Dr. Sabine Mai of the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology, CancerCare Manitoba and University of Manitoba, in collaboration with Drs. Drachenberg and Saranchuk at the Manitoba Prostate Centre, report on the use of Screencell technology for their researches on Prostate cancer.
BREAKTHROUGH IN DIAGNOSIS OF PROSTATE CANCER
WINNIPEG, MB: Dr. Sabine Mai of the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology, CancerCare Manitoba and University of Manitoba, in collaboration with Drs. Drachenberg and Saranchuk at the Manitoba Prostate Centre, have made advances in examining circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood of prostate cancer patients. The encouraging new advancements were made possible, in part, with funds raised by the Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad.
Dr. Mai, Director of the Genomic Centre for Cancer Research and Diagnosis and head of the test project, presented findings about the new blood test at a recent meeting in Boston. She co-founded 3D Signatures Inc., for commercialization of the test. “The new blood test for prostate cancer will be less invasive with a potential to be more accurate,” said Dr. Mai, who is working to get certification for the test from Health Canada.
As reported by Frank Luba in the Vancouver Province (02/03/2015), Dr. Oliver Prange (Vancouver) said the new test is focused on the intermediate group of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, which comprises about 30 per cent of the total cases. Men in the intermediate group will either receive active surveillance or aggressive cancer therapy, depending on the diagnosis. “The team looks at the structural arrangement of the chromosome component which eliminates what is a bit of a guessing game,” said Dr. Prange. “Early evidence clearly clustered patients into risk groups. We hope to accurately predict which patients will stay indolent and which will progress,” he said.
“We hope that it will dramatically change the prognostic outlook of intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients,” said Dr. Mai.
Dr. Stuart Edmonds of Prostate Cancer Canada is encouraged by the new test. “I think it’s very promising,” Edmonds said from Toronto, where he is Prostate Cancer Canada’s vice-president of research, health promotions and survivorship. “We need to have a better test to distinguish between the aggressive disease that a man will die of rather than the more indolent, or non-aggressive disease, that a man will die with,” said Edmonds. Research is also under way to see if the new test could be used in the prognosis of other cancers, such as breast cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men. It is estimated 23,600 men in Canada will be diagnosed with the cancer in 2015 and 4,000 would die from the disease.
Since 2009, over $860,000 has been raised by the Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad for prostate cancer research and education. Dr. Mai’s research is proof-positive Manitobans are making a real difference. “Thank you to all Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad volunteers, riders, donors and sponsors for your strong support of the project,” added Dr. Mai.
A video re: Dr. Mai’s project is found here: Dr. Sabine Mai Research Project Visit: www.ridefordad.ca/manitoba for more information about the Motorcycle Ride for Dad.
Contacts:
Dr. Sabine Mai: (204) 787-2135 sabine.mai@umanitoba.ca
Ed Johner, Spokesperson, MRFD: (204) 794-5602 edjohner@icloud.com
Moe Sabourin, Co-Chair, MRFD: (204) 228-4301 MSabourin@wpa.mb.ca
Kirk Van Alstyne, Co-Chair, MRFD: (204) 470-9913 kvanalstyne@winnipeg.ca
