Lisa Porter is shown here in her biology lab, where she’ll be studying gliomas, the most common form of brain tumour in adults.
A UWindsor scientist has been awarded Canadian Cancer Society funding for her innovative approach to studying how aggressive brain cancers develop, which could lead to better diagnosis and treatment options in the future and save lives.
Biology professor Lisa Porter received more than $185,000 through an Innovation Grantto study how brain cancer tumors, specifically high-grade gliomas, develop in their very earliest stages.
Gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumour in adults and account for about 70 per cent of all tumours of the central nervous system. Brain tumours are also a leading cause of cancer-related death in children. High-grade tumours are particularly aggressive because they tend to grow quickly.
“Brain cancers are hard to treat because they represent some of the most aggressive forms of cancer that are very difficult to destroy with drugs, and often cause a recurrence,” Dr. Porter said. “I’m grateful for the funding because our work could lead to the development of more effective and individualized brain cancer therapies for patients.”
Porter and her team will investigate the role of a protein called Spy1 in how brain cancer develops from healthy cells. The Spy1 protein ensures that brain stem cells, which have the ability to develop into any kind of brain cells, are permitted to grow only when the brain needs them. If brain stem cells are not kept in check, they start to grow rapidly for a long time. Previous research has shown that high levels of Spy1 are found in brain tumours and are associated with poorer survival rates for patients.
Porter will also examine the origins of brain cancer tumours from a new perspective, comparing how tumours develop in children and adults.
This marks the first time Porter has received an Innovation Grant, which are intended to support unconventional concepts, methodologies to address problems, and to push the envelope in cancer research. Projects are selected according to their potential to dramatically impact what is known about cancer and generate new approaches to combating the disease.
Martin Kabat, CEO for the Canadian Cancer Society in Ontario, was expected on campus today to announce the funding, tour Porter’s lab, and help kick off Daffodil Month.
“Lung, colorectal, ovarian, pancreatic, and brain cancers are responsible for almost half of cancer deaths yet receive only about quarter of research funding that’s designated to specific types of cancer,” said Dr. Kabat. “We know that investment in specific areas of cancer research has yielded enormous benefits and we believe a significant injection of funds will have the same impact on these often very lethal cancers.”
Source: UWindsor Daily News