Late-breaking cancer research featured at Canadian Cancer Research Conference

MONTRÉAL, Nov. 9, 2015 /CNW/ - New research on the impacts of PSA screening, proposed reforms to fast-track life-saving drug development and testing, and ways to deliver cancer treatments through the use of a malarial protein are just some of the late-breaking discoveries to be discussed at the Canadian Cancer Research Conference, Canada's only national cancer forum showcasing the entire spectrum of cancer research, much of which is funded by CCRA members. The conference takes place at the Hôtel Bonaventure in Montréal from November 8–10, 2015.  

"This is a rare opportunity for clinicians and scientists from across the country to share real-time progress on some of the most pressing issues facing the cancer research community," said Dr. David Huntsman, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of British Columbia (UBC), and Co-chair of the scientific program committee that developed the conference agenda. "We are eager to highlight these recent works alongside the other exciting advances that will be presented by researchers from across Canada."

The late-breaking research from the Canadian Cancer research community during the meeting will be presented on Monday November 9th at 4:00 p.m. in the "Headline News" symposium. Speakers include:

• Dr. Mads Daugaard, a molecular biologist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and an Associate Professor of Urology at The University of British Columbia, who will share his research on how the malarial protein, called VAR2CSA, could be used as a tool to deliver cancer drugs to tumours in precise and controlled ways;
• Dr. James Dickinson, a member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, who will present trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality in Canada in relation to the onset of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) screening; and
• Dr. David Stewart, Head of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital, who will speak about proposed reforms to transform the clinical research process via "progress-centered" regulation.

In addition to the sharing of late-breaking research, the conference program features sessions on global initiatives to understand and control cancer, developments in pediatric and familial cancers, drug development, genome editing, biomarkers and environmental exposures, among others. Conference organizers received more than 600 research abstracts, which will be presented as posters during the event. This conference, the third of its kind, is organized by the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance, an umbrella group of 35 organizations that collectively fund most of the cancer research conducted in Canada.

A companion community forum, "An Evening with Canada's Leading Researchers," will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday November 9th. This event will provide members of the public, cancer survivors, patients and their families with an opportunity to hear from researchers on the latest advances in brain cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, melanoma, pediatric cancer, prostate cancer, survival rates and immunotherapy.

For more information, please visit http://www.ccra-acrc.ca

The Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) is comprised of 35 organizations that collectively fund most of the cancer research conducted in Canada—research that will lead to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer and improve survivor outcomes. Its members include federal research funding programs/ agencies, provincial research agencies, provincial cancer care agencies, cancer charities, and other voluntary associations. CCRA is motivated by the belief that, through effective collaboration, Canadian cancer research funding organizations can maximize their collective impact on cancer control and accelerate discovery for the ultimate benefit of Canadians affected by cancer. The CCRA is supported by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer through a financial contribution from Health Canada. For more information, please visit: http://www.ccra-acrc.ca

SOURCE Canadian Cancer Research Alliance

Image with caption: "Late-breaking cancer research featured at Canadian Cancer Research Conference (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Research Alliance)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151109_C6234_PHOTO_EN_536684.jpg

Kim Badovinac, Canadian Cancer Research Alliance, 416-915-9222 x. 5739, [email protected]; Karen Palmer, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 647-388-9647, [email protected]