Page 21 - 2022 DMOH Year-End Review Summary

A research team headed by Dr. Kevin Kuo has reported the findings of an interna-
tional clinical trial on a new drug for non-transfusion dependent thalassemia (NTDT),
one form of thalassemia.

“Our results show that mitapivat brings hemoglobin levels back up to a point where
it may reduce risks for harmful complications,” says Dr. Kuo. “Importantly, our study
included participants with a diverse range of changes to their hemoglobin genes,
suggesting that the drug may universally benefit patients with all types of thalas-
semia.” For the full story, please click here.

Congratulations to nurse Shari Moura for launching her NUANcE trial for nutrition in
pancreas patients.

Grants

Dr. Robert Grant was one of the four inaugural recipients of the Marathon of Hope
Cancer Centres Network Clinician-Scientist Award. The award, which totals $450,000
over three years, will be used to develop new methods to personalize treatments for
patients with pancreatic cancer. To achieve his goal, Dr. Grant will use samples from
pancreatic cancer patients to create thousands of patient-derived organoids, and
use a screening platform to see how these organoids respond to approximately 3,000
different drugs. Read more here.

Dr. Monika Krzyzanowska received an Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)
grant. She will explore remote interventions to help cancer patients manage side
effects of chemotherapy between visits to the hospital.

Dr. Lawson Eng received the International Lung Cancer Foundation (ILCF) Young
Investigator Grant in support of his project titled: Understanding the Impact of Age
and Frailty on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) Outcomes in Lung Cancer Patients.

Dr. Natasha Leighl was awarded the 2021 Invest in Research Grant for her project,
“Accelerating Lung Cancer Diagnosis Through Liquid Biopsy”.

2022 Year in Review Summary  21