Radiation, Cancer, and the Immune System By Dr. Julian Lum on Jan 31, 2012 Wow, January went by quickly—it is hard to believe this is my final blog post for the BC Cancer Foundation. I’d like to conclude by talking about my role as a Co-Leader of the Radiation and Cancer Immunotherapy Team (RCIT) at the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre (VIC) and the research we are conducting here. Years ago, a team of oncologists and researchers at the BC... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Victoria, Immunology
Cancer’s Sweet Tooth By Dr. Julian Lum on Jan 24, 2012 Admit it. It’s true isn’t it? You love the dessert buffet line just as much as I do, or more maybe!? Well, you’re not the only one… It turns out cancer cells love sugar too. In fact, in order to grow and divide, cancer cells become addicted to glucose, a type of sugar derived from the foods we eat. As cancer cells divide and form large tumours, they eventually use up all of the available... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Victoria, Immunology
History is always right By Dr. Julian Lum on Jan 20, 2012 When I returned to Canada to find a suitable place to setup my laboratory, I was immediately drawn to the BC Cancer Agency Deeley Research Centre (DRC) because of the DRC’s vision and it’s Director, Dr. Brad Nelson. The sole mandate of the DRC was to focus research efforts on understanding how the immune system... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Victoria, Immunology
Cancer immunology and returning to Canada By Dr. Julian Lum on Jan 10, 2012 My research focus at the University of Pennsylvania eventually developed into cancer immunology research, and you may wonder how this happened. Well that is a great question, one I often begin to answer by explaining how there are very few human diseases that we have truly eradicated or cured. History tells us that our best successes have come from eradication of infectious diseases like... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Victoria, Immunology
The Year of the Dragon: Fearless, passionate and devoted to a great cause By Dr. Julian Lum on Jan 05, 2012 Welcome and Happy New Year everyone! My name is Julian Lum, and I am a scientist and Co-Leader of the Radiation and Cancer Immunotherapy Team at the BC Cancer Agency Deeley Research Centre in the Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre. I have the great honour of being the first guest blogger of 2012. I am dually honoured by this because 2012 is the year of the dragon in the Chinese Horoscope, and I... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Victoria, Immunology