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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
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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.”
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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.
Alberta now offering life-saving T-cell cancer treatment
A cancer treatment that previously required travel outside the province, or the country, is now being offered in Alberta.
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CBC News ·
Posted: Apr 23, 2021 3:01 PM MT | Last Updated: April 23
Dr. Mona Shafey says CAR T-cell treatment can be a lifeline for some cancer patients. (Alberta Health) comments
A cancer treatment that previously required travel outside the province, or the country, is now being offered in Alberta.
The first patients to receive CAR T-cell therapy in the province are at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, while the government says a clinical trial to develop a made-in-Alberta CAR T-cell therapy is underway at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
First Albertans receive CAR T-cell therapy
A promising new cancer treatment is now available in the province, ensuring cancer patients no longer need to travel elsewhere for this leading-edge care.
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The first Albertans received an approved CAR T-cell therapy last month at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary. In addition, a clinical trial to develop a made-in-Alberta CAR T-cell therapy is underway at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
“Alberta’s government is excited to offer this innovative treatment in our province, providing Albertans who urgently need this care with timely and convenient access here at home. I’m proud that Alberta has successfully launched its own CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial and is the third province to provide access to an approved version of this revolutionary cancer treatment.”