Nation-wide Project Develops Cancer Vaccines

LONDON, ON (July 4, 2007) - Scientists believe that your own body may
just be the best defense against cancer.

Ongoing research shows that immune cells have the capacity to circulate
throughout the body and attack cancerous tissue - and a team of
researchers from across the country, led by Jonathan Bramson of McMaster
University and including three Robarts scientists at Western, will
accelerate the development of promising cancer vaccines thanks to a new
Cancer Immunotherapy Program.

The program is being launched with $3.5 million in funding from the
Terry Fox Foundation - distributed through the National Cancer Institute
of Canada (NCIC). "This immune system research has enormous potential
and is one of the top cancer research projects in Canada," said Dr.
Michael Wosnick, executive director of the NCIC. "We eagerly anticipate
the results."

In addition to developing vaccines specifically for breast cancer, the
research program will conduct experiments to stimulate and enhance
immune responses against tumors and will develop ever-more sophisticated
imaging technologies to observe immune-stimulating agents at work.

Londoners consistently show strong support for cancer research, having
raised millions of dollars over the years for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Last year alone, local Terry Fox Runs raised more than $270,000.

"We are thrilled to know that Robarts is a recipient of a recent Terry
Fox cancer research grant," said Martha McClew, Ontario Provincial
Director of the Terry Fox Foundation. "Canada is such a small country,
yet the work being done here is on par with, if not more advanced than,
anything else in the world."

The Robarts team consists of Drs. Greg Dekaban, Peta O'Connell, and
Paula Foster, and other participating institutions include Toronto's
University Health Network and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, McGill
University, the University of Montreal, the University of British
Columbia, and the British Columbia Cancer Agency.


For more information contact:
Anthea Rowe
Robarts Research Institute
519-663-3524 arowe@robarts.ca

Veronica McGuire
Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University
905-525-9140, ext. 22169 vmcguir@mcmaster.ca