Tag Archives: cancer

A Small Step for Mankind, A Large leap for Cancer Research

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Conway | Leave a comment

Have you ever felt completely helpless after finding out someone you know and love is suffering from a horrible disease like cancer? If so, you most likely hoped that medical treatments would be able to cure the person. More people die from cancer compared to any other disease in Canada, but scientists have not been able to create the cure for cancer. With so many different types of cancers, the amount of treatments available is still relatively limited and these treatments are incredibly painful.

A scene of a patient receiving cancer treatment
Photo credit: Victoria Forster

What treatments are being developed? Scientists like Dr. Orvig and his group decided to focus on improving cancer detection of one specific type of cancer with the use of radiopharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs containing radiation-producing molecules that are able to attach to cancer cells indirectly. Chelators/ligands are molecules that will bind to metal ions and these metal ions then attach to the cancer cells with the help of antigens and antibodies.

Why is Dr. Orvig’s research different compared to previous research? Different ligands attach to metal ions at different rates and Dr. Orvig and his team wanted to create a ligand that could attach quicker than previous ones. Therefore, Dr. Orvig and his team synthesized a ligand that can bind to certain metals in about 5-10 minutes at room temperature. In addition, their ligand wraps around the metal like a snake, which is stronger and quicker at binding compared to previous ones.

Photo of Dr. Orvig and his colleague doing an experiment.
Photo credit: Asana Kh

We interviewed Dr. Orvig and asked him to explain his research in detail. The podcast attached below further explains why current cancer treatments are not ideal and how Dr. Orvig’s research can make a difference towards current cancer treatment.

In addition to the podcast, the following video explains the process of making the chelators, how they work and how they were tested by Dr. Orvig and his team.

Video Credit: Asana Kh

Although this new technology cant directly kills cancer cells, it allows researchers to detect cancer earlier. Consequently, this early detection can lead to an easier treatment process and increase the patients’ chances of survival. Even though there is still a long way to go before the technology can be used in hospitals, Dr. Orvig and his team remain optimistic. As Dr. Orvig mentioned, “In science, it’s always about making it better”; many small accomplishments will eventually lead to a big success, like the cure for cancer.

– Group 3: Asana Kh, Conway Chen, Moneek Gill, Tammy Tang

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Posted in Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged cancer, cancer detection, Chemistry, ligands, Science

Tackling Cancer: Organogels to the Rescue

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

“Cancer” — a word that brings fear among the public because ‘incurable’ is what first comes to mind. Drug industries and researchers have spent countless hours to develop a cure against this fatal disease. However, due to rapid advancements in science, what if we are inching closer towards a solution on eliminating cancer? Would that put the public more at ease? To this day, only a handful of cancers are curable such as prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, and breast cancer. A recently discovered structure called an organogel offers an attractive approach in helping to combat cancer.

Source: Image of organogel, provided by Dr. Roy van der Meel

What are organogels?

Organogels act as a delivery system that carry drug particles, protect the drug particles, and make their way to cancer cells where it releases the drug contents. Drugs often contain small particles that bind and interfere with proteins made by virus and cancer cells. These particles are called small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA). RNA is present in all living cells where it has a role in controlling protein synthesis. Upon binding of siRNA to its target (cancer cells/viruses), the production of harmful proteins from cancer cells in our body will be stopped. Preventing harmful protein production will prevent cancer from forming in our bodies and eventually killing cancer cells. This is the general basis of how pharmaceutical drugs work.

We had the chance to interview Dr. Roy Van der Meel, a postdoctoral research fellow at UBC. In his research, Dr. Van der Meel and his colleagues showed that the use of organogels is very efficient against harmful cells. He found that organogels were able to locate and bind to cancer cells, and successfully release its contents. To learn more about this technique and its impact in the world, view the video below.

What makes organogels so special?

What sets the organogel technique apart from others is that organogels are able to bind to deep tissues within our bodies that are difficult to access. Furthermore, use of organogels contain less severe side effects compared to other methods such as chemotherapy , radiotherapy and surgery. Organogels are biodegradable. This means the body is able to successfully break down the components of the organogel, which minimizes the amount of harm on the body.

Even though this technique has many advantages, there are a few challenges and limitations that accompany it. The small interfering RNA (siRNA) can be easily damaged by physiological factors in the body which makes it difficult to successfully deliver siRNA to the targeted tissue. Furthermore, injection of organogels is minimally invasive but can have side effects such as short lifetime of siRNA, low renewal efficiency of siRNA, and harming body tissues.

Moving forward into the future

The discoveries and findings in the study provide a basis for the technique of organogels, which still has room to grow. The newly developed technique provides a platform for future research on cancer therapy. Listen to the podcast below to find out more on how this technique can be implemented in the future!

Source: BenSound

Group 1: Aron Ha, Simranjit Singh, Cyndi Yan, Yuuki Shibutani

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Posted in Biological Sciences

Tagged cancer

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

You may have heard of the typical low carb or low fat diet, but have you heard of intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting (IF) is a relatively new diet that has been recently growing in popularity because of its powerful, life-changing benefits for the body and the brain.

There are many diets out there that are complex and intimidating to follow; however, IF keeps it simple.

What is intermittent fasting and how does it work?

IF is an eating pattern where an individual cycles between periods of eating and non-eating. There are many variations of IF that contain different fasting and non-fasting timeframes. Which variation an individual should use is based on their personal preference and their lifestyle/goals. Compared to other diets that require you to limit your calories, IF requires you to cut out the entire meal itself. With IF’s unconventional dieting approach, this makes IF easy to follow for the average person. This has contributed to the diet’s rise in popularity as well as its benefits in body composition and the brain.

Why should I try this diet? What are its benefits?

There are many benefits with intermittent fasting. Below are some of the most important ones that separate this diet apart from others.

Source: The Renegade Pharmacist

IF alters the function of cells, genes and hormones

When the body is in a fasted state, the body undergoes physiological changes such as changes in hormone levels. This allows the body to use stored fat as its main source of energy. Furthermore, insulin blood levels decrease which helps with fat burning. The human growth hormone (HGH) also gets elevated during fasting. Elevated levels of HGH further increase fat burning, muscle gain and other health benefits. As a result of decreased insulin levels and increased HGH, our cells undergo cellular repair processes and removes toxic waste from cells. This in turn can help prevent cancer.

IF benefits the brain

Previous studies have shown that IF improves certain metabolic features that are important for mental health. This involves lowering of blood sugar levels and insulin resistance which is important in fighting against certain diseases. Fasting up-regulates the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), a protein that is involved in cognitive functions, memory and overall brain health. A study that experimented with rats showed that IF can elevate the production of new nerve cells which positively impacts the brain. Secretion of BDNF also contributes to lower chances of mental disorders such as depression and other brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, a study involving animals has shown that IF prevents brain damage caused by strokes.

IF can lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes

As mentioned earlier, fasting reduces insulin. The reduction of insulin levels ultimately lowers type 2 diabetes, a lifelong disease that increases the production of insulin beyond healthy levels. A study comparing IF to calorie restriction diets showed that IF has a stronger impact on lowering insulin levels and lowering blood sugar levels in the body. Collectively, studies have shown that IF can serve as an efficient protection mechanism for people at risk of type 2 diabetes.

IF can improve heart health

Today, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. It is still not well known whether IF can improve heart health due to the limited amount of studies out there. Emerging studies on the effectiveness of IF and heart disease are slowly on the rise.

Below is a video from the Intermountain Research & Medical Foundation discussing their findings on heart disease and IF.

Source: IntermtnMedCtr/Youtube

Intermittent fasting comes with physical and many mental health benefits that sets this apart from other diets. Why diet focussing only on physical health when you can also improve mental health and focus on bettering your longevity?

Make a change where your future self will thank you.

– Aron Ha

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Posted in Science Communication

Tagged brain, cancer, diabetes, Disease, health, Lifestyle, Mental health, Physical health, Stroke

How Bad is Baby Powder?

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Ellen Chen | 2 comments

Have you ever heard that baby powder is actually bad for babies and you shouldn’t use it for a long period of time? Talc is used in the powder and talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. The issue is that talc is a small particle that is small and light enough to travel in the air which can weaken babies’ lungs. When it is inhale, talc can dry a baby’s mucous membranes can cause serious lung damage. Study have shown that talc can cause shortness of breath and blockage of the airway in babies. Some babies have developed pneumonia, and some have died as a result of respiratory failure.

Some people might think they can replace corn starch with talc, but corn starch is not ideal either. However, the particles are large enough and won’t be able to travel in the air compare to other particles such as talc. What are the other alternative? We can use over the counter ointments or petroleum jelly which can be found in any drug stores.

The most important question is that is there a link between talcum powder and lung cancer? An American cancer society stated that there is no increased risk of lung cancer if customer uses talcum powder, but it is suggested that customers should not use talcum powder too often. However, if customer decided to use baby powder, it is suggested not to sprinkle it directly on babies’ body and keep it as far away as possible. It would be ideal to apply some powder on hands away from babies before applying on babies.

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged cancer, health, lung damage, News, public concern, Science

The Risks of Eating Meat and Developing Cancer

Posted on February 26, 2018 by simranjit singh | Leave a comment

Have you ever had the cravings for a nice juicy steak? Ever feel like skipping the salads for a gourmet burger? According to science, you may want to think again.

Figure 1. Man eating hamburger. Source: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/21639/cancer-information/cancer-risk-and-prevention/healthy-weight-diet-and-exercise/meat-and-cancer/

Researchers have demonstrated that there are distinct correlations between the types of meat people consume, and the types of cancers you may be diagnosed with. Studies show a variety of meat such as red pork, beef and goat are a possible cause of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer develops in the colon when cells start to divide rapidly without any control. From here, the cancer can spread to other parts of the body. Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Figure 2. Diagram of the colon, and the targets for colon cancer to develop. Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm#what_is_cancer

We all know that it is beneficial to maintain a balance of meat products in our diets. Meat ultimately provides our bodies with proteins, and these proteins are necessary for our body to be able to function properly and to carry out essential life processes. For example, proteins are required for building tissues, muscles, digesting and the uptake of nutrients in helping to maintain homeostasis throughout the body.

Why is this relevant to us and our daily lives? A majority of the world’s population consumes some sort of meat throughout their lives, and even eat it on a regular basis. Television and social media advertise the amazing tasting bacon, steak and burgers you can get from restaurants or your local grocery stores.

Figure 3. Bacon on a frying pan. Source: https://grasslandbeef.com/sugar-free-pork-bacon-slices

Undercooking meat products raises a huge issue based on developing cancer. The “rarity” and redness found in meat can cause an alteration in the chemical composition of another essential macromolecule in DNA, which stores hereditary information in the form of gene segments, or chromosomes. The reason why “medium-rare” steaks, red beef and pork are accountable for changing the outlook of DNA is because of the hemoglobin contained within it can turn into N-nitroso compounds, which are suspected cancer-causing agents. Hemoglobin is a type of protein in blood that is responsible for transporting oxygen.

Figure 4. Shows hemoglobin transporting oxygen throughout our blood. Source: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hemoglobin

In today’s society, with all the advancements in scientific research and technology, we are discovering many different factors that can lead to the causes of different cancers. The take-home message would be, even though extensive research has shown that certain meat products are behind the diagnosis of cancer, eating in moderation has never lead to harm. Cancer is this great complex phenomenon that requires the contribution of biological, physical and environmental factors to cause it. While changing your lifestyle to avoid eating meats has its many benefits, from a personal standpoint, I can’t go a day without having some type of poultry. In spite of this, from researching about this topic I have become more conscious of what I put into my mouth.

– Simranjit Singh

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Public Engagement

Tagged beef, cancer, carcinogens, colon, DNA, goat, meat, muscle, pork, protein

How a Meat-Filled Diet May Lead to Cancer

Posted on January 29, 2018 by simranjit singh | Leave a comment

Tiny chemical molecules called amino acids interlock with other amino acids via a covalent linkage called a peptide bond, forming protein macromolecules. Proteins are necessary for our body to be able to function properly and to carry out the daily essential life processes. Proteins are required for building tissues and muscles, digesting and the uptake of nutrients, and helping to maintain homeostasis throughout the body. The protein that is readily available for us humans to intake comes from the foods we eat. More specifically, foods that are high in protein are: beans, almonds, broccoli, Greek yogurt, and most importantly meat!

A generic depiction of the chemical structure of an amino acid. Source: https://teaching.ncl.ac.uk/bms/wiki/index.php/Amino_acids

Researchers have proven that there is a distinct correlation between the types of meat people consume, and the types of cancers you may be diagnosed with. Studies show a variety of meat such as red pork, beef and goat are a possible cause of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer develops in the colon when cells start to proliferate rapidly without any control. From here, the cancer can spread to other parts of the body. Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Diagram of the colon, and the targets for colon cancer to develop. Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm#what_is_cancer

Now, why is this relevant to us and our daily lives? A majority of the world’s population consumes some sort of meat throughout their lives, and even eat it on a regular basis. Television and social media advertise the amazing tasting bacon, steak and burgers you can get from restaurants or your local grocery stores. People who wish to bolster their physique by lifting weights also require a high protein intake in order to build-up the muscle.

Source: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/21639/cancer-information/cancer-risk-and-prevention/healthy-weight-diet-and-exercise/meat-and-cancer/

Undercooking meat products raises a huge issue based on developing cancer. The “rarity” and redness found in your steak and/or beef cause an alteration in the chemical composition of another essential macromolecule in DNA, which stores hereditary information in the form of gene segments or chromosomes. The reason why “medium-rare” steaks, red beef and pork are accountable for changing the outlook of DNA is because of the vast amount of hemoglobin contained within it. The hemoglobin can turn into N-nitroso compounds, which are suspected cancer-causing agents. Hemoglobin is a type of protein in blood which is responsible for transporting oxygen. This is due to its iron subunits being bound to a heme group and their ability to bind to oxygen atoms, thus becoming a red-looking myoglobin protein.

Shows hemoglobin transporting oxygen throughout our blood. Source: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hemoglobin

Up until this point, I’ve been talking about how undercooking meat and the blood contained within meat may be detrimental towards your health. However, what’s the difference between this and processed meats?

Processed meats are meats that have been smoked and salted by the addition of preservatives. Some common examples may be packaged goods you find at your local grocery store; ham, bacon, hot dogs etc…

Further studies show that the preservatives in processed meats have a higher concentration of nitrosamines, which are carcinogens, than any other meat products.

In today’s society that we live in, with all the advancements in scientific research and technology, we are discovering many different factors that can ultimately lead to the causes of several cancers. The take-home message would be, even though extensive research has shown that certain meat products are behind the diagnosis of cancer, eating in moderation has never lead to harm. Cancer is this great complex phenomenon that requires the contribution of biological, physical and environmental factors to cause it. While changing your lifestyle to avoid eating meats has its many benefits, from a personal standpoint, I can’t go a day without having some type of poultry. In spite of this, from researching about this topic I have become more contentious of what I put into my mouth.

Author: Simranjit Singh

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Outreach Project, Public Engagement

Tagged beef, cancer, carcinogens, colon, DNA, goat, hemoglobin, meat, muscle, myoglobin, nitrosamines, pork, processed meats, protein

Whales are 1000 times less likely to develop cancer than human

Posted on January 29, 2018 by huanxin zhang | 2 comments

Did you know how many people die from cancer annually? It is over 5 million. What’s worse, worldwide rates of cancer are predicted to increase by 50% compared with the current rates by 2020. What is interesting, however, is that whales rarely have cancer and they are 1000 times less likely to develop cancer than human. According to the research, it was found that their larger body size helps them be away from cancer.

large Body Size

Cells in organisms have the same probability to have a malignant transformation and to become a tumor cell. It means the large organisms with more cells have a higher cancer risk. However, as shown in the graph, mice with a smaller body size are 3 times more likely to have cancer than human. Elephants and whales with a larger body size have a relative lower cancer rate. Actually, as Peto’s paradox demonstrated, the capacity of whales to suppress cancer cells is 1000 times better than humans. The reasons behind this phenomenon are that it takes longer time for a tumor cell to reach the fatal size in whale’s body and whale has a lower metabolism rate.

Long Time

Whales are less likely to have cancer because it takes a long time for tumors in whale’s bodies to reach the lethal size. In large organisms such as whales, Nagy, Victor, & Cropper. (2007) argued that tumors must be larger to become lethal. In order to become lethal tumors, cancer cells need to collect aggressive cells to make themselves stronger. These aggressive cells then grow and gradually become lethal. However, this process takes long time for tumors in large body size organisms to evolve and then reach the large enough lethal size. The longer time to reach the lethal size allows more time for organisms to repair cells so whales are able to repair the cancer cells before they becoming lethal. Therefore, even though it is more likely for whales to have cancer cells, these cancer cells are less lethal while cancer cells in human being’s body are more easily become lethal.

Lower Metabolism Rate

Whales have lower risk of having cancer because of the lower metabolism rate compared with humans. Metabolism proceeds in organism by generating a kind of destructive chemically species-reactive oxygen. The reactive oxygen can damage the DNA by breaking the bonds between DNA and inducing chromosome mutations. Once the DNA is damaged, the risk of cancer increases. What’s worse, the damaged DNA, as junk in the organism, can also induce cancer. It means the rate of metabolism has a positive correlation with the possibility of having cancer.

Based on the previous study, larger organism tends to have a lower metabolism rate. Hence a larger organism has an overall lower risk of having cancer. Consequently, whales, as large organisms, are less likely to have cancer compared with human beings whose body size are smaller.

To summarize, a large body size of whales explains why the cancer rate of whales are lower. Meanwhile, these findings could also be applied to prevent and treat cancer. Though humans cannot change body size easily, humans could try to lower the metabolism rate to achieve the same effect as whales have.

Author: HUANXIN ZHANG

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science in News

Tagged biology, cancer, medical science, Ocean, Physical health, whale

Tag Archives: cancer

A Small Step for Mankind, A Large leap for Cancer Research

Tackling Cancer: Organogels to the Rescue

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

How Bad is Baby Powder?

The Risks of Eating Meat and Developing Cancer

How a Meat-Filled Diet May Lead to Cancer

Whales are 1000 times less likely to develop cancer than human

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Tag Archives: cancer

A Small Step for Mankind, A Large leap for Cancer Research

Tackling Cancer: Organogels to the Rescue

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

How Bad is Baby Powder?

The Risks of Eating Meat and Developing Cancer

How a Meat-Filled Diet May Lead to Cancer

Whales are 1000 times less likely to develop cancer than human

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