is using nanotechnology to develop precise ways of delivering anti-cancer drugs to tumours, which could improve outcomes for patients while reducing side-effects of treatment. (Photo: Richard Siemens; taken pre-COVID-19)
A University of Alberta researcher is using nanotechnology to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients and reduce their side-effects.
Afsaneh Lavasanifar is a professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Medical Engineering. Her lab develops precision health solutions through nanomedicine, finding ways to deliver drug-loaded nanoparticles to tumour sites.
“In nanomedicine, we are either working to improve the effectiveness of drugs that are already on the market or making new and better drugs by using (delivery) ‘vehicles’ that are in the nanometre-size range,” explained Lavasanifar. “These vehi
Date Time
Researcher uses nanomedicine to improve effectiveness and safety of chemotherapy
A University of Alberta researcher is using nanotechnology to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients and reduce their side-effects.
Afsaneh Lavasanifar is a professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Medical Engineering. Her lab develops precision health solutions through nanomedicine, finding ways to deliver drug-loaded nanoparticles to tumour sites.
“In nanomedicine, we are either working to improve the effectiveness of drugs that are already on the market or making new and better drugs by using (delivery) ‘vehicles’ that are in the nanometre-size range,” explained Lavasanifar. “These vehicles either make the drugs more effective or reduce their side-effects, or both.”
Date Time
Innovative cancer therapy uses immune system to attack tumours
Imagine if you could re-engineer your immune system to target and attack cancer growing in your body. A new clinical trial led by a clinician researcher at the University of Alberta is doing just that.
Michael Chu, an assistant professor of oncology in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, is leading a project to manufacture and test locally produced chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.
CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative treatment that uses a patient’s own immune system to battle cancer cells. It’s a promising alternative to common treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, and can be the only viable option for some patients.
Ultrasound may have potential for treating pain after chemotherapy: study miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.