USask researchers receive CIHR funding for cancer research
Two research teams from the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Medicine have received funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) for projects related to cancer. The funding was part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) 2025 Spring Grant Competition.
By Amanda WoroniukDrs. Linda Chelico (PhD) and Franco Vizeacoumar (PhD), along with Dr. Andrew Freywald (PhD) and Dr. Frederick Vizeacoumar (PhD), are grant recipients for their respective projects targeting breast and pancreatic cancer.
Investigating the role of APOBEC in breast cancer progression
Chelico received $1,029,202 for a five-year project, ‘Role of APOBEC3 single-stranded DNA cytosine deaminases in breast cancer'.
She was announced as the college’s new vice-dean research, biomedical sciences in March 2026. Prior to that, she was head of the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology.
Chelico’s research looks at the role of APOBEC family of enzymes and their impact on cancer cell mutations. APOBEC3 is a type of protein that is present in our cells and helps our bodies defend against viruses. These proteins are also found in cancer cells, where they can cause mutations. Chelico’s lab investigates whether these mutations contribute to cancer progression or destruction, an inquiry that could reshape cancer treatment.
By studying how APOBEC3 create these mutations, Chelico can better understand their behaviour in cancer cells, predict which outcome will occur in specific situations and help develop more targeted treatments for breast cancer. “APOBEC-induced mutations are found in approximately 75% of cancer types. The question is—are they helping cancer evolve or killing it?” she said.
Chelico envisions a future where understanding mutation pathways allows doctors to guide cancer cells toward self-destruction or immune clearance, rather than reacting to unpredictable tumor behavior. She stated, “by understanding how APOBEC enzymes influence the cancer cell, we can transform cancer treatment into one that directs the tumor down a certain path, rather than chasing what the tumor is doing.”
Identifying and testing new targets for pancreatic cancer
Led by Franco Vizeacoumar, with co-investigators Freywald and Fredrick Vizeacoumar, the team received $1,105,426 for a five-year project, Telomere-Directed Epigenetic Therapy: A Novel Approach for Treating Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
Vizeacoumar is an associate professor in the Department of Oncology, an associate member in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, and a senior scientist with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Freywald is a professor in the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, and Frederick Vizeacoumar is USask’s Core Facility director.
The research team studies the genetics of tumour cells and identifies the pathways that cancer relies on to grow and survive. By learning more about these pathways, the team can gain a clearer picture of how to stop cancer and develop more targeted therapies.
This project’s looks at Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a type of pancreatic cancer that has one of the highest mortality rates. PDAC does not have any visible symptoms and is often diagnosed too late for surgery—leaving only chemotherapy and radiotherapy as treatment options.
In about 80 per cent of PDAC cases there are higher-thannormal levels of the enzyme telomerase. In normal cells telomerase protects DNA by adding protective caps (nucleotides) to the end of our chromosomes. However, in some cancers the over production of telomerase allows cancer cells to grow and divide infinitely—something normal cells cannot do. Because of this, scientists are looking at ways to target and inhibit telomerase as a possible treatment for cancer.
“Cancer cells have a survival trick, they shield the ends of their chromosomes to keep dividing, avoiding any loose ends,” he said. “We have found a way to untie these ends, crack their armour, and are developing drugs to turn this discovery into powerful, targeted therapies. Basically, we are taking away cancer’s ‘do-not-disturb’ sign.”
With this CIHR grant, Vizeacoumar’s team will find and test possible therapies that target pancreatic cancer cells that overproduce telomerase. Focusing on these targets could lead to treatments that kill cancer cells without harming normal cells and to better therapies for pancreatic cancer in the future..
The CIHR Project Grant program supports ideas that advance health research across all subject areas, led by individual researchers or research teams at any stage of their careers.
The article was updated on April 15, 2026.