Patients don’t need to have a metal halo screwed into their skull when they receive radiation treatment with the CyberKnife. That was one of the appealing factors for neurosurgeon Dr. John Sinclair to bring the radiosurgery robot to The Ottawa Hospital.

With other radiosurgery, patients with brain tumours had to have their head held perfectly still during treatment. A metal frame or “halo” was screwed into their skull and then fastened to the table they’d lie on for treatment.

However, patients do not need to be held still when receiving CyberKnife radiosurgery. The robot uses x-rays and complex precision software to accurately track the tumour. It gives a high dose of radiation to the precise location of the brain tumour while the patient, who is fitted with a custom-made plastic mask, lies on the table.

“CyberKnife has an advantage over regular radiation because it is so much more accurate; its precision is less than a millimetre,” said Dr. Sinclair, Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery at The Ottawa Hospital. “You can give very high doses of radiation right to the lesion [tumour] and get almost no spill over to normal tissue. And as a result, we see greatly improved responses to this type of treatment compared to regular radiation.”

Dr. John Sinclair leaning against bed in the operating room — *Dr. John Sinclair was instrumental in bringing the CyberKnife to The Ottawa Hospital.*

Dr. Sinclair was first introduced to the CyberKnife when he did a fellowship at Stanford Medical Center in California. CyberKnife was invented at Stanford, so the neurosurgeon was one of the first to see the benefits of this frameless radiosurgery treatment.

When Dr. Sinclair was recruited to The Ottawa Hospital in 2005, he had hoped to bring this novel technology to patients here. At the time, it was a technology that wasn’t approved by Health Canada. So, Dr. Sinclair and his team made a case for robotic radiosurgery, presenting scientific data that validated its success.

The Ottawa Hospital was eventually one of two health research centres in Ontario allowed to test the CyberKnife. However, there was no government funding available to purchase the machine. The hospital appealed to the community, which pulled together and generously donated the entire $4 million to purchase it. CyberKnife began treating patients at The Ottawa Hospital in September 2010.

“Because it’s delivering a high dose, it’s considered similar to surgery without using a scalpel, so patients experience no blood loss, no pain, no ICU stay, or recovery time,” said Dr. Vimoj Nair, one of the radiation oncologists trained to prescribe CyberKnife treatment. “So CyberKnife radiosurgery does provide an option where people can be treated with outpatient techniques.”

With regular radiation, the daily doses were lower and patients had to come to the clinic for more radiation treatments overall. Regular radiation treatment could range from five to six weeks. With CyberKnife, radiation is focused precisely on the tumour, allowing larger doses to be given daily, therefore giving the total treatment in one to six days. The hospital’s CyberKnife has gained a reputation for improving treatment of various tumours. Dr. Nair said that because it is one of only three in Canada, patients from British Columbia to the Maritimes are occasionally referred to The Ottawa Hospital for treatment.

“At first, we would treat one tumour,” said Dr. Sinclair. “Now, we treat five or six individual tumours at a time and spare the rest of the brain. We’re sending radiation only to those metastatic tumours. There is a proportion of patients who develop cognitive problems a few months after whole-brain radiation. But with radiosurgery, because we give a higher dose of radiation only to the actual tumours, patients have improved outcomes, and so their quality of life is better.”

This has meant an increase in the number of patients having multiple tumours treated in the same session.

“Treating several tumours at once helps keep the patient’s clinic visits to a minimum,” said Radiation Therapist Julie Gratton, who has worked with CyberKnife since it was installed at The Ottawa Hospital. “Targeting individual tumours rather than treating the whole organ helps spare healthy tissues and reduce side effects.”

The CyberKnife robot — *The CyberKnife at The Ottawa Hospital is one of only three in Canada.*

Julie Gratton stands in front of the CyberKnife. — *Radiation Therapist Julie Gratton has given CyberKnife treatments to patients since 2010.*

Until 2017, 1,825 patients had been  treated with the CyberKnife. In 2018, 359 patients received 1,824 CyberKnife treatments. Gratton said that because more tumours are being treated at once in each patient, the number of treatments given per year has increased as expected.

Although 90 percent of CyberKnife treatments are for malignant or benign brain tumours, CyberKnife is also being used to treat tumours in other parts of the body. Because it doesn’t require a frame to keep the area receiving radiation still, CyberKnife’s image guidance system is used to treat tumours in organs that move constantly, such as the lungs, kidneys, liver, prostate gland, and lymph nodes. CyberKnife can precisely align the radiation beam to the tumour even when it moves. The method of tracking tumours in organs and soft tissue has been improved by research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Read more about how our team is increasing the success rate of this already powerful and precise treatment.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Cancer, Cancer, Cancer, Cancer, Technology

Published: February 2019
For an update on Stefany’s story, click here to see what Stefany is doing now.

A game-changing cancer treatment

Stefany Dupont’s leukemia symptoms have disappeared. Her cancer was put into complete remission by a revolutionary new treatment called CAR T-cell therapy. This emerging form of immunotherapy has the potential to transform how cancer patients are treated in Canada and around the world.

Daunting odds

Stefany was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when she was just 13 years old. Children with leukemia are given a strict chemotherapy protocol that effectively cures more than 90 percent of patients. Unfortunately, this was not the case with Stefany.

She was in remission for five years but, in 2010, her leukemia came back. By then she was 18, an adult, and began receiving treatment at The Ottawa Hospital. In 2015, she received chemotherapy followed by a hematopoietic bone marrow stem cell transplant. She was on the mend until a year and a half later when she had another relapse. Adults with leukemia who relapse after a transplant have less than a 10 percent chance of survival.

“Stefany was unlucky enough to relapse within two years of her transplant,” said Dr. Jill Fulcher, Stefany’s doctor, who specializes in malignant hematology and is a clinician-investigator at The Ottawa Hospital. “But her leukemia came back with a blast and she was very sick. Palliative management was all we had to offer patients with ALL who relapsed so soon post-transplant.”

Dr. Jill Fulcher stands behind Stefany listening with stethoscope — Hematologist Dr. Jill Fulcher confirms that Stefany Dupont is in remission over one year after her CAR T-cell therapy. Previously, Stefany was given a 10 to 20 percent chance of survival, pre-CAR T-cell treatment.

New hope

Dr. Fulcher and her colleague Dr. Natasha Kekre, a hematologist and associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, knew that clinical trials in the United States, using CAR T-cell immunotherapy, showed promising results in children and adolescents with leukemia and blood cancers, putting many into long-lasting remission.

For patients like Stefany who are extremely sick and out of options, CAR T-cell therapy offers new hope. That’s why Dr. Kekre is leading the charge to bring CAR T-cell immunotherapy to The Ottawa Hospital.

Giving Canadians access to leading-edge treatments

As one of Canada’s leading research and treatment centres, equipped with world-leading expertise, The Ottawa Hospital is ideally positioned to help bring this innovative treatment to Canada, and to Canadian patients. The Ottawa Hospital is one of the first hospitals in Canada to participate in internationally-led CAR-T trials, and the Hospital is now playing a lead role in a made-in-Canada CAR-T research program.

“Our goal is to build Canadian expertise and capacity for innovation in the promising CAR-T field through both laboratory research and clinical trials,” said Dr. Kekre, who is working with a team across the country. “This could lead to better CAR-T therapies that work for more kinds of cancer, as well as innovative approaches for providing CAR-T therapy in the Canadian system.”

A key component of the program is a clinical trial using the first made-in-Canada CAR T-cell therapy. This trial is expected to open at The Ottawa Hospital and BC Cancer in 2019.

From translational research to trial design to manufacturing, The Ottawa Hospital, alongside BC Cancer, is ideally positioned to shepherd this complex trial of an experimental therapy to our patients.

“It’s well recognized that Ottawa is a world leader in clinical trials and innovative trial designs,” said Dr. Manoj Lalu, associate scientist and anesthesiologist at The Ottawa Hospital who is part of the CAR-T team. “Many of the guidelines produced internationally around trial design and reporting originate from The Ottawa Hospital.”

Hematologist Natasha Kekre — Dr. Natasha Kekre is working with other hospitals across Canada to develop a “made-in-Canada” approach for CAR-T cancer therapy.

About CAR-T Therapy

CAR T-cell therapy harnesses the power of a patient’s own immune cells, known as T-cells, to treat their cancer. T-cells play a critical role in the immune system by killing abnormal cells, such as cells infected by germs or cancer cells. In some cancers, like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), cancerous cells become invisible to the T-cells that are meant to kill them. In CAR-T therapy the T-cells are collected and reprogrammed in the lab to recognize and destroy the cancerous cells.

“This type of immunotherapy research is groundbreaking,” said Dr. Kekre, “but it is important to remember that CAR-T therapy is still very new and there can be serious side effects. We need more research to learn about this therapy and make it work for even more people.”

A well-deserved reprieve

CAR-T treatment was not yet available in Canada when Stefany needed it. So, her only option at the time was to try to join a CAR-T clinical trial at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Since the hospital’s clinical trial was still accepting patients with ALL up to 25 years of age, Stefany was eligible to participate.

Three months following Stefany’s CAR T-cell infusion in Philadelphia, she had a bone marrow biopsy that showed she was in remission — her treatment was working.

Three months after that, Stefany went on a well-deserved trip.

“After the sixth month waiting time, I went to Australia,” said Stefany. She visited Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, and hang-gliding over the shores of Byron Bay. It was a wonderful break after the intensive treatment.

“It is a really good sign that Stefany has remained in remission for over 2 years after having CAR T-cell therapy,” said Dr. Fulcher. “Without this therapy, she definitely would not be with us today.”

Unique biotherapeutics facility

CAR-T therapy needs to be individually manufactured for each patient, using a patient’s own cells combined with large amounts of highly pure virus to deliver the CAR gene. The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre is ideally positioned to manufacture this kind of therapy because it has the most advanced system to make the clinical grade virus needed to create CAR T-cells for clinical trials. This is the only facility in Canada that has produced this kind of virus for clinical trials.

“With our unique manufacturing facility, our expertise in clinical trials and our world-class cancer and hematology programs, The Ottawa Hospital is ideally positioned to lead the way in developing the next generation of CAR-T therapy,” said Dr. Rebecca Auer, Director of Cancer Research at The Ottawa Hospital.

“The Ottawa Hospital is ideally positioned to lead the way in developing the next generation of CAR-T therapy.” – Dr. Rebecca Auer

“Patients with ALL, lymphoma, and other blood cancers could benefit from this experimental treatment,” said Dr. Kekre. The hope is that one day CAR T-cell therapy may also be a treatment for a variety of cancers, such as breast and colorectal cancer. It is through clinical trials conducted at The Ottawa Hospital that innovative cancer treatments will be discovered and will continue to offer hope to patients like Stephany.

Organizations such as BioCanRx, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Government of Ontario have supported The Ottawa Hospital’s CAR-T research and the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre, but additional funding is essential to make this program a reality.

January 2023 update:

It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride for Stefany in the last year. Since December 2021, she’s struggled with lung infections, which she developed as a result of being immunocompromised and because, since 2017, she has important scarring on her lung. Such scars are the result of what happened to her while she was on a months-long waiting list to get to the CAR-T program in Philadelphia. “My [leukemic] condition got worse, I contracted pneumonia with no functional immune system, and despite overcoming it, I was left with considerable scarring on my lung, putting it at risk for various infections.”

It’s for this reason, Stefany is grateful to hear patients in a Canadian-first clinical trial at our hospital are getting access to CAR T-cell therapy right here in Ottawa. “Thankfully, the participants don’t have to go through what I’ve gone through with pneumonia and the waiting,” says Stefany.

She is slowly improving and is hoping to become a schoolteacher in the future. Stefany’s currently tutoring students and has given presentations on social justice topics to secondary school students. She’s also been enjoying some travel recently, including a nature expedition that supports youth affected by cancer and is looking forward to trips to Mexico and Costa Rica in 2023.

Learn more about the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies in Cancer (CLIC) research program, funded by BioCanRx, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, BC Cancer, BC Cancer Foundation, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Biotherapeutics, Clinical Trials, Immunotherapy

The “seeds” are one millimetre by three millimetres, a third the size of a grain of rice, and made of platinum. These tiny seeds, created by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, improve the CyberKnife robot’s accuracy in detecting and delivering precise doses of radiation to tumours in the brain and body.

Hand holding a grain of rice and platinum seed — *Platinum seeds, a third the size of a grain of rice, are improving the accuracy of CyberKnife treatments.*

CyberKnife uses X-rays and complex precision software to track and focus radiation directly to the tumour. With accuracy of less than a millimetre, there is virtually no radiation spill over to normal tissue. As a result, patients have much better responses to this type of treatment compared with traditional radiation where a larger area is targeted.

“Because CyberKnife delivers a high dose, it’s considered similar to surgery without using a scalpel, so no blood loss, no pain, no ICU stay, or recovery time,” said Dr. Vimoj Nair, one of the radiation oncologists trained to prescribe CyberKnife treatment.

Ninety percent of CyberKnife treatments are for malignant or benign brain tumours, but CyberKnife’s image guidance system can also treat tumours in organs that move constantly, such as the lungs, kidneys, liver, prostate gland, and lymph nodes. It can precisely align the radiation beam to the tumour even when it moves. But radiation oncologists and researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are refining techniques to further enhance the performance of this state-of-the-art technology to improve patients’ outcomes. These techniques are ultimately changing radiosurgery practice.

*Radiation oncologist Dr. Vimoj Nair said platinum seeds improve the accuracy of CyberKnife radiosurgery.*

“One unique thing that the CyberKnife research team at The Ottawa Hospital has come up with are in-house designed platinum MRI-compatible seeds that can be implanted around the moving tumour,” said Dr. Nair, who is also a clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital and an assistant professor at University of Ottawa. “We can see the tumour and the seeds better on the MRI, and the CyberKnife software can detect and track the motion of the tumour with the help of these seeds. The robotic arm of the CyberKnife matches the target motion to treat the tumour more accurately while the patient breaths normally.”

The Ottawa Hospital is one of the first centres in North America to use these platinum seeds. In the past, oncologists used tiny gold seeds, but they were difficult to see in the MRI sequences used to view the tumour. This made the treatment planning less accurate. Dr. Janos Szanto, medical physicist, and Dr. Len Avruch, radiologist (now retired), were the initial brains who took platinum wire (otherwise destined to be jewelry), cut it into minute pieces, and then put through a sterilization process to ensure the seeds were appropriate for insertion into the human body. It worked. They were visible to the naked eye, more visible in an MRI than the gold seeds, and could be detected by CyberKnife.

Julie Gratton with patient beside CyberKnife robot — *Radiation therapist Julie has delivered CyberKnife treatments since 2010.*

“The benefit of this technique is we see both our target and seeds more clearly together, which provides the best use of advanced imaging and improves the accuracy,” said Dr. Nair, who called the discovery novel research and application that positions The Ottawa Hospital very favourably on the world stage.

Dr. Nair was the first author on the research paper published about the platinum seeds. He said that researchers and clinicians are continually sharing innovative CyberKnife techniques they’ve developed, like this one, at conferences and with other health centres across Canada and globally. In September 2018, he gave presentations on The Ottawa Hospital practices on clinical uses of CyberKnife at a conference in India.

“We can see the tumour and the seeds better on the MRI, and the CyberKnife software can detect and track the motion of the tumour with the help of these seeds.”

Read more about the history of the community-funded CyberKnife at The Ottawa Hospital.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Innovation and Technology, Innovation and Technology, Innovation and Technology, Innovation and Technology

The uterus fits in the palm of Dr. Sony Singh’s hand. The large pink lumps inside the clear, plastic 3D-printed model are fibroids, or tumours, and there are more than 50 of them. To ensure his patient could carry a child in the future, Dr. Singh had to do something that had never been done before.

Maureen had suffered for years with abdominal pain. Over the past six years, she was told by five doctors that she had so many fibroids in her uterus, her only option was to have a hysterectomy – complete removal of her womb. She refused this option.

“I will die with my womb. Nobody will touch it,” said Maureen (who did not want her last name used).

She was referred to the Shirley E. Greenberg Women’s Health Centre at The Ottawa Hospital, where she saw the Minimally Invasive Gynecology team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Singh, a surgeon and the Elaine Jolly Research Chair in Surgical Gynecology, told Maureen he could remove all the fibroids, and she would not need a hysterectomy.

Dr. Sony Singh uses 3D printed model for complex surgery. — Holding the 3D printed model of Maureen’s uterus, Dr. Sony Singh examined the MRIs and 3D renderings – the images that appear on the operating room screens that doctors can move to get a 3D view of the surgical area.

“Maureen had close to 50 fibroids and we wanted to make sure her uterus was able to carry a baby in the future and function normally,” said Dr. Singh. “But we needed help to plan the complicated surgery to remove them.”

Dr. Teresa Flaxman, Research Associate at The Ottawa Hospital, said it was difficult to see tumours in the patient’s uterus on an MRI. So, she contacted the hospital’s 3D Printing Lab. She had heard how 3D-printed models were helping orthopaedic surgeons see exactly what they were operating on, so they could better plan the surgery.

In 2016, thanks to a donor’s generosity, The Ottawa Hospital acquired a medical 3D printer that uses acrylics and plastics to create exact replicas of patients’ bones and organs from a CT scan or MRI. With the opening of the 3D Printing Lab in February 2017, the hospital became the first in Canada to have an integrated medical 3D-printing program for pre-surgical planning and education.

Dr. Adnan Sheikh, Director of The Ottawa Hospital’s 3D Printing Program, said the Department of Orthopaedics is one of the main users of the lab, which prints models for orthopaedic oncology surgeons to plan operations in advance, reducing surgery times and costs.

“3D printing is revolutionizing the way we look at anatomy,” said Orthopaedic Surgeon and Oncologist Dr. Joel Werier, who has used 3D-printed models of his patients’ hips and bones since the lab opened. “It adds another perspective to how we view tumours, how we plan our surgery techniques, and our ability to offer precision surgery.”

Bones are relatively easy to create from CT scans and MRIs, said Dr. Flaxman. However, soft tissues, such as uterine tissue, is harder to identify, and a model hadn’t been made of one before.

“We’re going to be one of the first hospitals internationally to study how we can provide this improved care by using 3D-printed models in planning surgery for women’s health.”

Dr. Flaxman and other researchers from the Women’s Health Centre worked with Waleed Althobaity and Olivier Miguel at the 3D Printing Lab to create 3D images from an MRI of Maureen’s uterus. Then the lab printed a model that allowed them to see exactly where the fibroids and the lining of the uterus were located.

“This was a very challenging case,” said Dr. Sheikh. “The multiple fibroids within the uterine cavity made it very difficult to print, and we had to identify each one of them, in order to replicate the exact anatomy on a 3D-printed model. We used a softer, flexible material to create the model that was more consistent with uterine tissue.”

The model took 14 hours to print. Although the model was scaled to eight times smaller than her actual uterus, her fibroid-filled uterus was 20 times bigger than normal. Having a 3D-printed model was a huge asset to the gynecological surgery team, which included surgeons Drs. Singh and Innie Chen.

“This model helped to provide a good visual aspect. To have a model in my hands during surgery was incredible,” said Dr. Singh. “At the same time, we also had 3D images that I could look at on a TV screen in the operating room. It seems very futuristic, but in the operating room I was able to turn the image of the uterus at any angle or degree that I wanted, so I could see it from different perspectives, which helped during surgery.”

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a 3D version is worth a million words. The 3D-printed models are not only helping surgeons, but also helping patients like Maureen understand their illness and prepare for their surgery. For patients, seeing a 3D model of the problem inside their bodies makes it tangible and real.

A 3D rendering of the uterus helped the surgical gynecology team in the operating room.

“Just before my surgery, Dr. Singh brought the model to me,” said Maureen. “He explained how he could use it in the surgery to see where the fibroids are, and he asked my permission to use it during the operation.”

She agreed, knowing that it would help other women suffering similar experiences. Dr. Singh successfully removed the fibroids, sparing Maureen from having a hysterectomy.

“We wanted to save her uterus in hopes that she can carry a pregnancy in the future, which wasn’t a hope for her up until this point,” said Dr. Singh.

“By working together with the 3D Printing Lab at The Ottawa Hospital, we’re going to be one of the first hospitals internationally to study how we can provide this improved care by using 3D-printed models in planning surgery for women’s health,” said Dr. Flaxman.

Dr. Sheikh said that, since the success of this first use of a 3D-printed model for gynecological surgery, the 3D Printing Lab is already working on a couple of other similar projects with the Minimally Invasive Gynecology team to offer other women alternatives to major surgery in the future.

Maureen was so grateful the gynecology team was able to spare her uterus, that she donated to the Gratitude Award Program to thank them.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories:

When a routine mammogram identified a small tumour, Rita Nattkemper was given an innovative option to mark its location for the surgery. A radioactive seed, the size of a pinhead, was injected directly into the tumour in her breast.

“All I have to say is it’s a painless procedure to get this radioactive seed in and it helps the doctor with accuracy,” said Rita. “And as he removes the mass, he’ll be removing the seed at the same time.”

For the last 20 years, when a woman had a breast cancer tumour that was too small to feel or be seen in surgery (called a non-palpable tumour), she had to have a wire (known as a harpoon) implanted at the tumour site to locate it for the surgeon. The wire, which stuck out of the woman’s breast, had to be inserted the morning of her surgery. Then, women had to wait uncomfortably for surgery with the wire sticking out of their breast. To add to the discomfort, many women had to fast overnight to prepare for surgery, causing many to faint in the radiology suite at the sight of the wire protruding from their breast.

The procedure also posed other problems.

“Sometimes the wire moved. And sometimes, because of the location of the tumour, the wire might overshoot or undershoot the tumour, so ultimately there was an enormous amount of guess work involved in taking out a breast cancer tumour properly,” said Dr. Carolyn Nessim, surgical oncologist, and clinician-investigator in the Cancer Therapeutics Program at The Ottawa Hospital.

Dr. Nessim, and other breast oncology surgeons, wanted to find a better option.

Dr. Carolyn Nessim surgical oncologist and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, led The Ottawa Hospital team in developing a radioactive seed program here in Ottawa.

That was where radioactive seeds came in. Radioactive seeds have been used for many years to treat prostate cancer. Multiple seeds are implanted in the prostate, where they emit radiation and kill the cancer. Then a procedure was developed for breast cancer patients using a radioactive seed to mark the exact location of small breast-cancer tumours. Using a mammogram for guidance, a radiologist places one seed, so tiny it can be safely injected with a needle, inside the tumour. It emits a very small amount of radiation that is picked up in the operating room with a small, handheld Geiger counter. After the piece of breast tissue with the radioactive seed is removed, the seed is separated from the tissue and appropriately disposed of, with every seed being accounted for.

Realizing the benefits of this procedure, The Ottawa Hospital began a radioactive seed program in 2015. One of the main benefits is that the seed can be placed up to a week before surgery, which makes the day of the operation easier for patients. A woman doesn’t have to wait for surgery with a wire sticking out her breast. From a logistical point of view, it’s easier to organize the procedure days in advance, and means more efficiency in the operating room. Dr. Nessim led a research study comparing seeds to wires, which showed the benefit of seeds.

“The results of the radioactive seed program have been uniformly excellent,” said Dr. Erin Cordeiro, breast surgical oncologist and senior clinician-investigator at The Ottawa Hospital. “We did a study that found that radioactive seeds were more cost effective and decreased wait times for patients on the day of surgery when compared to wires. And the patient experience has also been wonderful. Patients are very supportive of this.”

Rita agrees. She said the surgeon and radiologist both explained the procedure and put her at ease about it.

“I felt a minor pinch, and that was all I felt,” Rita said immediately after the procedure. “And the radiologist had the screen turned, so I could see where she put in the needle and left the seed. It was very easy, very quick, and very painless.”

Dr. Cordeiro said women are often concerned about the seed’s radioactivity, but the staff reassures patients the procedure is completely safe. The amount of radiation that is emitted in the week the patient has the implanted seed is less than having two mammograms.

“A woman can continue to hug her children and do everything in life she would normally do,” said Dr. Cordeiro. “No concerns from that point of view. It’s an extremely safe procedure. The vast majority of women have no concerns.”

Over the past year, 355 radioactive seed procedures have been performed at The Ottawa Hospital. Only two patients have refused the seeds and opted for the traditional wire instead.

Because of the program’s radioactive element, there were stringent guidelines around starting the program.

A multidisciplinary team of nuclear medicine, radiation safety experts, radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, technicians, and nurses were involved.

Key members of the team, led by Dr. Nessim, went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, N.Y., to learn how to implement the program. They then ran 15 training sessions for staff at The Ottawa Hospital. The radioactive seed program now “runs like a well-oiled machine,” said Dr. Nessim.

The Ottawa Hospital was the third centre in Canada to have a radioactive seed program, and is a leader in the procedure. Other health centres across the country are now adopting it and looking to The Ottawa Hospital for guidance in successfully implementing their program.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Technology, Technology, Technology, Technology

The recruitment of a star researcher in regenerative medicine is helping to blaze a trail to effectively halting the degenerative process, to help make injuries heal quicker and more reliably.

“Ottawa is the place to be for stem cell research,” said Dr. Daniel Coutu. He should know. He’s a bone stem cell expert recruited from Switzerland.

magnified image of stem cells — *Stem/progenitor cells (green) need blood vessels (red) to produce mineralized bone tissue (white and blue)*

Dr. Coutu is the inaugural holder of the Research Chair in Regenerative  Orthopaedic  Surgery. It wasn’t hard to persuade him to accept the position. He was already keenly aware of the internationally recognized stem cell research being done at The Ottawa Hospital.  His recruitment was in conjunction with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, where Dr. Coutu will be teaching in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

“With the growing number of baby boomers and athletes suffering with aches and pains in their joints, regenerative surgery is the way of the future to offer them a return to normal activity and quality of life to help them stay active,” said Dr. Paul E. Beaulé, Head,  Orthopaedic  Surgery at The Ottawa Hospital.

The new orthopaedic research chair will focus on the fundamental biology of bone stem cells. Bone plays a key role in the health of tissues  (such as  muscle, tendons, and cartilage)  that are connected to it. Dr. Coutu will lead research to help understand how bone regenerates, repairs, and heals. He’ll also investigate the impact trauma, aging, and chronic degeneration has on bones.

“Bones can regenerate by themselves. If you have a fracture and set it, the bone will heal without a scar,” said Dr. Coutu. “But tendons scar and an injury to tendon tissue tends to lose its regenerative property with scarring. I want to see how we can reverse the regeneration properties after injury, so the patient will not scar. I also want to investigate what happens to bone stem cells over time and with age.”

He said surgeons can successfully reattach a ligament to the bone. However, the success rate of this decreases with the age of patients and repetitive injury.

Image of cross section of a mouse femur — *Over 125,000 microscopic images were stitched/assembled to recreate a mouse femur in multicolor and 3D.*

Regenerative Orthopaedic Surgery Chair Update 2018

“Because of these techniques, we are just starting to understand the fundamental biology of bone stem cells,” he said.

“We are delighted to have Daniel Coutu join our team. His expertise in bone stem cells coupled with his cutting  edge image analysis techniques make him an outstanding fit for our Regenerative Medicine Program,”  said Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Senior Scientist and Director,  Regenerative Medicine Program, The Ottawa Hospital,  Professor, University of Ottawa,  and CEO and Scientific Director, Stem Cell Network.

Although Dr. Coutu will primarily be conducting research in the lab, he will be working with clinicians to develop new therapies to treat patients.   To  better understand clinicians’  and patients’ needs, he will attend rounds with surgeons in the hospital, as well as attend clinical conferences. He said the visibility conferences provide and the clinical knowledge he’ll gain will position The Ottawa Hospital as a leader in regenerative  orthopaedic  surgery.

“Collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians is the best recipe for impactful orthopaedic research. We, in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, are extremely excited to support the recruitment of this scientist whose research will lead to discoveries that will translate into effective treatment of orthopaedic-related injuries and trauma,” said Dr. Beaulé.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Stem Cell, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research

Creating
A Better
Tomorrow

Your support today unleashes
the potential of tomorrow

Every day people come to The Ottawa Hospital searching for answers; and every day, our innovative research brings hope to patients and their families. Every life changed, and every life saved through compassionate care and groundbreaking work at our hospital is made possible because of you.

We want you to be at our side; to help us push new discoveries and treatments forward, equip our team with the latest technology and equipment and ensure that our patients receive the very best care.

Creating Tomorrow

A Canadian-first clinical trial gives lymphoma patient a third chance

Faced with the return of his lymphoma for the third time in ten years, Owen Snider was running out of options. But there was new hope when he was accepted into a made-in-Canada CAR-T therapy clinical trial.

Biotherapeutics, Cancer, Clinical Trials, Innovation and Technology, World-Leading Research, Patient Care

Catastrophic injuries require novel approach by our plastic surgery team

Karen Toop was hit by a snowplow while crossing the street in January 2012. She was critically injured when she arrived at our Trauma Centre. A multi-disciplinary team was ready to care for the injuries that some only see once in their career.

Donors, Gift In Will, Patient Care, Rehab, Trauma

A meningioma tumour leaves mother facing blindness

With vision in her left eye deteriorating quickly, Michele Juma travelled from her home in Sault Ste. Marie to The Ottawa Hospital where she received specialized care after learning she had a meningioma tumour – and time was not on her side to save her vision.

COVID-19, Innovation and Technology, Patient Care, Technology

From leukemia patient to multi-marathoner – with a walker

Leukemia patient, Bob Hardy, had a 40% chance of survival. But hope was restored after treatment at The Ottawa Hospital.

Cancer, Creating Tomorrow, World-Leading Research, Run for a Reason

Celebrating a “re-birthday” each year since having a cancerous brain tumour removed

Ten years ago, The Ottawa Hospital saved Kimberly Mountain’s life after the discovery of cancerous brain tumour. Today, she’s confident if the cancer comes back, The Ottawa Hospital will be ready to save her again.

Cancer, Innovation and Technology, Technology

Hope despite aggressive skin cancer diagnosis

Diagnosed with a stage 4 melanoma at the age of 62, Dan Collins feared for his life when he learned about the aggressive form of cancer. However, immunotherapy treatment gave him a reason to hold out hope.

Cancer, Clinical Trials, Creating Tomorrow, Immunotherapy, Patient Care, World-Leading Research

One Time Gift

Make a single gift personally or on behalf of a business and help support the best patient care and research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Donate

Monthly Gifts

Support patients all year long by making a monthly donation in support of patient care and research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Donate

Tribute Gift

Make a donation to mark a special occasion, remember a loved one, or honour a caregiver through our Gratitude Award Program.

Donate

OCTOBER 27, 2018, OTTAWA, ON – The city’s most prestigious event of the year paid tribute to innovative research at The Ottawa Hospital in front of a sold-out crowd at the Westin Ottawa. A who’s who of Ottawa filled the elegant ballroom. The evening kicked off with an incredible dance routine by Dr. Carole Dennie, a participant of the 2018 Dancing with the Docs fundraiser in support of the Ottawa Hospital. More than 700 guests enjoyed a delicious four course meal which included grilled “Blue Dot” PEI beef tenderloin, king oyster mushroom fricassee and roasted garlic “3 hour” polenta as the main dish. The evening continued into the wee hours as the crowd filled the dance floor thanks to the live band, 1945, back once again by popular demand.

The Ottawa Hospital Gala, presented by First Avenue Investment Counsel, was ultimately about honouring three innovative researchers and their accomplishments in their fields. Congratulations to:

Dr. Kristin Danko, recipient, Worton Researcher in Training Award. Recognized for her outstanding work on methods for systematic review and meta-analysis of complex health interventions, including novel mathematical modelling.
Dr. William Stanford, recipient, Chrétien Researcher of the Year Award. Recognized for his groundbreaking research on stem cells and leukemia, including an upcoming paper with major clinical implications.
Dr. Fraser Scott, recipient, Grimes Research Career Achievement Award. Recognized for pioneering research linking the onset of type I diabetes with diet-induced changes in gut immunity and regeneration of insulin-producing cells.

The Ottawa Hospital’s Tender Loving Research campaign has raised $43 million with just $7 million remaining to reach the fundraising goal of $50 million.

It’s our community’s commitment to research, which is making The Ottawa Hospital a global leader in health care advances. Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, acknowledged that support from both individuals and businesses play a key role in the success of our researchers. “We could not be visionary without the unwavering corporate support in our community and we could not transform health care without the generosity of business leaders. This leadership is shaping health care in Ottawa for generations to come.”

“We could not be visionary without the unwavering corporate support in our community and we could not transform health care without the generosity of business leaders. This leadership is shaping health care in Ottawa for generations to come.”

Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation was thrilled to welcome First Avenue Investment Counsel as the title sponsor this year. “First Avenue Investment Counsel is proud to be the title sponsor for The Ottawa Hospital Gala.” Kash Pashootan, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at First Avenue Investment Counsel added, “Affluent families have trusted us with their assets to invest today in order to grow for the future. This partnership is no different. We are proud of the innovative research The Ottawa Hospital conducts and its leadership role in creating a better future in health care for all of us and especially future generations. Let’s all help create an even better tomorrow for our community.”

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals, with more than 1,200 beds, approximately 12,000 staff members and an annual budget of about $1.3 billion.

Our focus on learning and research helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care.

From the compassion of our people to the relentless pursuit of new discoveries, The Ottawa Hospital never stops seeking solutions to the most complex health-care challenges. For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit ohfoundation.ca.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2018, OTTAWA, ON – Pedal power took over the nation’s capital on Sunday, as hundreds of cyclists came together to support leading edge research at The Ottawa Hospital. 700 inspired cyclists helped to raise over $1.1 million at the ninth edition of THE RIDE.

Notably joining THE RIDE this year and the Deloitte team was cycling Olympian Curt Harnett. The three-time Olympic medalist added to the level of excitement on Sunday. But it was the cause that fueled the cyclists. Fundraising through THE RIDE will provide vital money to researchers at The Ottawa Hospital who are investigating every major disease and helping to re-shape health care not only in our community but around the globe.

Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, says it’s that motivation to advance research, which makes THE RIDE such an incredible community success. “Teams coming together make up a major part of this event, both community and corporate teams. This year, one of our newest teams was the Cancer Crusaders. This team was made up of those from our community wanting to be a part of something big to help find a cure for cancer at The Ottawa Hospital. It was a great example of what THE RIDE is all about.”

Mattamy Homes division president Kevin O’Shea was thrilled with the energy at this year’s event. “Our Mattamy Homes team loves this phenomenal cycling experience. THE RIDE is a great mix for our employees to promote healthy living through cycling, to give back to the most important health care hub in our region and to have a tremendous time with friends and neighbours.”

“Our Mattamy Homes team loves this phenomenal cycling experience.” Kevin O’Shea, Mattamy Homes division president

For longtime RIDE participant, Marcel Néron, this was an emotional day for him and his team #youarenotalone. He was riding for the first time without his son, Alex, who passed away from colon cancer in January. “I was determined to keep doing this for people who are going through the same thing as Alex did. People need hope and what better way to give them hope then to raise money for research.”

Months of training and cycling came together as riders participated in a 50 kilometre closed road loop along the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and another group of riders powered through a 117 kilometre adventure through Kanata North, Carp and Dunrobin. All participants came together at Tunney’s Pasture for THE RIDE celebration barbecue. It was at that time, Virtual Ride participants were recognized for their efforts in fundraising as well.

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals, with more than 1,200 beds, approximately 12,000 staff members and an annual budget of about $1.2 billion.

MAY 26 2018, OTTAWA, ON – As runners crossed over the finish line this weekend, hundreds did so knowing they were having an extra impact. Not only were many attempting a personal best, but also they had pledged their support of The Ottawa Hospital, through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. This year, the annual fundraiser at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, surpassed a total of $11 million, raised over the past 22 years.

This year alone, 438 fundraisers registered to Run for a Reason raising $310,000. Funds raised through The Ottawa Hospital’s Run for a Reason support world-class patient care, the purchase of new state-of-the-art equipment, and support innovative research.

Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, says this is an inspirational way to give back and improve health care in our community. “Each person who registered to Run for a Reason this year, has their personal story. They take that story and use it as their motivation to help support our community’s most important health care centre by ensuring our doctors, researchers, and nurses have the tools they need to treat the most complex cases in eastern Ontario.”

Run for a Reason had 19 teams register to fundraise this year, including Team PIPR. This year marked the 10th anniversary of PIPR – Partners Investing in Parkinson’s research. More than 100,000 Canadians live with Parkinson’s, including 8,000 here in Ottawa. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects voluntary, controlled movement. In ten years, Team PIPR has raised $1.2 million for leading edge Parkinson Research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Roberta Driscoll has been with the team since the beginning. “My husband has Parkinson’s and I see how the progression of this disease is altering his quality of life. Since we created PIPR ten years ago, we’ve seen advancements in research at The Ottawa Hospital. PIPR has not only helped fund research for the treatment and to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease, but it has also galvanized the community to support a cause that previously received little attention. Our team has given hope to those living with Parkinson’s, like my husband.”

“Our team has given hope to those living with Parkinson’s, like my husband.” Roberta Driscoll

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals, with more than 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff members and an annual budget of about $1.2 billion.

CyberKnife destroys inoperable tumours

Category: Creating Tomorrow

A game-changing cancer treatment

Daunting odds

New hope

Giving Canadians access to leading-edge treatments

About CAR-T Therapy

A well-deserved reprieve

Unique biotherapeutics facility

January 2023 update:

Creating
A Better
Tomorrow

Your support today unleashes
the potential of tomorrow

Creating Tomorrow

One Time Gift

Monthly Gifts

Tribute Gift

CyberKnife destroys inoperable tumours

A game-changing cancer treatment

Daunting odds

New hope

Giving Canadians access to leading-edge treatments

About CAR-T Therapy

A well-deserved reprieve

Unique biotherapeutics facility

January 2023 update:

Creating A Better Tomorrow

Your support today unleashes the potential of tomorrow

Creating Tomorrow

One Time Gift

Monthly Gifts

Tribute Gift

More News

Creating
A Better
Tomorrow

Your support today unleashes
the potential of tomorrow