CLINICAL TRIALS
Based on research conducted in our laboratory, we have launched or contributed to several immunotherapy clinical trials. For more information about these trials, click the links below.
Phase I Trial in Ovarian Cancer (Trial is complete)
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This is an investigator-initiated Phase 1 clinical trial that is led by our collaborator Dr. Anna Tinker. This study will investigate the safety of combining external beam radiation plus durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, in ovarian cancer. The two sites that are participating include BC Cancer Vancouver and Princess Margaret Hospital. AstraZeneca has funded the study and it is currently ongoing and recruiting. Our laboratory will be conducting research on samples collected from patients on this study to help us identify biomarkers that will help us understand treatment response.
For more information, please click here.
Photo credit: BC Cancer
Phase II Trial in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Trial is complete)
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This is a phase II study to examine the develop, validate and quality test high-dose rate stereotactic body radiation (SBRT) in certain types of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). The study is active but no longer recruiting patients as it has met their targets. Our lab is working with the PI, Dr. Roy Ma, to examine how immune responses change during the course of treatment.
For more information, please click here.
Phase III Trial in Prostate Cancer (Trial is open and enrolling)
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This is a phase III clinical trial comparing high-dose rate versus low-dose rate brachytherapy (radioactive seeds) as a single treatment for intermediate risk prostate cancer. This study is currently active and recruiting patients. We are collaborating with the study investigator Dr. Juanita Crook to understand, a) whether we can predict which patients will respond to brachytherapy, and b) whether the immune system plays a role in patient responses.
For more information, click here.
Photo credit: BC Cancer Foundation
CLINICAL STUDIES
Intermittent Fasting Feasibility Study in CLL (Study is open and enrolling)
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The investigators plan to examine the effects of intermittent fasting (time restricted feeding) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is the most common chronic leukemia and is presently incurable. The advantage of choosing this patient population is that the cancer is easily assessed with a blood test measuring the amount of cancerous white cells (lymphocytes). Patients who consent to participate in this study will, through the support of an oncology dietitian and after a period of transition, split their daily feeding into a fasting period and a non-fasting period. This regime is as simple as skipping or having a late breakfast. At this time, participants will not be required to limit their total caloric intake.
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For more information about participating in the study please contact the Study Coordinator.
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Metabolism and autophagy in memory T cell development (Study is open and enrolling)
Based on our published studies, we are investigating whether autophagy plays a role in development of memory after vaccination. There are two study groups, one in which we study patient immune responses after seasonal influenza vaccination, and a second in which we study patient immune responses after yellow fever vaccination. This study will examine the body's natural immune response to vaccination in order to help researchers design more effective vaccines for diseases such as cancer. Specifically, this study aims to uncover genetic differences between healthy individuals that may impact the immune response to vaccination. This is a collaboration with several research groups from British Columbia (Dr. Laura Sly) and our local travel clinics.
For more information about participating in the study please contact the Study Coordinator.
Immune Response to Ovarian Cancer (IROC) (Study is open and enrolling)
We are actively studying how the immune systems responds to ovarian cancer. Through our human biospecimen repository, our team is investigating the metabolic interactions between tumors and T cells using mass-spectometry and high-dimensional analysis. This work involves the collection of biospecimens from ovarian cancer patients treated at our cancer centre. The studies will also include the discovery of novel neoantigens that could be targets for CAR-T cell or adoptive T cell immunotherapy strategies. The goal is to generate important knowledge about the behavior of ovarian cancers and how best to harness the immune system to attack the cancer cells. The study is a large team effort by multiple laboratories across multiple disciplines.
For more information about the study, please contact a member of the Study team.
Immune Response to Prostate Cancer (IRPC) (Study is complete)
As a sister project, our team has collected over samples from over 160 prostate cancer patients treated at our center. The goal is to investigate how the immune system changes over time and whether radiation or hormone therapy impacts overall immune responses.
For more information about possible studies, please contact the Study Coordinator.