Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, University of Toronto assistant professor with academic appointments in the University of Toronto’s Department of Radiation Oncology and Institute of Medical Science, has been awarded $447,443 over three years to study the impact of low-oxygen (hypoxia) on the maturation of proteins that regulate tumor metabolism and microenvironment.
“If we can understand the biological differences between hypoxic tumour cells and well-oxygenated normal cells, we will have new targets for cancer therapy,” says Dr. Koritzinsky. “We can disrupt signaling and adaption to kill the hypoxic cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone.”
Dr. Robert Bristow, senior scientist with the Ontario Cancer Institute, is Dr. Koritzinsky’s mentor. He co-leads the Terry Fox Program Project Grant in Hypoxia at Princess Margaret Hospital, which received $5M in TFF funding. “Dr. Koritzinsky is a stellar example of a translational scientist who brings an exciting project in discovery-based protein biochemistry as a bridge between the basic science and clinical domains,” he says.
Mentoring Program: The Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project in a Research Pipeline for Hypoxia-directed Precision Cancer Medicine
Mentors/PIs: Dr. Robert Bristow