Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Pancreatic cancer is one of the highest fatality cancers, with a low 5 year survival rate of just 8%. Each year 4400 Canadians are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and face poor treatment options. Cancer-killing viruses can be used to create a tumor specific immune response. This immune response is the key to a success in the fight against deadly cancers that affect the Canadian public. These viruses are next-generation vaccines that hold high hopes for current cancer research. I aim to develop a cancer-killing virus that will specifically attack and kill cancer cells, and which can create a pancreatic-cancer specific immune response. Solid cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, can be removed through surgery at early stages; however surgery comes with its own risks. Cancer surgery is necessary for removing the tumor but it has been shown to increase metastases, which is the growth of cancer in other parts of the body. By using this virus-based treatment in the surgical period, I hope to improve survival rates for people who face pancreatic cancer by targeting the primary tumor as well as teaching the immune system to attack metastases that have spread beyond the pancreas.