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What’s Inside Researchers in the making Tumours Family Previous research Research Views Responding to the reader Fatigue and illness Adolescent nutrition and lifestyle Basic research: the foundation for medicine Learning to walk...again At the Forefront Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program 2006 Reader Resources Researchers in the making In his family’s footsteps AHFMR Clinical Fellow Dr. John Kelly wants to find new ways to battle brain cancer. The young neurosurgeon hopes his research will ultimately help to solve some of the mystery surrounding the causes of this disease, and lead to treatments that will improve outcomes for patients with brain tumours. “Brain cancer is such a devastating disease. It usually hits people in the prime of life, between the ages of 40 and 50, but every year you also see teenagers and children diagnosed with brain cancer. It’s really sad—with the most common type and grade of brain cancer, the majority of adults are dead within a year.” Tumours There are two main types of brain tumours: primary cancers that start in the brain, and those that spread from cancer somewhere else in the body. Primary brain tumours are less frequent than secondaries but are usually malignant, meaning that they spread. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that there will be 2,500 new cases of brain cancer, and 1,650 deaths from it, in Canada during 2006. Although people of any age can develop a brain tumour, the problem seems to be most common in children aged between 3 and 12, and in adults between 40 and 70. Family Dr. Kelly is certainly on the right path to achieve his dream of helping cancer sufferers. As a child and teenager, he was inspired to become a doctor by the dedication, energy, and enthusiasm of his parents: his mother is a psychiatrist and his father a pathologist. “My parents had a huge impact on me,” he says, adding, “I have a sister who became a doctor, as well; she’s a radiologist.” After graduating from the University of Alberta with a medical degree in 2001, Dr. Kelly began post-graduate residency training in neurosurgery at the University of Calgary. With financial support from AHFMR, he has now put this surgical training on hold to complete a Ph.D. at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Calgary, focusing on brain cancer. Here he has another wonderful role model: his supervisor, Institute director Dr. Sam Weiss. An AHFMR Scientist, Dr. Weiss achieved international renown when he discovered that brain cells can regenerate. He also discovered the existence of spinal stem cells—a finding which may someday lead to new treatments for paralysis. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with Sam Weiss,” says Dr. Kelly. “He’s such an accomplished scientist. He encourages independent thinking, lets you develop your own ideas, and supports you through that process. It’s incredible working here.” Previous research AHFMR trainee support is nothing new to Dr. Kelly. Prior to medical school, as a Heritage Summer Student, he spent time working in Dr. Roland Auer’s stroke-research laboratory at the University of Calgary. “I started out studying stem cells in stroke, and then developed an interest in neuro-oncology, the diagnosis and treatment of brain cancers,” he explains. “I started to wonder about the relationship of stem cells and cancer, particularly brain cancer.” Although it is thought that stem cells normally work as a repair system in the body, their ability to replicate also suggests a link with several cancers. The relationship between stem cells and brain cancer, however, is an extremely new area of research. “We’re trying to establish an understanding of the true cellular origin of brain tumours: fundamentally, which cells initially give rise to them,” explains Dr. Kelly. Dr. John Kelly is an AHFMR Clinical Fellow in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Back to Top