Impacting Health Through OVCARE/Gynecologic Cancer Initiative and Technicolour Pathology at Mapcore

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The model for a research centre as housing for independent, investigator led programs may still be viable within universities but is less optimal for health care institution based research centres where effective and efficient research involves interactions between multidisciplinary research teams and core platforms housing technical expertise.  OVCARE started as an ovarian cancer research team but has evolved into a broader manifestation, the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative which has coalesced over a shared goal of using research to decrease death and suffering from gynecologic cancers by 50%.  Examples of successes from our team based research and current projects will be described including work on ovarian cancer prevention and endometrial cancer classification.  In contrast to OVCARE/GCI with its disease focus the Molecular and Advanced Pathology core laboratory, MAPcore, like its earlier manifestation GPEC is VCHRI based core laboratory where experts in molecular pathology work together to accelerate research across many diseases. MAPCore has a particular focus on tissue based biomarker research that can be readily translated into changes in diagnostic practice. MAPcore is investing in spatial genomics and proteomics methodologies to support more detailed in-situ analysis of cancers and other diseased tissues. Examples for these efforts and how MAPcore works to enhance research for other established and nascent research programs will be presented. dolor aliquet sagittis, malesuada.

David Huntsman, MD, FRCPC, FCCMG, FRSC, FCAHS

Chew Wei Professor of Gynaecologic Oncology
Professor, Departments of Pathology and Lab Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UBC
Director of OVCARE, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Cancer Agency and UBC
Distinguished Scientist, Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Agency Research Centre
Canada Research Chair in Molecular and Genomic Pathology

Dr. David Huntsman, a pathologist and clincial molecualar geneticist at the University of British Columbia is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular and Genomic Pathology. Dr. Huntsman directs OVCARE, part of BC’s multidisciplinary Gynecologic Cancer Initiative and conducts his research at the Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer Agency. Dr. Huntsman’s research has led to the development of diagnostic, predictive and prognostic tissue based cancer biomarkers for ovarian cancer and a wide variety of other tumour types. His team created a blueprint for subtype specific ovarian cancer control and have been leaders in the application of novel genomic technologies to better prevent, diagnose and treat ovarian cancer. Dr. Huntsman is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.