Detall

Prof. Maxim V. Berezovski, Bioanalytical Chemist at the University of Ottawa (Canada).

Abstract:
In the presentation, Dr. Berezovski shows how cancer-specific DNA aptamers can be developed and applied for tumor localization, margin assessment, circulating tumor cell detection, and adjuvant cancer treatment. He presents several new aptamer nanotechnologies like Aptamer-assisted Fluorescence-Guided Surgery (AptaFGS) and Aptamer-guided MagnetoDynamic cell disruption (AptaMD). In ApaFGS, a tumor-specific aptamer spray is formulated and applied for glioblastoma neurosurgery. The procedure does not require systematic administration of the drug into the circulatory system and involves a few simple steps with no waiting time after the spray application. These significantly help a surgeon who needs to distinguish between tumors and healthy tissues during surgery. In AptaMD, aptamer-modified gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles are exposed to an alternating magnetic field to destroy tumor sites selectively. The low-frequency magnetic field causes the nanoparticles to oscillate and kill cancer cells without additional tumour heating and saving adjacent healthy cells and tissues. Berezovski’s study demonstrates the power of anti-tumour aptamers and supplies new opportunities for intraoperative tumor imaging and postoperative eradication of cancer cells. The presentation is to a broad audience in analytical chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry and medicine.

Maxim V. Berezovski is a Full Professor of Bioanalytical Chemistry at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He received a Ph.D. from York University (Canada) in 2005 and did an NSERC postdoc at the University of Toronto (Canada). His research focuses on bioanalytical chemistry, biological mass spectrometry, and molecular diagnostics. He develops analytical methods for studying biomolecular interactions with capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, discovers protein biomarkers of extracellular vesicles, and makes sensors for circulating tumour cells, viruses, and exosomes. Prof. Berezovski published 97 articles, 5 book chapters, and 3 patents. He has an h-index of 38 with >5300 citations. He is an Editor for Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids (an official journal of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy) and Editor for Cancers (MDPI). Maxim was awarded a University of Ottawa’s Young Researcher Award, an Early Research Award from the Ministry of Research and Innovation of Canada, a Visiting Professorship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany. Before academia, he served as CEO of a pharmaceutical company for six years. Now, Maxim leads the Laboratory of Molecular Diagnostics and Proteomic Mass Spectrometry Core Facility at the University of Ottawa.

Lab home page: https://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/mberezov/