Winnipeg researchers working on early detection blood test for colorectal cancer

Hailey Langford slips on a white lab coat and gets to work in a lab at the University of Winnipeg.

The master’s student is working on cancer research and an early detection test, a cause near and dear to her.

“I actually have a couple family members who have had cancer in the past,” Langford said. “But my most motivating factor is my niece’s mother who passed away from lung cancer when I was in my third year of my undergrad.”

During that difficult time, Langford happened to be taking a class taught by Dr. Anuraag Shrivastav.

“He had spoken about his research and that he was researching cancer so I reached out to him and asked if I could volunteer in his lab and be a part of his research,” Langford said.

Years later, the two are still working together on innovative research.

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“This is a simple blood test for colorectal cancer screening,” said Shrivastav, a biology professor at the University of Winnipeg. “What sets us apart from the rest of the competition is we can detect really early.”

Shrivastav adds that early detection is the mantra for treating cancers.

“If you detect early there are way more chances for treating those cancers and the survival increases,” Shrivastav said.

One Winnipegger knows this all too well.

“I was fortunate enough that I caught it really early,” Aimee Heroux said.

Heroux was only 42 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a family history of the disease and was diligent about regular scans.

“It was because of the scan that I found it. I had not felt a lump,” Heroux said.

She says early detection made the next steps in her cancer journey a bit easier.

“Had I waited an extra year, it would’ve progressed,” Heroux said. “Then my treatments would’ve been more aggressive and my surgery would’ve been more aggressive.”

Heroux now strongly encourages her family and friends to get routine scans.

“It’s scary to go for these tests but it’s worth it. It’s worth pushing through that fear,” Heroux said.

And one day soon, researchers like Langford and Shrivastav hope their innovation can help save more lives. The two hope that after a few more years of funding and clinical trials, their blood test will be ready for commercial use.

“The reason I feel this is so important is because colorectal cancer is actually one of the most treatable cancers but it’s the lack of early detection tests that’s really affecting advancement of the disease,” Langford said.