Over
50% of all cancer is cured by various combinations of surgery,
chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Our research programs are aimed
at improving cancer treatment for the rest.
- The
Drug and Radiation Resistance Program
- is aimed at understanding how cancer cells respond
to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy and become resistant
to these treatments. This understanding is essential to the development
of new treatment strategies to circumvent resistance.
- The
Neuropathy Prevention Program
- is aimed at reducing the unwanted side effects of
some cancer treatments. Some of the best anti-cancer drugs also damage nerve
cells (causing neuropathy) and this limits the effectiveness of the cancer
treatment. This program has shown that the food additive, monosodium glutamate
(MSG) protects nerve cells but not cancer cells from these chemotherapeutic
drugs.
- The
Endothelial Cell Program - is aimed at understanding
the role of endothelial cells in cancer biology. Endothelial cells fit together
to form blood vessels. For cancers to continue to grow they require a functional
blood supply. Cancers release substances which cause the endothelial cells
to grow and form a blood supply to the cancer. Understanding how endothelial
cells grow and how they function in cancers will provide targets for new
treatments.
- The
Translational Research Program
- is the
interface between laboratory research and the treatment of cancer. It promotes
the fast-tracking of new treatment strategies into clinical practice.