Research now indicates that reconditioning the tumour microenvironment with immunogene therapy suppresses tumour development and progression (Pictured: A scientist at work in a UCC Science Laboratory).
His research, funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research, showed how reconditioning the tumour microenvironment with immunogene therapy suppresses tumour development and progression.
There is a delicate balance inside the tumour environment between immune cells primed to kill the cancer cells and other immune cells deployed to dampen down this effect. Dr. Bourke and his colleagues demonstrated that an immunogenetherapy using cytokine interleukin-21 evokes effective anti-tumour responses and has potential for clinical application.
This research project was awarded the Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Medal for Best Original Research Paper chosen from the plenary session of the Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture and Surgical Symposium 2012 at NUI Galway and attended by over 300 delegates.
The role of centres of excellence in treating cancer was featured during Ireland’s largest surgical conference last weekend.
The annual event provides a platform for healthcare professionals to present their research and clinical work, and allows for the merging of both scientific and clinical information. It is named in memory of the Galway-born surgeon, Sir Peter Freyer, who performed the first successful surgical operation to remove an enlarged prostate in 1900.
For more information, see http://www.ccrc.ie/