Profiles in Research Excellence: BRIGITTE THERIAULT

Even windblown she was beautiful

 

As promised, from time to time I am going to “profile” a young cancer researcher; specifically, those that have received a grant from the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.  To kick off the series we consider Dr. Brigitte Theriault, Ph.D. 

Dr. Theriault currently works for the University Health Network, in Ontario, Canada.  She earned her Ph.D. from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, in 2007 at – judging from her recent youthful photo –  about the age of 16.    She later Post Doc’d at the University of Toronto.  She has published 13 papers on ovarian cancer in the last few years, received several awards (including ours – MRC) and helped organize  an important conference on ovarian cancer.  It should give us confidence in the eventual extinction of ovarian cancer that people like Brigitte Theriault are on the job. 

I would like to give you the biochemical lowdown on Dr. Theriault’s work, but – quite frankly – I don’t understand it.  Instead, I will quote from two documents describing her research – documents that quite obviously are not meant for the likes of me.

"Her efforts focused on studying how differential regulation of autocrine transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) superfamily signalling between ovarian cancer and normal ovarian surface epithelial cells regulates cellular processes such as proliferation, adhesion and migration".  This from her Ph,.D. work in Halifax.

And this, from the MRC citation:

Brigitte Thériault, PhD

Ontario Cancer Institute

Modulation of KIF14 overexpression in ovarian cancer

Dr. Thériault's lab had previously discovered that the gene KIF14 is present in high amounts in the majority of ovarian cancers, and that patients with high KIF14 have much worse survival than patients with low KIF14. KIF14 is normally found in cells that are growing and dividing and is usually not found in adult human tissues. Her prior research in cell cultures and in animal models has shown that accumulation of KIF14 leads to tumor spread and blocking KIF14 causes tumor cell death. Dr. Thériault's goal in this project is to understand how tumors accumulate such high amounts of KIF14 so that she can find ways to block KIF14 production, stop tumor cell growth, and improve the survival of ovarian cancer patients. (The italics are mine.  I am pleased when a cancer researcher relly wants to get at the basic science - to understand something.)

All I can say is that, although I may not understand what she’s doing I can tell she is dedicated and smart smart – and I wish her Godspeed.

 

 

 



MRC GRANTS FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH

She could do anything

 

Encouraged by the Comment of my granddaughter Amanda, from time to time I am going to “profile” one or another of the cancer researchers we at the Marsha Rivkin Center help support.  We offer support in three categories, but it is clear that each emphases innovation.  We try to identify people who may have spied an incipient crack in the armor (of ovarian cancer), and  then  help them pry it open.  Once they have are inside, we leave it to the far deeper pockets of the NIH to help them fight the war.  To me – I had no part in designing any of our programs – this seems to be a remarkably promising approach.  I wish I were 30 again and a smart biochemist; I’d rather be one of these young people than simply an old guy  writing about them.  But, you do what you can with what you’ve got.

Rather than jumping right in, I will describe the kinds of grants we award.  In ascending order of dollars available, and – probably – difficulty in getting funded -  we award Scientific Scholar Awards, Pilot Study Grants, and Challenge Grants.   

Scientific Scholar Awards:  These go to young, bright, early-career scientists.  The purpose is to enable them to try out new ideas (which the young have in profusion, I am told – I am too old to remember).  Needless to say, these ideas have relevance to ovarian cancer.  The grant amounts to $60,000 for one year, which isn’t much these days but may make the difference between trying out an idea and shrugging it off.  This year (2012, actually) we gave out three of these, to young women in England, Canada, and the United States.

Pilot Studies:  These are worth $75,000 for one year.  In 2012 we awarded ten of them.  I gather that the successful applicants tend to be better established in their field, but need help and encouragement in developing some novel approach to ovarian cancer.  One of these awards went to a scientist in Helsinki.

 

Challenge Grants:  I don’t precisely understand the nature of this award, so I will simply quote what is said in the MRC Website:  “Challenge grants in scientific research revolve around posing a grand scientific question to the research community and asking researchers to submit their best ideas for meeting the challenge with creative solutions. With help from our Scientific Advisory Board, the Rivkin Center will identify areas in ovarian cancer research in which the greatest strides can be made today and offer a 2-year, $150,000 Challenge Grant to the research group that proposes the best solution.”

 Thr 2011-2013 MRC  Challenge Grant was awarded to Dr. David Bowtell, who works in Melbourne, Australia.  Dr. Bowtell is testing the hypothesis that ovarian tumors, especially of the most lethal type – serous – leak pieces of DNA into the blood-stream  in quantities sufficient to serve as an early marker of the disease.  Specifically, he is looking at a mutated version of the gene TP53, which apparently is associated with numerous kinds of cancer.  Incidentally, it appears that serous “ovarian” cancer originates in the fallopian tubes.

Regarding  Dr. Bowtell’s very important  work:   as an Aussie friend of mine was fond of saying, “Goodonyah”!

 

 



WECOME BACK

This is me in December, 1952.  I had just survived my first quarter at Caltech, racking up a GPA of 2.985.  (Yes, in those days, Tech calculated GPAs to the third decimal place.)

It seems that from time to time people blunder on this long-abandoned blog by accident.  They should go immediately to "Myrl'sBlog", which now has 106 entries.  However, it occurs to me that I can put whatever I post on BOTH blogsites, so from now on I will.  If I remember.