Stomach cancer vaccine being researched in Sudbury

Groundbreaking research is underway in Sudbury to prevent stomach cancer, as researchers work ona vaccine for bacteriathat causes the disease.

Sean Thompson,CEO of Lilly Creek Vaccines,says a successfulvaccine would save lives.

"There are about a million cases diagnosed worldwide and approximately 700,000 deaths worldwide," he said. "So you can see from those numbers, once you're diagnosed with gastric cancer, the prognosis is very bad."

The province has invested $250,000towards the research through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, butThompson says his team needs tens of millions of dollars more to complete their work.

The vaccine targets the H. pylori bacteria, which lives in the digestive tract and can lead to ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer.

The goal is to use the vaccinein human clinical trials in Sudbury in the next two years andmake itavailable five to eight years from now.

"This is really a major step forward to put Sudbury on the innovation map in biomedical sciences," Thompson said. "And we'll be doing our best to shine a light on the excellent work that's being done here in Sudbury."