This winning Breakthrough Fund researcher uses the microbiome to improve immunotherapy treatment.
Dr. Saif Sikdar, postdoctoral research fellow at the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy in the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre and CEO of the biotechnology research company Oncobiotix, is leveraging the power of the microbiome to advance cancer treatment.
The microbiome — a community of microorganisms living inside the gut — plays a significant role in supporting immune health by producing specific small molecule compounds called metabolites. Metabolites, naturally produced by gut bacteria during metabolism, help the immune system recognize and provide resistance against cancer cells.
With support of Alberta Cancer Foundation’s Breakthrough Fund donors, which awarded Oncobiotix $100,000 in May 2024, Sikdar explores how to use these metabolites in combination with immunotherapy treatments to help the body target cancer cells with more precision.
“The Breakthrough Fund award will allow us to advance our work, which could open new avenues in cancer care and improve treatment outcomes,” says Sikdar. “This can translate into better tumour control, slower disease progression and extended survival for patients, especially those with advanced-stage cancers.”
Donor support for early-stage research is making an impact.
The Breakthrough Fund is driven by generous donors who want to support early-stage cancer research and innovation with commercial potential. By committing to a five-year investment, donors have empowered these groundbreaking projects to advance treatment options across Alberta. In addition to Oncobiotix, the Breakthrough Fund awarded two other research projects last year:
• 48Hour Discovery, led by Dr. Frank Wuest, is developing a non-invasive approach to treating various cancers with greater accuracy and reduced side effects.
• Entos Pharmaceuticals, led by Dr. John Lewis, is researching immunotherapy treatments through the development of personalized DNA vaccines to combat cancerous tumours.
“This funding helps move our research through to clinical trials in a much faster and more efficient way, with the intent to bring this product to patients years before it would otherwise be an option,” says Lewis, Entos Pharmaceuticals’ CEO.
Alberta is blazing the trail in venture philanthropy, moving these discoveries from concept to a commercial reality.
