Karen Gelmon, a Professor in the Department of Medicine, was honoured April 22 at a gala by the BC Cancer Foundation and The Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dr. Gelmon, a Senior Scientist and Head of the Investigational Drug Program at the BC Cancer Agency, focuses on developing new, improved treatment options for persons with breast cancer, lung cancer, HIV malignancies and other malignancies. She is involved with clinical trials spanning Phase I, II and III in single centre and multi-centre cooperative arenas. In particular, Dr. Gelmon is exploring the potential of a “cascade” or series of interventions against cancer cells, based on an understanding of their genetic makeup.
The April 22 event raised funds for a joint effort by the BC Cancer Agency and the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada to better understand early changes in breast tumours that may lead to more targeted screening tools. The partnership will bring together experts from both institutions in the fields of genetic sequencing, epigenetics, immunology, stem cell research and cancer imaging.