Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer: An interview with Eden Kapcan

The video "Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer: An Interview with Eden Kapcan," tells a story about how we can use our own immune system, via chemical programming tools to fight cancer. Eden Kapcan, one of the first members of the Rullo lab, located within the institute of McMaster Immunology Research Centre and Centre of Discovery for Cancer research, shares insights and depths in this topic. This video serves as a key resource for an educational campaign aimed at raising awareness of cancer immunotherapy and current research “behind the scenes” that has not been prominently shown in the past. The rationale behind this choice is its groundbreaking impact on healthcare and the pressing need for public understanding. To facilitate discussion and engage a broad audience, we propose using a video presentation with both animations and interviews to engage the audience as well as see the real individual behind this research. The video will discuss current mechanisms used to treat cancer, and how Eden is developing bifunctional molecules that are able to recruit antibodies in serum to cancer receptors and tumour cells. The goal of this presentation is to give awareness of up-and-coming research that doesn’t directly involve standardized methods of destroying cancer. The video will show animations, with important information or definitions. There will also be interviews with Eden to actually know and see firsthand the research. The audience would be individuals who have a small understanding of biology, however, no immunology or chemistry knowledge is needed.

This video was made by McMaster University students Lauren Beck, Amaani Khan, Leen Alsamman, Maya Da Luz in collaboration with the Demystifying Medicine McMaster Program.

We extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to Eden Kapcan for collaborating and partaking in our video. This acknowledgement statement highlights appreciation for the interviewee's time, input, and contributions during the video interview

Copyright disclaimer: This video is provided for general and educational information only. Please consult your health care provider for information about your health.

Copyright McMaster University 2024

References:
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, May 25). Cancer treatment. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-proc...

professional, C. C. medical. (n.d.). How immunotherapy works to treat cancer. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health...

Side effects of immunotherapy. National Cancer Institute. (2023, February 16). https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/t...

Uvyn, A. (2023, March 2). Towards a Rational Design of Antibody-Recruiting Molecules through a Computational Microscopy View of their Interactions with the Target Antibody. Chemistry Europe - Wiley Online Library. https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrar...