Could measles cure cancer?
The measles virus, long considered a nuisance if not a danger to children and adults alike, may be a step towards a cure for cancer according to Dalhousie medical school researchers.
Since 1999, the Mayo Clinic has been researching the ability of the virus to attack cancer cells. Now, Dal’s researchers have narrowed it down to discover a measles receptor on certain types of tumour cells.
Though the treatment would take years to put into practice, it would eventually consist of a certain type of measles virus, crippled to kill only tumours, used to target colon, lung, breast and ovarian cancer.
Man in Motion 25th anniversary visit
Rick Hansen paid a visit to Halifax this Saturday, part of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of his famed Man in Motion wheelchair relay.
The visit to the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre saw Hansen speak about living with spinal cord injury and day-to-day wheelchair navigation, as well as a tour of the Wheelchair Skills Centre where he gave a demonstration of his own skills.
Hansen, whose 1986 tour brought him and his wheelchair through 34 countries in a little over two years, is commemorating the journey in a cross-Canada tour.
The tour launched from Newfoundland on Aug. 31 and will make its way 12,000 km to the other end of the country.
A King’s event that Dal kids can crash?
From Sept. 24 to 30 the University of King’s College is hosting Green Shift Week, a collection of events, lectures and parties designed to promote environmental living amongst university students–and it’s all open to Dal as well.
The week starts off with a lecture on the history of ecological thinking from Micheal House, and ends with a “Righteously Re-used” party in the Wardroom.
“As a sustainability student, I find that environmentalists often use words and talk about concepts that are totally inaccessible to those less involved,” says King’s student Dan Brown, who is involved in the events.
The “Down and Dirty” pledge is another aspect of the week, where students devote themselves to eating solely locally and producing no non-recyclable waste.
Dal alumnus, board member dies
Maxine Tynes, the first African-Canadian woman to sit on Dalhousie’s Board of Governors, died last Monday at the age of 62.
Tynes was a poet and teacher as well as a Dal alumnus and a born Nova Scotian from Dartmouth. She also received an honourary degree from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Canada Medal from the Governor General.
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