Region’s best minds gather in Windsor in fight against cancer

By Mirjana Janekovic

The region’s best minds gathered in Windsor during the weekend of Nov. 17 to share their knowledge and ideas in the battle against cancer.

More than 150 scientists, clinicians, researchers, and students from Michigan to London participated in the 4th Biennial International Cancer Research Conference hosted by the Windsor Cancer Research Group.

“It’s a great way for us to bring guests from outside the community to come and learn about the type of research that we are doing here locally,” said University of Windsor Professor Dora Cavallo-Medved.

The conference featured keynote speaker Dr. Jacqueline Jeruss, Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Michigan and Director at University of Michigan Breast Care Center. In total,  17 oral presentations and 57 poster presentations were included.

“We noticed over the last four conferences that we have had an increase in participants, those are both the researchers, the clinics as well as the students coming down and sharing the research findings,“ said Cavallo-Medved.

Dr. Lisa Porter, a cancer researcher at the University of Windsor, said the conference was an opportunity to showcase local research and share experiences and ideas with colleagues.

“There are tonnes of great things that are going on in Windsor-Essex,” she said. “I think that one of the greatest things about a conference like this one is that it gives you brand new ideas and energies, and helps to advance things that are already going on.”

The conference also provided an opportunity for students, who set up poster presentations.

Awards were given to Marisa Market from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Stojcevski Amanda McLaughlin from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry and Adam Pillon from the University of Windsor.

Student Veronica Dubois received the People’s Choice award for best poster.

“I am using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to add port gen to cells so that we could non-evasively track them over time in vivo and learn more about disease mechanism such as cancer metastases,” she said.

More than 20 student volunteers soaked up the experience.

“It’s a cool opportunity to have students organize a conference like this,” said Jack Frank.