Download It`s only when all the small pieces come together that you start to see

Using the Immune System to
Destroy Breast Cancer Cells
Dr. Sheila Drover, Associate Professor of Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in St.
John’s, NL, specializes in cancer immunity: finding new ways to help the body recognize and destroy its own
cancer cells. And she’s doing so with support from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Atlantic Region.
Through her work, Dr. Drover has found that the survival rate for certain types of breast cancer is often higher
in tumour cells where specific proteins, called HLA molecules, are detected on the surface of the cell. Some HLA
molecules contain little pieces of the tumour protein, called peptides. It’s these peptides that send a message to
the immune system to attack the cancerous cells. With funding from CBCF – Atlantic Region, Dr. Drover hopes
her current research may help identify new treatment options for different kinds of breast cancers.
“By helping patients use their own immune systems against the cancerous cells, we may be looking at a future
of treating breast cancer with a combination of immune-therapy and chemotherapy.”
For the Newfoundland native, breast cancer research is a lot like making a quilt. “Every quilt is made up of
hundreds of tiny pieces, each carefully cut and stitched together,” explains Dr. Drover, herself a quilter. “I look at
my research the same way; it’s only when all the small pieces come together that you start to see the full story.”
Dr. Sheila Drover, Associate Professor of
Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine at
Memorial University in St. John’s, NL.
It ’s only when all the small
pieces come together that you
start to see the full story.