Robert Lafrenie (0000-0001-9981-997X)

Personal information

Biography

I am a cell and molecular biologist with research interests in:

Cell Adhesion
Adhesion of cells to their surrounding environment is required for their survival and to grow normally. The composition of the environment where the cell sticks regulates many cellular processes including cell division and differentiation. A defining trait of cancers is that they are relatively disorganized groups of cells that do not show normal adhesive interactions with their surroundings. An understanding of how cell adhesion to different surroundings can regulate the activity of a cell may be translated to control cancer cell growth.

Identifying biomarkers that predict outcomes of cancer treatment
Genetic factors can predict how a patient will respond to specific cancer treatments. Each person has a unique DNA sequence and some of these differences (or sequence polymorphisms) can affect the activity of specific genes. Over the last several years we have shown that patients with a specific DNA sequence in DNA repair or detoxification genes may not benefit from certain types of chemotherapy compared to patients with a different sequence.

Investigating alternate therapies for cancer treatment
Most patients undergoing treatment for cancer receive either chemotherapy or radiation therapy. While effective, these treatments also result in a host of side effects. Many patients also supplement their therapies with complementary or alternate therapies. One of our interests is to evaluate the impact of these therapies on treatment success, positive or negative. We are also trying to develop new anti-cancer therapies, derived from compounds extracted from various plants used in traditional medicine or as functional foods. In addition, the potential anti-cancer activity of specific time-varying magnetic field exposure is also being investigated.

Activities

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NOSM University: Sudbury, ON, CA

2005-07 to present | Sessional Professor (Medical Sciences)

Employment

Robert Lafrenie

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9981-997X

Personal information

Countries

Biography

Activities

Employment (6)

NOSM University: Sudbury, ON, CA

Laurentian University: Sudbury, ON, CA

Health Sciences North Research Institute: Sudbury, Ontario, CA

Health Sciences North Research Institute: Sudbury, ON, CA

Advanced Medial Research Institute of Canada: Sudbury, ON, CA

Sudbury Regional Hospital: Sudbury, Ontario, CA

Education and qualifications (3)

McMaster University: Hamilton, ON, CA

McMaster University: Hamilton, ON, CA

University of British Columbia: Vancouver, BC, CA

Professional activities (3)

New York Academy of Sciences: New York, NY, US

American Association for the Advancement of Science: DC, DC, US

American Society for Cell Biology: Bethesda, MD, US

Funding (9)

Operating the Neuroscience Tissue culture facility

Effect of EMF on pediatric brain cancers

Biophoton Research Inc

Cancer Therapeutics Research Initiative

Women's breast cancer program

Genetic biomarkers in the prognosis of patients with breast cancer

Adhesion-dependent signalling in monocytes

Adhesion-dependent signaling in monocytes

Effect of HIV-Tat on monocytes

Works (50 of 71)

Yemeni Sidr Honey Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Human Cancer and Mouse-Derived Cell Lines

Plasma Cytokine Levels and Cytokine Genetic Polymorphisms in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving High-Dose Chemotherapy

The Influence of Burst-Firing EMF on Forskolin-Induced Pheochromocytoma (PC12) Plasma Membrane Extensions

Treatment with <i>Uncaria tomentosa</i> Promotes Apoptosis in B16-BL6 Mouse Melanoma Cells and Inhibits the Growth of B16-BL6 Tumours

Treatment with flaxseed oil induces apoptosis in cultured malignant cells.

Frequency of Immune Cell Subtypes in Peripheral Blood Correlates With Outcome for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Treated With High-Dose Chemotherapy.

Complementary and alternative medicine use in patients before and after a cancer diagnosis.

Exposure to a specific time-varying electromagnetic field inhibits cell proliferation via cAMP and ERK signaling in cancer cells.

Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Schult.) DC (Rubiaceae) Sensitizes THP-1 Cells to Radiation-induced Cell Death.

Evaluation of the impact of various definitions of rurality on the prediction of prostate cancer progression

Photon Emissions as Differential Indicators for Different Components of Protein Kinase A (PKA) in Transfected Murine Melanoma Cells

The effects of electromagnetic fields on B16-BL6 cells are dependent on their spatial and temporal character.

Response to criticism of the paper titled 'Non-targeted effects and radiation-induced carcinogenesis: a review'.

Evaluating the immunogenicity of an intranasal vaccine against nicotine in mice using the Adjuvant Finlay Proteoliposome (AFPL1).

Experimental Demonstration That Aharanov-Bohm Phase Shift Voltages In Optical Coupler Circuits of Tuned Patterned Magnetic Fields Is Critical for Inhibition of Malignant Cell Growth

Non-targeted effects and radiation-induced carcinogenesis: a review.

Maintained Exposure to Spring Water but Not Double Distilled Water in Darkness and Thixotropic Conditions to Weak (~1 &#181;T) Temporally Patterned Magnetic Fields Shift Photon Spectroscopic Wavelengths: Effects of Different Shielding Materials

A case-control study of breast cancer risk in nurses from Northeastern Ontario, Canada.

Inhibition of cancer cell growth by exposure to a specific time-varying electromagnetic field involves T-type calcium channels.

Magnetic Field Configurations Corresponding to Electric Field Patterns That Evoke Long-Term Potentiation Shift Power Spectra of Light Emissions from Microtubules from Non-Neural Cells

Shifting wavelengths of ultraweak photon emissions from dying melanoma cells: their chemical enhancement and blocking are predicted by Cosic's theory of resonant recognition model for macromolecules.

Non-Linear Decline in Neuronal Density within the Cerebral Cortices and Hippocampus in very Aged Rats: Implications for Causality

Photon emission from melanoma cells during brief stimulation by patterned magnetic fields: is the source coupled to rotational diffusion within the membrane?

Temporally-patterned magnetic fields induce complete fragmentation in planaria.

Intermittent exposures to nanoTesla range, 7 Hz, amplitude-modulated magnetic fields increase regeneration rates in planarian.

Digitized quantitative electroencephalographic patterns applied as magnetic fields inhibit melanoma cell proliferation in culture.

Phase ii trial of a metronomic schedule of docetaxel and capecitabine with concurrent celecoxib in patients with prior anthracycline exposure for metastatic breast cancer.

Biophoton emissions from cell cultures: biochemical evidence for the plasma membrane as the primary source.

Photon emissions from human brain and cell culture exposed to distally rotating magnetic fields shared by separate light-stimulated brains and cells.

Nucleotide excision repair polymorphisms and survival outcome for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Smoking (active and passive), N-acetyltransferase 2, and risk of breast cancer.

Attenuation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors and biofilms by co-encapsulation of bismuth-ethanedithiol with tobramycin in liposomes.

Growth of injected melanoma cells is suppressed by whole body exposure to specific spatial-temporal configurations of weak intensity magnetic fields.

Uncaria tomentosa acts as a potent TNF-alpha inhibitor through NF-kappaB.

Cationic glyconanoparticles: their complexation with DNA, cellular uptake, and transfection efficiencies.

Bismuth-thiol incorporation enhances biological activities of liposomal tobramycin against bacterial biofilm and quorum sensing molecules production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Haplotypes of XRCC1 and survival outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Polymorphisms in manganese superoxide dismutase, myeloperoxidase and glutathione-S-transferase and survival after treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Bactericidal efficacy of liposomal aminoglycosides against Burkholderia cenocepacia.

Cell adhesion and cancer: is there a potential for therapeutic intervention?

Polymorphisms in XRCC1, XRCC3, and CCND1 and survival after treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Treatment of THP-1 cells with Uncaria tomentosa extracts differentially regulates the expression if IL-1beta and TNF-alpha.

Mechanism of enhanced activity of liposome-entrapped aminoglycosides against resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Adhesion dependent signalling in the tumour microenvironment: the future of drug targetting.

Chloroquine-mediated radiosensitization is due to the destabilization of the lysosomal membrane and subsequent induction of cell death by necrosis.

HSG cells differentiated by culture on extracellular matrix involves induction of S-adenosylmethione decarboxylase and ornithine decarboxylase.

Evaluation of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and sE-Selectin levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving high-dose chemotherapy.

Role of Raf-1 and FAK in cell density-dependent regulation of integrin-dependent activation of MAP kinase.

Maintained Exposure to Spring Water but Not Double Distilled Water in Darkness and Thixotropic Conditions to Weak (~1 µT) Temporally Patterned Magnetic Fields Shift Photon Spectroscopic Wavelengths: Effects of Different Shielding Materials