Cancer's lingering effects probed by Cape Breton doctor
A private lab in Cape Breton is using a $75,000 donation from the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation to research what happens to the body after cancer treatment.
Dr. William Harless, CEO of Encyt Technologies, Inc. in Membertou, is researching what happens to any remaining cancer cells after surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. He believes the body’s wound healing mechanism may actually trigger growth in remaining cancer cells.
“In the process of damaging the cancer, the body will respond with an inflammatory response to try and heal tissue, cancer is a tissue so the hypothesis that we’re working on is that that particular healing process which is going to be triggered by our treatments, is actually going to facilitate the regrowth of the cancer," said Harless.
“So, what we’re trying to do here is we’re trying to figure out what those molecules are that seem to be helping the cancer cell regrow after cancer treatment.”
Harless said this is a relatively new field of research. He said evidence has come out in the last three or four years that shows this pattern happens after chemotherapy and radiation.
“We know that if you damage normal tissue in animal studies you’ll see very rapid clonal proliferation of what are called stem cells, tissue specific stem cells, they start to grow. They’re growing to regenerate the damaged tissue. I think the exact same thing is happening with cancer. The potential consequence is that if we don’t get all the cancer with our treatment, the cancer that is left behind is more aggressive and more resistant to subsequent therapy so it’s critically important to disrupt that.”
Looking for volunteers
This is the first time the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation has donated money specifically for cancer research.
CEO Brad Jacobs says the decision to fund the research was motivated partly by a request from a private donor and because the board thought the research was a good fit.
“I think the foundation staff, executive and board all agreed that this was something that was important to the community. We often talk so much about funding equipment, which is really important and we’re continuing to do that, this is one very small step that we’re taking," he said.
The research was vetted by the ethics board and the foundation will receive regular reports as it continues.
“The way that we look at it is that what we’re really doing right now is that we’re helping cancer patients who are currently at the hospital go through a research study which may lead to outcomes that are eventually going to help those patients get better treatment," said Jacobs.
Encyt Technologies is enrolling Cape Breton patients in its research.
Harless said the goal is to come up with a way to detect the molecules that trigger the regrowth of remaining cancer cells after treatment and to find a way to stop the process from happening.
“The ultimate goal would be to actually develop therapeutic interventions. We don’t have the capability to develop a drug but we certainly can work with somebody and partner with somebody to help get that developed,” said Harless.
“I’ve been seriously convinced for a long time that this is an avenue into a new way of going after cancer and I have received support from scientists around the world who have actually asked to collaborate with us, so I do think we’re on to something.”
