Speaker: Professor Maxim Berezovski - University of Ottawa
Date: 17 April
Time: 12:00pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 2 - CEB
Abstract:
This presentation explores the innovative application of DNA aptamer nanotechnology in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Cancer-specific DNA aptamers have been developed to address critical challenges in tumour localization, margin assessment, circulating tumour cell detection, and adjuvant treatment. Two novel aptamer-based technologies are highlighted: Aptamer-assisted Fluorescence-Guided Surgery (AptaFGS) and Aptamer-guided MagnetoDynamic cell disruption (AptaMD). In AptaFGS, a tumour-specific aptamer spray is formulated for glioblastoma neurosurgery. This approach eliminates the need for systemic drug administration, offering a simple, rapid procedure that enables surgeons to distinguish tumour tissue from healthy tissue in real-time. AptaMD uses aptamer-modified gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles exposed to an alternating magnetic field for selectively destroying cancer cells. This technique achieves tumour cell disruption without inducing heat damage, preserving the surrounding healthy tissue. These advancements demonstrate the potential of synthetic affinity ligands (aptamers) to improve intraoperative tumour imaging and postoperative cancer cell eradication, paving the way for more precise and effective cancer treatments.
Bio:
Maxim V. Berezovski is a Full Professor of Bioanalytical Chemistry at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He earned his MSc in Biochemistry from Novosibirsk State University, Russia (1994), a PhD from York University, Canada (2005), and completed an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto, Canada. Prior to academia, Dr. Berezovski spent six years in the pharmaceutical industry, including as a CEO. Currently, he leads the Laboratory of Molecular Diagnostics and supervises the Proteomic Mass Spectrometry Core Facility at the University of Ottawa. His research centers on bioanalytical chemistry, biological mass spectrometry, and molecular diagnostics. He is renowned for developing innovative analytical methods using capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, discovering protein biomarkers in extracellular vesicles, and creating aptamer based sensors for tumour cells, viruses, and exosomes. Prof. Berezovski has authored over 120 research articles, five book chapters, and three patents, with an h-index of 44. He serves as a Section Editor for Molecular Therapy–Nucleic Acids (American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy) and a Section Editor for Cancers (MDPI). His numerous accolades include the W. A. E. McBryde Medal from the Canadian Society of Chemistry, the Visiting Professorship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Dr. Berezovski has secured over $8 million in research funding throughout his career