A focus on teamwork and patient needs has led to breakthroughs in the search for cancer therapies, antivirals and safer drugs
Khaled Barakat was stars-truck the first time he met Michael Houghton in 2012. He knew the U of A virologist and director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute was renowned for discovering the hepatitis C virus and was likely to win a Nobel Prize (which Houghton eventually did in 2020). Barakat, a PhD in biophysics, landed an…
One more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place behind a new drug whose anti-cancer potential was developed at the University of Alberta and is set to begin human trials this year, thanks to newly published research. “The results provide more justification and rationale for starting the clinical trial in May,” said first author John Mackey,…
Answer to a fundamental question that has eluded scientists since the discovery of DNA
University of Alberta researchers have found an answer to a fundamental question in genomic biology that has eluded scientists since the discovery of DNA: Within the nucleus of our cells, is the complex package of DNA and proteins called chromatin a solid or a liquid? In a study published in the journal Cell, the research team, led…
U of A faculty educator and two collaborators saw a need and worked to create a supportive space
Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but the health-care system sometimes does. There’s a marked gap in information when it comes to resources and peer-support services tailored to LGBTQ2+ people. That need in the system is what prompted a University of Alberta faculty educator and collaborators to launch a new website, called Queering Cancer, aimed at closing the…
The higher the frequency, the more energy the wave contains and, thus, the more risk it might have for human health
The word radiation conjures up images of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima or the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Our society has a strong, and not unreasonable, fear of nuclear radiation. These fears are founded on a bedrock of experience. It starts with Marie Curie, the scientist who discovered the property of radioactivity…
Research on how stem cells develop and differentiate in fruit flies has implications for human health
Scientists have found a new mechanism responsible for regulating stem cells in fruit flies, with possible implications for cancer therapies. The study, published by University of Alberta biologists, identifies an inhibition mechanism of an enzyme called Myt1 kinase, which manages how stem cells develop and differentiate during organ development in fruit flies. “In addition to…
New U of A study suggests interventions to help patients build muscle before surgery may improve their outcomes
Low muscle quality and quantity are predictive of poor outcomes in colon resection surgery, according to a new study published in JAMA Surgery. Carla Prado, a researcher in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, and her team followed 1,630 patients who received a diagnosis of Stage I to Stage III colon cancer. The…
U of A research sets the stage for imminent human trials of B-cell lymphoma treatment
Scientists have identified the mechanism of action behind a new type of precision cancer drug for blood cancers that is set for human trials, according to research published recently in Nature Communications. The University of Alberta research team led by Luc Berthiaume, cell biology professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, spent four years working to…
Poor diet right behind tobacco consumption as leading cause of premature death for Canadians, says public health expert
Everything from advertising to school cafeteria menus can affect whether children develop lifelong healthy eating habits, according to the sixth annual Nutrition Report Card for Alberta. The report evaluates 39 indicators in five food “environments” – physical (what food is available?), economic (how affordable is healthy food?), communication (what messages are children getting about food through…
U of A team discovers new mechanism that could lead to better treatments for breast cancer patients
A team of University of Alberta researchers has identified a new mechanism through which tumour cells become resistant to chemotherapy – a discovery that could lead to better treatments for women with breast cancer. Michael Jewer, a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, said that more than 20 per cent of breast cancer…
Khaled Barakat was stars-truck the first time he met Michael Houghton in 2012. He knew the U of A virologist and director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute was renowned for discovering the hepatitis C virus and was likely to win a Nobel Prize (which Houghton eventually did in 2020). Barakat, a PhD in biophysics, landed an…
