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$350,000 grant to advance development of combination therapies for cancer


March 5, 2014

Dr. Jim Dimitroulakos has received a $350,000 grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to investigate a novel cancer treatment strategy that involves combining drugs that affect cholesterol metabolism with drugs that block cancer growth factors. Laboratory studies and clinical trials by Dr. Dimitroulakos and his colleagues have shown that statins, which are widely used to treat high cholesterol, also have anti-cancer effects, particularly in combination with other targeted therapies. The CIHR grant will support further laboratory studies to uncover related combination therapies that may be even more effective with fewer side effects. Further details, including a list of co-investigators, can be found in CIHR’s Funding Decision Database.

About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease.

Media contact
Paddy Moore
Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-737-8899 x73687
613-323-5680 (cell)
padmoore@ohri.ca