Innovation Anthology #692:

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Dr. Lynne-Marie Postivit at the University of Alberta hopes her work with epigenetics will unravel the mystery around how cells become cancerous. 

 

Lynne holds the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Translational Health Chair in Cancer.

 

She says when cancer strikes, the epigenetic writing on top of our genetic code basically comes undone. 

 

DR. LYNNE POSTIVIT:  We think of this as  advanced cancers being in absolute chaos.  Soi f you think about early development and when a sperm and an egg come together and they make this amazing baby, it’s a perfectly orchestrated system,  And so the cells that will become the skin know to do that.  The cells that become the gut know to do that.  And when we look at the system we can tell absolutely what the cell is, where it is and how is should be functioning.   And in advanced cancers that’s completely undone.    So the cells don’t look at all like they should look and they don’t  behave as they should.  And they’re characterized by an undoing of those epigenetic marks that are placed during development. 

 

Dr Postivit says her research will help oncologists eventually target the core mutations that allow cancer cells to change and adapt.

 

Thanks today to ALBERTA INNOVATES HEALTH SOLUTIONS

 

FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

 

 

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Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

 

 

Program Date: 2015-06-02