CBC The Nature of Things documentary features BC Cancer Agency Personalized Onco-Genomics program
February 21, 2017
Found in News
VANCOUVER, B.C. – A revolutionary precision medicine trial funded by BC Cancer Foundation donors takes the spotlight in a CBC documentary that aired Thursday, February 23rd, 2017.
The Nature of Things documentary, Cracking Cancer, recounts the journey of seven cancer patients at the BC Cancer Agency as they take part in the Personalized Onco-Genomics (POG) program – a cutting-edge clinical trial that is changing the way oncologists view cancer treatment.
In the program, oncologists aim to identify and treat cancer-causing mutations specific to each patient.
One of those patients is Zuri Scrivens. 10 months after giving birth, she was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. But four months after taking part in the POG program, she was pronounced cancer-free as the study’s approach was able to pinpoint the exact mechanical drivers of her cancer and led to a precise treatment regime that has since kept Zuri’s disease at bay.
“I’ve shown that anything is possible,” she tells Nature of Things host David Suzuki.
The POG program is spearheaded by Drs. Janessa Laskin and Marco Marra at the BC Cancer Agency and is funded almost exclusively by philanthropy.
“We’re trying to find what’s driving that cancer,” says Dr. Laskin about the program. “And then, can we identify a drug that will block the cancer driver in each patient?”
To view the documentary, visit cbc.ca/natureofthings to stream it online.
