Funds will help develop a new class of cancer therapeutics

Posted July 12, 2010

David Schriemer, PhD, in his UCalgary labAcross Canada, 12 universities will undertake new research projects that will improve health services for Canadians as well as economic development in the health-sector. The announcement was made Thursday by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), highlighting the Government of Canada's commitment to research, innovation and health.

The University of Calgary’s David Schriemer, PhD, and his team will receive close to $500,000 over three-years to develop and test a new class of cancer therapeutics.

“This grant connects all the dots for us.  It lets us start at the drug design stage and will allow us to follow the project through to early stages of the clinical testing phase,’ said Schriemer, part of the Faculties of Medicine and Science and a member of the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute (SACRI).

The drug would work by binding to microtubules (hollow tubes in the cell that play a role in cell division) and stopping cell division.  Currently, there are three classes of cancer drugs on the market in this area and Schriemer hopes to establish a fourth drug line, one that can ideally minimize side effects caused by other therapeutics in this class. 

Funding for the project is through the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) program, an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The program grants are designed to support new projects that involve partnerships between any field of the natural sciences or engineering and the health sciences with an impact on the health of Canadians.

"Our government supports innovation because it creates jobs, strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life of Canadians," said Minister Goodyear. "These research partnerships will lead to new health benefits for Canadians and more effective health services."

 

 Project title
“Next Generation Anti-mitotics for Treatment-Refractory Cancer”

Collaborators with David Schriemer –
Dr. Oliver Bathe (U. Calgary)
Dr. Aru Narendran (U. Calgary)
Dennis Hall, PhD (U. Alberta)
Jacek (Jack) Tuszynski, PhD (U. Alberta)