Gene Therapy and prevention

Genetic research in cancer includes:

• Pinpointing which anti-cancer drugs will work best against specific forms of cancer in individual patients
• Finding the exact genetic "on/off" switches in the cell's cancer processes
• Devising genetic screens to identify individuals at high risk of cancer
• Creating vaccines or viral messengers to arm the immune system against cancerous cells at an early stage
• Developing drugs and highly specialized radiation techniques targeted to early stages of cancer growth, to stop it in its tracks and prevent disease growth
• Predicting disease progression (ie. aggressiveness of the cancer) from initial biopsy samples

The Genome Sciences Centre continues to forge partnerships with other leading laboratories within British Columbia, across Canada, and the around the world. The Genome Sciences Centre is a resource available to the BC Cancer Research Centre's world-renowned senior scientists, who research cancers of the lung, prostate, breast, skin, cervix and lymph system, cancers of the blood (leukemia), and many others. Working closely with colleagues at the BC Cancer Agency, senior scientists at the Genome Sciences Centre continue to utilize state-of-the-art technologies as they chart the genes of cancer processes, improving the effectiveness of current treatments and the paths toward cures for specific cancers. The ultimate goal is to find effective means of preventing cancers.