nge builds momentum
In June 2013, Dr. Tak Mak, Director
of The Campbell Family Institute
for Breast Cancer Research
at Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre, and Dr. Dennis Slamon
of the University of California,
Los Angeles, announced to an
engaged audience that they have
developed a new class of targeted
anti-cancer drug and are awaiting
approval from Health Canada
and the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to initiate human
trials*. As the understanding of
cancer grows within our scientific
team, new targets for arresting
and subverting it emerge, and an
enzyme called PLK4 (which plays
an important role in cell division)
is the target of this new drug.
It is rare for an academic group
such as Dr. Mak’s to develop
a drug compound, but his
partnership with Dr. Slamon and
philanthropic support from the
Campbell family, the walkers in
the
Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend
to End Women’s Cancers
, the
Canadian Institutes of Health
Research, Genome Canada
and The California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine have
enabled this progress.
For over a decade, the Campbell
Family—Linda, Gaye, Susan and
the late Audrey Campbell—have
been steadfast in their support
of the world-leading scientific
research taking place at Princess
Margaret Cancer Centre, and
their gifts totaling $62.5 million
continue to fuel research that
is changing patient outcomes
worldwide.
* At time of publication, Health Canada
has given clearance to proceed to a
phase I clinical trial.
treat some types of cancer
peer-reviewed publications in
high-impact journals.
Dr. Mathieu Lupien
Most recently the Director of
the Quantitative Epigenomics
Laboratory at Dartmouth
Medical School, Dr. Lupien
is a recipient of the Young
Investigator Award from the
Ontario Institute for Cancer
Research.
Dr. Daniel De Carvalho
Dr. Housheng He
Dr. Mathieu Lupien
