Category: Blog Posts

The human genome has historically been an enigma to scientists. How much of it is important to cancer? Should we only focus on genes or is there something we’re missing? Here, Dr. Kinjal Desai tells us about ‘non-gene’ regions in the genome that are important to our understanding of breast cancer.

Scientists are trying to unravel the complexities of Breast Cancer in order to develop more promising therapies for patients. Learn from Dr. Nathan Schachter, a post-doctoral fellow at SickKids, about his PhD work and what he discovered.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women around the world. Although decades of research has taught us about the biology of the disease, it still remains a challenge to treat. We want to give you a glimpse into what roadblocks scientists face and what is being done to overcome them. Here, we start with a brief background on Breast Cancer. Check back for more posts!

By Sangeetha Paramathas We are living in an era where technological advances allow researchers to answer key questions relating to cancer biology in ways that they never could before. New and powerful approaches have opened doors particularly in the field of precision medicine; interventions that draw upon knowledge gained from biomedical research allowing for personalized … Continue reading Liquid biopsies: A blood test for detecting and monitoring cancer?

By Dr. Nathan Schachter For years, scientists have struggled to understand why cancers that return - or ‘relapse’ - are so difficult to treat. How can therapies which were initially effective at controlling the disease fail to combat tumors that re-emerge? Why do relapses often behave more aggressively than pre-treatment tumors? These questions have plagued … Continue reading Returning with Vengeance: Toronto Scientists Discover How Rare Brain Cancer Cells Resist Therapy and Drive Tumor Recurrence

By Dr. Martin Smith Your Mom would be very happy.  Cancer researchers have published studies showing that eating vegetables like broccoli may lower the risk for developing some cancers (1). Taking this idea one step further, researchers want to know if we can extract a key compound from vegetables and put it into pill form.  … Continue reading Chemoprevention: What Researchers Are Learning From Your Mom

By Joseph Longo About half of all cancer patients will be treated with radiation therapy at some point during the course of their disease. Conventional radiation therapy involves the delivery of high doses of radiation to the tumour, usually in multiple smaller doses called fractions. When a cell is irradiated, its DNA becomes damaged. If … Continue reading Awakening Cancer-Fighting Cells of the Immune System Using Radiation Therapy

By Dr. Martin Smith You know the feeling…  It could start with a nagging headache.  Or, it could be the flush feeling of an oncoming fever.  Whatever it may be, many of us can relate to the symptoms of an impending viral infection. But, what if those same symptoms became signals of life saving treatments?  … Continue reading Wielding a Double-Edged Sword: Oncolytic Viruses in Cancer Therapy

By Nicole Park and Nandini Raghuram Hello everyone! There has been a lot of activity over here at RIOT recently. We thought we would share with you some updates on an incredible event that we just held this past April! An important aspect of what we do at RIOT is to increase awareness on the … Continue reading Teaching Cancer Research to the Next Generation: A Recap of Let’s Talk Cancer 2017

By Joseph Longo Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian men, with 1 in 8 men expected to develop the disease in their lifetime. Thanks to advances in early detection and screening, prostate cancer treatments have significantly improved over the years and, if caught early, the 5-year survival rate is nearly 100%. … Continue reading Can a Genetic Test Help Personalize Prostate Cancer Treatment for Men?