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Regenerative Radiation Medicine—the next frontier
M
inimizing side effects of cancer
therapy is always a top priority for
the clinicians at Princess Margaret
Cancer Centre. “In our radiation medicine
program, we have integrated imaging into
all of our procedures to more precisely target
radiation only to the tumour, minimizing the
impact on healthy tissues,” explains Dr. Fei-Fei
Liu, Chief of the Radiation Medicine Program.
“But we are also exploring how tissue and
organ damage that cannot be avoided could
be repaired.”
For example, radiation fibrosis (or tissue
thickening) may appear months or even
years after treatment, and is currently
irreversible. This side effect results from a
complex process of inflammation, reduced
blood flow and oxygen, and excess wound
healing at the irradiated site. Researchers at
The Princess Margaret are trying to reverse
radiation fibrosis in the laboratory by using
stem cells derived from fat tissue with some
promising results.
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is where
stem cells were originally discovered 55
years ago. These important cells, which
exist throughout our body, are key factors
in healing and in the natural renewal that
our body requires. As part of the University
Health Network, the researchers at The
Princess Margaret are able to tap into
and collaborate with some of the world’s
top minds at the McEwen Centre for
Regenerative Medicine.
Thanks to the generosity of the Godsoe
family, the
Peter and Shelagh Godsoe Chair
in Regenerative Radiation Medicine
has been
established at Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre, and recruitment of a top-calibre
candidate is well underway.
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Peter and Shelagh Godsoe and Dr. Padraig Warde
