A University of Ottawa neuroscientist's personal battle with cancer has inspired new research geared toward tailoring radiation treatment to reduce damage to the brain. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports . Cancer treatments—including radiation therapy—can have debilitating effects on patients, weakening the immune system and leading to memory and cognitive loss, physical diminishes and susceptibility to virus.
Jean-Philippe Thivierge has firsthand experience with these side effects. Thivierge is now cancer free after overcoming a metastatic tumor. The experience helped push the professor from the School of Psychology to team up with radiologists from The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) to develop a platform for testing the effects of radiation therapy on thousands of brain cells simultaneously, providing an unprecedented window into how the brain reacts to cancer treatment .
"This work is meaningful to me as I received cancer treatment at The Ottawa Hospital and was seeking ways to use my expertise as a neuroscientist to improve the life of patients undergoing similar treatments," says Thivierge, whose intensive treatment included 30 doses of radiation over six weeks at one point. "The downside of higher doses is the healthy brain neurons may get damaged, so this work allows us to look into the details of brain circuits to see exactly what the effects of higher doses of radiation are and to find the right strategy to deliver a quick trea.