A research effort to improve disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across the region is holding a public input session tonight at UNBC.
The Northern Biobank Initiative, in its second phase with a budget of $1.25 million, is gathering data and public input on diseases like colorectal, breast and thyroid cancers.
Biobanking is the organized storage of tissue - known as bio specimens - of tumors or blood along with crucial information that goes with it, such as a specimen that would include information noting the sample is from a 52-year-old man that was treated with chemotherapy for his stage four lung cancer.
To bring the biobank information to the public and encourage input, UNBC is hosting the event from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Canfor Winter Garden.
There will be a speaker panel hosted by Dr. Nadine Caron, affiliate UNBC faculty member of the northern medical program, while Dr. Geoff Payne, interim vice-president research and graduate studies at UNBC, will moderate.
"It is really exciting to see the Northern Biobank continue to gather momentum," said Caron, a cancer surgeon. "Information events like this one, as well as future consultations, will help to provide a greater understanding about this initiative and the possibilities that it could bring to our community and our region, including greater connections to research opportunities and ultimately, greater care.
"So you have a picture that goes with that sample," said Caron.
"Then you can do research at a really detailed level called genomic research."
Genomic research looks at the tumour to such a degree, it is beyond what a microscope can see, she added.
"So there's is all this detail and it's happening all the time," said Caron. "It is what drives medical care."
This type of research helps to decide who should be screened for breast cancer in their early 20s instead of after 50. It also determines who should be treated with this medication versus that medication, she said.
This type of research will change how people are treated for their disease as well. There's only one part missing.
"The northern voice, the rural voice, the aboriginal voice has not been really heard when this research is being done," said Caron.
"So what we're doing is when we use a medication in cancer or an antibiotic in an infection, or a diagnostic test in a malignancy case, we're using things just hoping that in the north we're similar to everybody else.
"Not recognizing, of course, there are differences in the environment that we live in, there's differences in our lifestyle, there's differences in our occupations we have and then when we look at it even further we might have research questions that they don't even have down south."
Caron said there could be an issue of wondering why this disease is prevalent in a certain community. To find out, research needs to be done, including biobanking that leads to genomic research, she added.
There's a saying that Caron said basic scientists - just like those seen on television - use a lot.
"They have this common question - how do they get the lab bench to the bedside - so it's how do we get the bench to the bedside - meaning if they are so far upstream in the world of science how do they make sure that if they are finding a gene mutation that they can develop a drug to target how do they eventually create it so that downstream the drug can get to the patient who needs it."
Time is of the essence in these cases as well as expense, she added.
"So there's all these questions but the one that's always looming is 'bench to bedside', 'bench to bedside'," said Caron, who believes the first part of that is getting the bedside to the bench to answer questions like why a certain geographical population is being hit with a particular disease and that's where the biobank comes in to provide that information.
The project is funded equally by Genome British Columbia, the First Nations Health Authority, Northern Health, BC Cancer Foundation, and the Provincial Health Services Authority. The project is part of Genome British Columbia's User Partner Program.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
