LONDON, ON (Sept. 12, 2006) – CIBC today announced a two-pronged $250,000 gift to support both biological research that aims to unravel the complexities of tumour formation as well as imaging research to track the spread of deadly cancer cells throughout the body.
A $150,000 portion of this gift targets the new J. Allyn Taylor Centre for Cell Biology at Robarts, an 8,000 sq. ft. open-concept laboratory where 35 research personnel are probing the molecular underpinnings of a range of diseases, including understanding how cancer-causing damage is induced – and could potentially be blocked – at the cellular and molecular level.
A further $100,000 will fund the CIBC Postdoctoral Fellow, a position that will assist Robarts scientist Dr. Paula Foster. Her laboratory is refining preclinical methods in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to follow individual breast cancer cells as they metastasize – or migrate – then invade other tissues and divide into new tumours. Metastatic cancer is often much more deadly than cancers that are localized.
For CIBC, supporting medical research at Robarts is part of an ongoing commitment to support breast cancer research, education and treatment. Today’s announcement in London is part of the bank’s national “Think Pink” week to encourage registration for and participation in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure to be held on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006.
“CIBC’s investment in research at Robarts will further our understanding of breast cancer and will help create a future without this disease,” said Bill Gray, Associate Vice President, London CIBC.
For Robarts scientist Dr. Caroline Schild-Poulter, a molecular biologist in the J. Allyn Taylor Centre for Cell Biology, this gift will help further her work understanding how cells go about repairing their DNA when they are damaged by ultraviolet light, X-rays, drugs and other environmental factors.
“If the cell is not able to properly repair this damage, there is a modification or loss of genetic information that can lead to the formation of tumours and cancer,” Dr. Schild-Poulter explained. “Identifying the programs set in place by individual cells to repair damaged DNA is central to our understanding of the development of cancer and is also important for the development of targeted drugs to treat it.”
For more information contact: Linda Quattrin, Robarts Research Institute at 519.663.3021 or lquattrin@robarts.ca
