Cancer research and education on Vancouver Island got a shot in the arm today with the signing of an agreement between the University of Victoria and the BC Cancer Agency at its Vancouver Island Centre.

Under the five-year agreement, BC Cancer Agency researchers and clinicians and UVic faculty members will pool their considerable expertise and other resources to pursue joint research and medical education programs to improve the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer.

Through cross appointments, members of the Agency’s staff will be able to teach at UVic and supervise graduate students, enhancing the University’s course offerings and programs related to cancer. UVic researchers will join their BC Cancer Agency counterparts in collaborative research projects and will gain access to valuable clinical data and provincial cancer database information through the Agency. The partnership is expected to enhance the opportunities for attracting funding for cancer research at the Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre.

“The collaborative agreement being signed today will harness the energy of the BC Cancer Agency and UVic to work together in establishing a better, longer and more hopeful life for patients afflicted with cancer,” explains Dr. Brian Weinerman, Regional Vice President, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Island Centre.

“We are delighted to join in this partnership with the BC Cancer Agency and to expand the University’s involvement with the Vancouver Island Centre,” says UVic’s President Dr. David Turpin. “UVic researchers are making important contributions to medical knowledge across a wide range of fields, and this partnership enhances their opportunities to build on this work. We also appreciate the contributions that Vancouver Island Centre personnel will be making to the education of UVic students as the University expands its role in providing health education to meet the needs of British Columbians.”

Faculty members and students from the University of Victoria and scientists and clinicians at the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre are already involved in several joint research projects [see backgrounder below].

Media contacts:
University of Victoria:
Dr. David Turpin, President, (250) 721-7002
Dr. Martin Taylor, Vice-President, Research, (250) 721-7973
Robie Liscomb, Information Officer, (250) 721-7640

BC Cancer Agency:
Pam Whitworth, Director of Communications and Public Affairs
PWhitwor@bccancer.bc.ca
(604) 877-6107

BACKGROUNDER

CURRENT COLLABORATIVE CANCER RESEARCH PROJECTS
BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre and the University of Victoria

Development of an ultra-compact gamma camera for detection of sentinel lymph nodes

Dr. Andrew Truman (Physicist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)

Dr. Harry Kwok (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)

This project involves the development of a gamma camera small enough to be used in the operating room to help surgeons identify for excision the closest lymph nodes that receive drainage from a primary breast tumour, thus limiting their dissection to the nodes through which the cancer spreads.

DNA Repair, DNA repair gene variation, and breast cancer

Dr. Brian Weinerman (Medical oncologist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre)

Dr. Barry Glickman (Centre for Environmental Health, UVic)

In this project, researchers are investigating genetic variation in DNA repair genes to establish whether defects in DNA repair increase individual risk of breast cancer.

Mega-dose vitamins and minerals in the treatment of non-metastatic breast cancer

Dr. Ivo Olivotto (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre)

Dr Nicol MacPherson (Medical oncologist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre)

Dr. Mary Lesperance (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UVic)

Dr. Harold Foster (Department of Geography, UVic)

This is a historical cohort study to investigate the effects of large doses of vitamins and minerals on breast cancer survival. Two UVic master’s students in statistics are also involved in the study.

The potential for robotic excisional biopsy of breast masses

Dr. Andrew Truman (Physicist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)

Dr. Colin Bradley (Director, Laboratory for Automation, Communication, and Information Systems Research, UVic)

In this project, researchers are investigating a method of spatially stabilizing the breast so that a dimensionally accurate 3D x-ray representation of the tissue can be taken and used to guide a computer-controlled biopsy needle to accomplish a minimally invasive removal of the mass.

Medical informatics for prostate cancer

Dr. Howard Pai (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, School of Health Information Science, UVic)

Dr. Charles Ludgate (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency — Vancouver Island Centre)

Dr. Francis Lau (School of Health Information Science, UVic)

Carol Wilcox, PhD candidate (School of Health Information Science, UVic)

The goal of this project is to develop an interactive database system that allows ongoing capture of patient data to assist with treatment decisions and survival predictions for people with prostate cancer.