RIOT Blogs
From the developing therapeutics to understanding various types of cancer, our blogs provide insights into current research and patient care.
Shining a Light on Pediatric Cancer: Supporting the Youngest Warriors
By: Zainab Al-Attwani, Gissou Jafari Torreie, Luca LeClair, Raymond Zeng
Childhood cancer is a devastating reality that affects thousands of families every year. This blog explores pediatric cancers’ unique challenges, highlights current and recent advancements in treatments and suggests ways to support and advocate for patient families.
Navigating Breast Cancer: Awareness, Prevention, and Modern Treatment Approaches
By: Zainab Al-Attwani, Gissou Jafari Torreie, Luca LeClair, Raymond Zeng
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, and understanding its risk factors, prevention, and treatment options is crucial.
By taking a comprehensive approach, individuals can better navigate the complexities of breast cancer and take proactive steps toward maintaining their health.
Deciphering the Impact of Aging on Cancer: Senescence and Immunoaging
By: Erwan Goy
The high incidence of cancer can be attributed to numerous risk factors associated with its development, including alcohol consumption, tobacco, car pollution, dietary factors, viral and bacterial infections, among others. When considering the impact of such risk factors, one prominent factor stands out: aging.
Unleashing the Immune System to Fight Against Cancer
By: Heidi
In recent years, the dawn of immunotherapy has heralded a new era in cancer treatment. This article provides an overview of immunotherapy, delving into some examples, current challenges, and future potentials of its use.
BCG: From a vaccine to a cancer therapy - A Canadian Story
By: Aline Atallah
Currently, the therapeutic approach for intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer entails tumor removal and the administration of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment. BCG is a live attenuated form of Mycobacterium bovis. But how did a bacterium, originally developed as a tuberculosis vaccine, become the gold standard for treating this type of bladder cancer?
Analyzing the use of CAR-T Cell Therapy for Blood Cancers and Solid Tumour Cancer Types
In recent years, immunotherapy has become increasingly popular as an option for cancer treatment. There are many types of cancer immunotherapy, however, one particular type that has been significantly successful is CAR T cell therapy.
Hormone Therapy as Treatment for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is a top contributor to cancer-related deaths in men, second only after lung cancer (1). According to Canadian Cancer Statistics, approximately 1 in 8 Canadian men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime (2).
Eliminating Salmonella with CRISPR-Cas9 and bacterial conjugation
By: Seung (Joon) Kim, BSc.
Having the wrong kinds or species of bacteria within our microbiome often leads to conditions like diarrhea or inflammation. Furthermore, studies have found that certain species of bacteria are associated with obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and even colorectal cancer (Cho & Blaser, 2012). The key obstacle to therapeutically establishing the balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria is to find new ways to selectively modulate the microbiome—selectively eliminating Salmonella.
The role of animal models in cancer research
As cancer researchers, we understand the importance of knowing as much as possible about the disease in order to develop treatments and help patients. However, cancer is not a simple disease. Medical research has, and continues to impact our greatest medical problems, and animal models are an essential part of this research.