April 2018

WCRG Matters
A newsletter to keep members and partners informed.
Let's Talk Cancer a Big Hit for Local High School Students
Jeff Casey, Dr. Ming Pan, Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved & Kyle Stokes - Photo by Mike Kovaliv, snapdwindsor
RIOT Windsor organized the 2nd Let's Talk Cancer symposium for high school students. Held at the University of Windsor, students learned about cancer biology, oncology and the patient perspective. They participated in hands on activities and asked questions to a panel of experts. Thank you to our WCRG speakers, Jeff Casey, Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved and Dr. Ming Pan, and to the CURES Team who contributed to the success of this event.  See pictures from the event. 
Seeds4Hope Celebration
Drs. Michael Dufresne, John Trant, Sabeena Misra and Swati Kulkarni with Chair of the WCCF Board, Stephen Roberts

On March 28th, the  Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, announced the 2017 Seeds4Hope award winners.
Congratulations to this year's recipients, Dr. Swati Kulkarni, Dr. Sabeena Misra and Dr. John Trant. Each project will receive $90,000 over two years and are focused on the areas of brain, lung and colorectal cancers. Read more about these awards
 

Join Us For Cheers to Hope

WCRG is excited to be hosting 'Cheers to Hope' as part of the University of Windsor's Science Uncorked Series. It will be a
fun-filled community outreach event at Essex Golf and Country Club. The evening will provide an opportunity for the community to mix and mingle with cancer researchers through an Interactive Research Showcase and Cancer Smart Activities.  Don't miss your chance to be part of the fun! Go to snapdwindsor to get your tickets today! 
Clinical Trials Expanding Their Community Outreach
Krista Naccarato and Dr. Tarek Elfiki 
The Clinical Trials Department at Windsor Regional Hospital participated in the latest CANswers Centre Live,  an interactive session hosted by Allison Johnson. A patient and Krista Naccarato, Business Manager of the Clinical Trials Department answered questions from the public in real time. This series allows people to stay in the comfort of their homes and connect with experts. 

Every Friday the 13th, the Cancer Program at Windsor Regional Hospital hosts a Cancer Education Day for health care professionals around the region. The most recent session added a clinical trials information booth specifically designed with general practitioners in mind.
Our WCRG CURES team worked with the clinical trials department to create targeted materials for the day.
Snapd Windsor Highlights Local Researchers
snapd Windsor continues its commitment to highlighting local cancer researchers. Interviews are found in the print edition of snapd Windsor and shared through various newsletters and announcements. The goal of these "Snapd Shots" is to raise awareness about the cancer research conducted in Windsor-Essex and stimulate new research collaborations. Click here to see the latest edition featuring Dr. Indryas Woldie.   
Member Accomplishments
Letting us know about  the accomplishments of you and your colleagues allows us to  celebrate the great work being done in our region and further  build collaborations. Here are a few of your latest successes.

Publications

Mohamed HT, El-Husseiny N, El-Ghonaimy EA, Ibrahim SA, Bazzi, ZA, Cavallo-Medved, DBoffa MB, El-Shinawi M, Mohamed MM. 2018. IL-10 correlates with the expression of carboxypeptidase B2 and lymphovascular invasion in inflammatory breast cancer: The potential role of tumor infiltrated macrophages. Curr. Probl. Cancer. DOI:10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2018.01.009 

Vacarescu RA, Slak B, Maeva A, Hamm C, Lewoc N, Daabous AT, Strumban E, Maev RG. 2018. Investigation of a correlation between taxane-based chemotherapy and the ultrasonic time-of-flight of human fingernails. Skin Res Technol. 24:20-25.
 
Funded Projects     
 
Kulkarni, S., Porter, L., Lubanska, D., Shamisa, A., Rondeau-Gagne, S.,  Andrechek, E., Stringer, F. Seeds4Hope Grant ($90,000). Establishing a Brain Tumour Organoid Screening model to Optimize Therapeutic Options for Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Misra, S., Atitukke, G., Cavallo-Medved, D., Elfiki, T., Porter, L., Ravid, A., Rueda, L., El Keilani, A., Naccarato, K. Seeds4Hope Grant ($90,000). Genomic Profiling to Identify Age and Stage Specific Drivers of Colorectal Cancers.

Trant, J., Marignani, P., Porter, L., Haeryfar, M., Hudlicky, T., Kulkarni, S., Tomalia, D. Seeds4Hope Grant ($90,000). Design and Synthesis of the Acetal-Free Analogues of the Tn Antigen for the Treatment of Lung Cancer.  
   
Congratulations to the following Supervisors for their students receiving Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) grants:
  • Akmal Ghafoor
  • Caroline Hamm
  • Sindu Kanjeekal
  • Lisa Porter
  • Luis Rueda
  • Indryas Woldie

Awards  
 
Phillip Karpowicz, Early Researcher Award, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science ($150,000 over 5 years)

Karen Metcalfe
, University of Windsor Outstanding Staff Research Award.

Lisa Porter, University of Windsor, Faculty of Science Mentorship Award.

Awards and Scholarships - RIOT Members


Natalie Gosselin, Biological Sciences. Windsor Prostate Cancer Scholarship .

Ashley Howard
, Clinical Psychology. Gloria and Carl Morgan Graduate Scholarship in Breast Cancer.

Brayden LaBute, Biological Sciences. Doctor Family Health Research Award.

Ingrid Qemo, Biological Sciences. University of Windsor Outstanding Community Engagement, Knowledge Transfer, and Knowledge Mobilization Award; Casino Windsor Cares/Gail Rosenblum Memorial Breast Cancer Scholarship; Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Excellence Award.

Kyle Stokes, Biological Sciences. NSERC CGSD.

Awards and Scholarships - CURES Members 

Christina Basily, NSERC USRA - undergraduate

Anshika Jain, NSERC USRA - undergraduate

Vanessa Montemurri, NSERC USRA - undergraduate

John Talia, NSERC MSC
 
     
Be sure to submit any news items as they happen and we will include them. Pictures and links to details are welcome! 
 
Funding Opportunities

 

Go to  our website to see a complete list of funding opportunities for cancer researchers. We invite you to use the resource as a tool to plan your grant submissions over the next year. Please contact us if we can help facilitate collaborations or provide feedback to strengthen submissions.