Tumour engineering could provide a powerful new approach to make more cancer patients eligible for targeted immunotherapies
September 26, 2024 - There are many highly-effective immunotherapies available in the clinic, but few cancer patients are eligible for these treatments because their tumours must have specific targetable proteins. A new tumour engineering approach could help. |
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded three grants for high risk, high reward and interdisciplinary research
June 18, 2024 - The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2023 Exploration competition has awarded $33 million to support 133 research teams across Canada that bring diverse disciplines together in pursuit of breakthrough ideas and high-reward outcomes. |
MS drug boosts cancer-fighting virus in lab models
February 14, 2024 - “Immune-based therapies for cancer are showing great promise and we hope that research such as this will lead to more benefits for patients,” |
Clinical trial drug could boost cancer-fighting viruses
October 13, 2023 - New research led by Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo’s group shows that a compound called pevonedistat, which is currently showing promise in cancer clinical trials, could boost the activity of cancer-fighting viruses. |
Ottawa scientist spearheads groundbreaking cancer treatments
August 18, 2023 - If you’re in the field of oncology, you’ve likely heard of Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo, an internationally recognized scientist with expertise in biochemistry, molecular biology, cancer therapeutics and viral immunology. |
Potential colorectal cancer treatment combines immunotherapy and viral therapy in a powerful new way
February 16, 2023 - Immunotherapy is revolutionizing the treatment of many kinds of cancer, but for colorectal cancer, success has been limited to patients with rare genetic mutations. To tackle this challenge, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital engineered a new ... |
Anti-fungal drug shows promise against COVID-19 in lab studies
August 18, 2022 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital have discovered that a common anti-fungal drug can protect against COVID-19 in laboratory models. The drug, called bifonazole, blocks the interaction between the viral spike protein and its cell-surface receptor ... |
Cancer-fighting viruses soften up their victims before attacking
April 7, 2022 - A research team based at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa has developed a virus that infects and kills cancer cells without harming normal cells, while also sending out signals to prepare nearby uninfected cancer cells for viral ... |
Startup company Virica Biotech aims to enhance production of viral medicines
October 4, 2021 - Virica Biotech, a startup company founded by Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo, announced a major funding milestone and the grand opening of its new process innovation facility this month. |
Vaccines and viral immunotherapies: unique Canadian program provides training to manufacture biotherapeutics
November 21, 2020 - As COVID-19 highlights the urgent need to increase vaccine manufacturing around the world, a unique training program is bolstering Canada’s capacity to manufacture vaccines, as well as viral immunotherapies for cancer and other emerging ... |
The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa launch new cancer immunotherapy research projects with funding from BioCanRx
September 22, 2020 - BioCanRx, Canada’s Immunotherapy Network, today announced funding of $10M for 14 cancer immunotherapy research projects and eight core and biomanufacturing facilities across the country. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and the University ... |
Virus and targeted drug synergize to fight cancer in mice
August 26, 2020 - While some cancer cells can be killed quickly by a single drug, the reality for patients is that multiple therapies are often required, especially if resistance develops. A new study led by Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo reveals for the first time that ... |
COVID-19 research on cell therapy, drug screening and marginalized populations funded through Ontario’s Rapid Research Fund
May 21, 2020 - Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded almost $2 million from Ontario’s COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund for three research projects that could help in the fight against the virus. These ... |
COVID-19 research moving at ‘lightning speed’, thanks to generous community support
May 8, 2020 - Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are working around the clock to advance more than 50 potentially life-saving research projects to support the world-wide effort to find better ways to treat and prevent COVID-19. Now, nine of these projects have ... |
Researchers join the fight against COVID-19
April 2, 2020 - As hospitals and communities band together to fight COVID-19, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are harnessing their unique expertise and resources to help. |
MS drug makes cancer-fighting viruses more effective in lab models
February 7, 2018 - A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis and psoriasis can dramatically enhance the spread of cancer-fighting viruses in human tumour samples and animal models, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine. A team led by Dr. Jean |
The Ottawa Hospital awarded $12.7M for research, double the national CIHR success rate
January 30, 2018 - Sixteen research groups at The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, have been awarded $12.7 million in the most recent project grant competition from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This represents a success r |
Could viruses take cancer immunotherapy to the next level? Study shows viruses and checkpoint inhibitors work together to cure resistant breast cancer in mice
January 3, 2018 - Immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system attack cancer, has revolutionized treatment for cancers such as melanoma and leukemia. However, many other kinds of cancer remain resistant. A new study led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and |
“Bait and switch” approach stimulates immune attack on cancer
December 20, 2017 - Oncolytic (cancer-fighting) viruses have shown promise in the lab and the clinic because they can directly kill cancer cells while also stimulating the immune system to attack the cancer. Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo and his team recently discovered a novel |
Cancer-fighting viruses: Canadian team to accelerate research with $7.4 million from Terry Fox Research Institute
September 27, 2017 - Imagine a tiny army of viruses entering a tumour, making thousands of copies of themselves and busting up cancer cells as they spread. Now imagine the body’s immune system coming in to fight off the virus and eliminate the remaining cancer cells at |
Viral therapy effective against rare bone and muscle cancers in lab models
July 18, 2017 - Cancers that arise in the bone, muscle and connective tissues (called sarcomas) are relatively rare and difficult to treat. Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo and Dr. Hesham Abdelbary teamed up to see if viruses that have proven effective in other cancer ... |
Ottawa researchers to play lead role in new cancer immunotherapy studies
February 15, 2017 - BioCanRx funds research into CAR-T and virus-infected cell therapy
Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa will play a lead role in cutting-edge research on cancer immunotherapy, thanks to five new peer-reviewed researc |
Virus-chemo combination therapy shows promise in breast cancer models
August 24, 2016 - Researchers in Dr. John Bell’s group and Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo’s group have discovered that a cancer-fighting virus called Maraba-MG1, together with a common chemotherapy called paclitaxel, can slow the growth of breast cancer in animal models an |
Researchers find a way to supercharge cancer-fighting viruses
June 14, 2016 - A research team led by Drs. Jean-Simon Diallo, Christopher Boddy and Jeffrey Smith has created a new molecule that could help cancer-fighting viruses be more effective against a wider variety of tumours. Engineered viruses that destroy cancer ... |
Virus vs. Prostate Cancer: Canadian Researchers Pioneer Next-generation Therapy
-- Prostate Cancer Canada and the Movember Foundation partner to make innovative work possible
September 30, 2015 - A multi-disciplinary team of scientists and clinicians led by Dr. John Bell of The Ottawa Hospital is developing a treatment for prostate cancer using viruses that destroy cancer cells and boost the anti-cancer immune response, all the while leaving |
Viruses and drugs combine to form potent anti-cancer therapy
April 22, 2015 - Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo and his colleagues have discovered that compounds that disrupt our cells’ inner skeleton (called microtubule-destabilizing agents) can greatly enhance oncolytic virus cancer therapy in mouse and cell culture models. As described |
