The CanPath Access Office invites researchers to an Office Hours session. This virtual series provides researchers with an opportunity to ask questions about CanPath data and biosamples and the access process. Members of the Access Office will be available to answer questions and demonstrate how to navigate the CanPath Portal and online application. Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-ugqD8sH9QfdxDq2NPHtBttkD17yCz1#/registration
#PlaidForDad2023 — Prostate Cancer Awareness and Research Atlantic PATH welcomes our youngest team member(!) and continues the Plaid for Dad tradition raising awareness about prostate cancer in Canada. We have ongoing research on prostate cancer exploring environmental exposure to arsenic and cancer risk using toxicological and machine learning methods. This research stream has received and benefitted from funding from Nova Scotia Health, the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Prostate Cancer Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the New Frontiers in Research Fund. Related publications to date include: Keltie, E., Hood, K., Cui, Y., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Adishesh, A., Dummer, T.J.B., Bharti, V., Kim, J.S. (2022). Arsenic speciation and metallomics profiling of human toenails as a biomarker to assess prostate cancer cases: Atlantic PATH cohort study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9301242/ Hood, K., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Keltie, E., Kim, J.S. (2023). Toenail arsenic species and metallome profiles associated with breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer prevalence in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health cohort. Frontiers in Public Health, Environmental Health and Exposome. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148283/full Smith, N., Keltie, E., Sweeney, E., Weerasinghe, S., MacPherson, K., Kim, J.S. (2022). Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-releated disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic expsosure and chronic disease. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 232. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322001099 We have also conducted research on the mental health of prostate cancer survivors compared to those with no history of cancer and those with types of cancer. This work was supported by funding from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. Publications to date include: Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2020). Anxiety and depression symptoms in adult males in Atlantic Canada with or without a lifetime history of prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5244 Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). An examination of the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and prostate cancer survivorship in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada. Oncology, 99(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33486485/ Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). Post-Treatment Adverse Health Correlates among Prostate Cancer Survivors in a Sample of Men Residing in Atlantic Canada. Current Oncology, 28(4). https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/28/4/246
Authors: Kalli Hood, Ellen Sweeney, Gabriela Ilie, Erin Keltie, Jong Sung Kim Journal: Frontiers in Public Health, Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome Abstract: Introduction: Chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water has been linked to several cancers. The metabolism of arsenic is thought to play a key role in arsenic-related carcinogenesis as metabolites of varying toxicity are produced and either stored in or excreted from the body. Atlantic Canada has the highest age-standardized incidence rates of all cancers in the country. This may be due to its high levels of environmental arsenic and the prevalence of unregulated private wells for water consumption. Here, we aimed to characterize the profiles of arsenic species and metallome in the toenails of four cancer groups, compare them to healthy participants (N = 338), and assess potential associations between the profiles with cancer prevalence. Methods: This study employed a case–control design. Toenail samples and questionnaire data from cases (breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancers) and controls were sourced from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH) cohort study. The levels of arsenic species were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) paired with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and total concentrations of metallome (23 metals) were determined by ICP-MS separately. Multivariate analyses were conducted to compare cases with controls within each cancer group. Results: Arsenic speciation profiles varied by cancer type and were significantly different between cases and controls in the breast (p = 0.0330), cervical (p = 0.0228), and skin (p = 0.0228) cancer groups. In addition, the profiles of metallome (nine metals) were significantly differentiated in the prostate (p = 0.0244) and skin (p = 0.0321) cancer groups, with higher zinc concentrations among cases compared to controls. Conclusion: History of cancer diagnosis was associated with specific profiles of arsenic species and metallome. Our results indicate that arsenic methylation and zinc levels, as measured in toenails, may be an important biomarker for cancer prevalence. Further research is needed to use toenails as a prognostic measure of arsenic-and other metal-induced cancer. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148283
Congratulations to Kalli Hood and team on their new publication in Frontiers in Public Health! Kalli’s Master’s research found an association between a history of cancer and arsenic speciation/metallome exposure in the Atlantic PATH cohort. This work is part of our larger focus on environment and cancer, and establishing toenails as an important biomarker representing ~18 months of exposure. Kalli is now working on her PhD focused on drinking water quality in the Department of Civil and Resource Engineering at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Victoria Kirsh presented at a CanPath webinar this week to present results from the SUPPORT-Canada study, funded by the federal COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF). Data and blood spot samples were used from 22,300 participants from Atlantic PATH, CARTaGENE, the Ontario Health Study, Manitoba Tomorrow Project, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, and BC Generations. Key findings include: 62% of participants had a COVID-19 infection based on anti-N measured antibody levels. Among those, 86% did not suspect they had ever had COVID-19. 95% of the COVID-19 infections were observed during the Omicron period. Risk of infection was increased among younger individuals, males, essential workers, and those who travelled. Participants with a reported COVID-19 infection reported symptoms from mild to severe, but few required hospitalization. The effectiveness of full or booster vaccination in preventing COVID-19 Omicron infection is short-term, only lasting 4 months. Time since last dose is a more important determinant of protection against infection than the number of doses. Antibody levels are correlates of vaccine-induced protection. Prior COVID-19 infection protects against reinfection for 8 months. The CanPath SUPPORT-Canada study has provided important findings related to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines and infections. With only 4 months of protection, these findings suggest that booster campaigns could be strategically used to rapidly boost immunity before upcoming waves of infection. Further, the longitudinal nature of CanPath participants ensures that we have a nationally representative population that can be followed for years to come (e.g., impact of Long COVID, future vaccinations, etc.). Link to recorded webinar: To come Link to webinar slide deck: https://www.covid19immunitytaskforce.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/canpath-webinar-may-2023.pdf Link to CITF’s post: https://www.covid19immunitytaskforce.ca/most-canpath-study-participants-had-infection-acquired-antibodies-but-few-suspected-covid-19/
CIHR has announced an Operating Grant competition, Data Analysis Using Existing Databases and Cohorts sponsored by the CIHR Healthy Cities Research Initiative. “This HCRI funding opportunity will support research that leverages existing data to improve the health, wellness and health equity of urban populations. CIHR and other funding agencies have invested heavily in the establishment of cohorts, databases, and data platforms. As a result, many high-quality data sets exist that contain a wealth of information and have the potential to answer research questions that go beyond those for which the data were originally collected or for which the data has been used to date. Examples of such resources include but are not limited to data available through Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project (CanPath) and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), as well as administrative datasets, surveys, large data linkage projects and cohort catalogues that bring together datasets from multiple sources such as the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE).“* *Please note that CANUE data has been linked to all CanPath participants and is held by the regional cohorts, and other linkages already exist and/or are possible. Funds Available “The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $700,000, enough to fund approximately seven (7) one (1) year grants of up to $100,000 each. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate.” Deadline: November 8, 2023 Anticipated Notice of Decision: February 28, 2024 Funding Start Date: March 1, 2024 Additional Details: https://www.researchnet-recherchenet.ca/rnr16/vwOpprtntyDtls.do?all=1&masterList=true&next=1&org=CIHR&prog=3891&resultCount=25&sort=program&type=EXACT&view=currentOpps&language=E
Congratulations to our colleague, Dr. Rafaela Andrade, co-founder and CEO of Halifax-based company Myomar Molecular on their Mitacs Outstanding Entrepreneur Award!! Dr. Andrade has used Atlantic PATH data and biosamples in their project, Clinical Study and Identification of Muscle Atrophy Biomarkers. Dr. Andrade and Myomar Molecular’s work have developed the world’s first urine strip test for measuring muscle loss. Ultimately, this work will allow for early monitoring of indicators of muscle loss and early interventions and improved quality of life.
CBC Radio’s Jeff Douglas interviewed Dr. Ingrid Waldron, the HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program at McMaster University and Louise Delisle, a founding member of the South End Environmental Justice Society. This summer, a new study funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund and with team members from McMaster University and Dalhousie University will begin to investigate a dump in the South End of Shelburne and whether or not exposures have contributed to high cancer rates and deaths in the Black community. Atlantic PATH’s Research Director, Dr. Ellen Sweeney is a collaborator on this project. Biological samples and data from Atlantic PATH will be used to compare Atlantic PATH participants from Nova Scotia to the population of this study from Shelburne. Interview with Jeff Douglas on CBC Radio: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-37-mainstreet-ns/clip/15983880-new-study-examine-connection-between-shelburne-dump-high
“New funding from Genome Canada will help CanPath build a cloud-based platform to equip researchers to understand the drivers of health and disease in Canada. Inside an unprecedented collection of health data from more than 330,000 Canadians are clues to understanding why people develop disease and how to prevent it. And a new project to improve how researchers access that data could lead to a future where Canadians get better, more personalized treatments for diseases like cancer.” CanPath is the “country’s largest population health study. Bringing together data from seven regional cohorts across 10 provinces, CanPath is a tremendous scientific resource of health, genomic and other data from about one in 100 Canadians. Now, CanPath is set to transform how it shares this data with researchers. Thanks to a $6.2 million grant from Genome Canada, CanPath is building a ‘trusted research environment,’ a secure cloud-based platform where researchers can access and analyze data all in one place.” ““This has the potential to be a game changer, both for CanPath’s long-term sustainability and the future of health research and healthcare in Canada,” says Dr. John McLaughlin, CanPath’s Executive Director and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.” Full press release from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research: https://oicr.on.ca/canpath-transforming-data-access-to-unlock-its-full-potential-to-improve-health/
Congratulations to our colleague, Dr. Peter Watson on the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking from the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories!! We’re fortunate to work with Dr. Watson in his role with CanPath. Dr. Watson is the Director of Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Services, staff pathologist and senior scientist with BC Cancer. He is also a Professor of Pathology at the University of British Columbia and adjunct professor at the University of Victoria. Read more: https://www.isber.org/news/638153/ISBER-is-pleased-to-announce-the-2023-Award-Winners.htm