Dr. Caroline Young from Dr. Phil Quirke’s lab in Leeds gave the CL Oakley Lecture for the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and was awarded the Oakley lecture medal.
News
Congratulations to Dr. Avery Robinson and Dr. Jacob Wilde, from Emma Allen-Vercoe’s lab on successfully defending their PhD theses.
Though strong evidence suggests the gut microbiota contributes to colorectal cancer (CRC) onset and/or progression, there is no universal signature of a gut microbe or microbiota associated with the disease. The functional capability of gut communities could be more...
Kimmie Ng and Marios Giannakis publish a perspective “A Common Cancer at an Uncommon Age”
By 2030 colorectal cancer will be the leading cause of cancer deaths in individuals aged 20-49. Young-onset CRC differs from average age onset. Young-onset disease is often more aggressive, presents on the left side of the colon rather than the right, and often...
Henry Wood leads the first study to look at CRC patterns in low- and middle-income countries
Most research in cancer microbiomes is carried out in European and North American patients. Patterns in low- and middle-income countries are often assumed based on results from richer countries, despite different diets, living conditions and cancer rates. We...
Congratulations to Tomotaka Ugai
Congratulations to Tomotaka Ugai, an instructor from Shuji Ogino’s lab, on receiving a Scholar-in-Training Award for his upcoming presentation at the annual AACR meeting April 14-19, 2023, in Orlando, FL.
Microbes are important in human health
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe: The Importance of Microbes to Human HealthIn a recent podcast by the Centre for Inquiry Canada, Emma Allen-Vercoe talks about the importance of microbiome research and how she became involved in the OPTIMISTICC project.
Future Leaders Conference
OPTIMISTICC Trainees Attend CGC Future Leaders Conference in Barcelona From Nov. 2-4, 2022, 14 OPTIMISTICC trainees joined members of other Cancer Grand Challenges Teams in Barcelona, Spain for the 2022 Future Leaders Conference. Drs. Caroline Young and Yasutoshi...
Importance of Patient Engagement in Research
In a recent editorial Laura Porter discusses the importance of patient engagement in research in a publication titled The Importance of Patient Engagement to Improve Healthcare Research and Safety. She not only acknowledges the benefits but also the challenges of...
Western Diet and CRC
In a recent publication Kota Arima and other OPTIMISTICC team members published a paper Western-Style Diet, pks Island-Carrying Escherichia coli, and Colorectal Cancer: Analyses From Two Large Prospective Cohort Studies. Evidence supports a carcinogenic role of...
New review about colorectal cancer and the microbiome
In a recent review by Slater Clay and other OPTIMISTICC team members, titled Colorectal cancer: the facts in the case of the microbiota they review the microbiome’s relevance in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Noting that it is increasingly...
Colorectal Cancer and the Microbiome Webinar
Colorectal Cancer & the MicrobiomeIt’s becoming increasingly clear that colorectal cancer – the third most common cancer worldwide – is intricately linked to microbes in the gut. The OPTIMISTICC team, in collaboration with Colorectal Cancer Canada has produced...
Mr. Barry D Stein received the 2021 Canadian Cancer Research Alliance’s award for Exceptional Leadership in Patient Involvement in Cancer Research.
Barry is the President and CEO of Colorectal Cancer Canada and a patient advocate on our OPTIMISTICC team. He received this award for his tireless efforts to improve treatment access for all cancer patients in Canada by facilitating the engagement of patients in...