[news 2007- 2008]

Queen’s-RMC research duo wins $100,000 national innovation award

Scientists’ breakthrough in photodynamic therapy brought cancer treatment to light

For immediate release

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007

KINGSTON, ON -- A light-based therapy that uses a drug found naturally in the human body to treat a precancerous skin condition has won two Kingston researchers the Ernest C. Manning Foundation’s top innovation award.

Dr. James Kennedy, Professor of Pathology and Oncology (Queen’s University), and Dr. Roy Pottier, a Professor of Chemistry (RMC) and Urology (Queen’s University), are the 2007 recipients of the Ernest C. Manning Foundation’s $100,000 EnCana Principal Award.

The two researchers will be honoured at the foundation’s 26th annual awards banquet in Toronto on Friday for their discovery and formulation of a novel form of photodynamic therapy using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA), a naturally occurring compound in the body that can destroy some types of cancer cells.

Drs. Kennedy and Pottier made their discovery after a decade of research into a then-pioneering treatment called photodynamic therapy, or the use of light-sensitive chemicals to selectively target some types of cancer.

It was while doing research into early forms of photodynamic treatment that Drs. Kennedy and Pottier became intrigued by the biochemical process behind the group of congenital diseases called porphyria. They wondered if it were possible to cause the equivalent of temporary porphyria in tumour cells, effectively leading to their destruction by exposure to light.

Their work led to the development, by DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Levulan® Photodynamic Therapy, a non-invasive, topical light-based treatment for actinic keratoses, the red, scaly precancerous skin lesions of the face and scalp common to fair-skinned, sun-exposed populations.

Levulan® was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. It was approved for use in Canada in 2004 and was approved in Brazil in 2006. The treatment has been adopted by more than 2,200 doctors across North America and more than 300,000 patients have been successfully treated.

Levulan® continues to show promise in other areas, including the treatment of acne, photoaging and Barrett’s esophagus dysplasia, a precancerous condition of the esophageal lining.

PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer arm of Queen's University, worked with the inventors to protect their technology, which has been issued 10 patents to date, with more pending. PARTEQ licensed the researchers’ technology to DUSA in 1991.

“The work of these two researchers was absolutely foundational in their field,” says John Molloy, President and CEO of PARTEQ Innovations. “While some progress was being made at the time in the development of synthetic drug treatments, Drs. Kennedy and Pottier had the courage to pursue a radically different approach -- that of harnessing one of the body’s own internal processes as a treatment for cancer and other diseases.”

“Rarely have I seen a technology cross my desk that had such elegance in problem-solving, such novelty of approach and such exciting potential, as that brought to us by Drs. Kennedy and Pottier in the late 1980s. They are highly deserving recipients of this prestigious award.”

“This award is a significant recognition of two outstanding researchers,” says Dr. Kerry Rowe, Vice-Principal (Research) at Queen’s. “It speaks to their ingenuity, collaborative spirit and above all, dedication to seeing their work benefit society. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

The Manning Principal Award is one of four awards, totaling $145,000, presented annually by the Calgary-based nonprofit foundation to recognize top Canadian innovators.

This is the second honor granted to this research duo for their work. In 2005 they received the European Society for Photobiology’s biannual medal in recognition of “outstanding and long-lasting scientific contributions in the field of Photobiology.”

Contact:

John Molloy
President & CEO
PARTEQ Innovations
P: 613. 533. 2342
E: jmolloy@parteqinnovations.com

About the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation:
This year, the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation will award a total of $165,000 in prize money. Four awards, totaling $145,000, will go to leading Canadian innovators. Another $20,000 will go to Young Innovators with winning projects at the 2006 Canada-Wide Science Fair.
The Foundation was established in 1980 in the name of prominent Alberta statesman Ernest C. Manning, to promote and support Canadian innovators. Since 1982, the Foundation has presented $3.76 million in prize money through its annual awards program.

Contact:
Bruce Fenwick,
Executive Director
Manning Foundation
P: 403. 645. 8288

Nina Pudwell
Communications Coordinator
P: 403. 645. 3006
E: nina.pudwell@encana.com
www.manningawards.ca