U of A appoints new Kipnes chair in lymphatic disorders, paving the way for research to begin

Article content

The University of Alberta has named the new Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders, with research into medical problems in the lymphatic system to soon commence.

Article content

As the inaugural chair, Dr. Spencer Gibson will head research to support the care of patients suffering under-reported, under-recognized, and under-diagnosed medical problems in the lymphatic system such as lymphedema.

“What spoke to me about (the role) was the ability to create a multidisciplinary team of researchers to tackle a problem that has been under-investigated in the past,” Gibson said.

“It’s, I would say, about 10 years behind other diseases like cancer. So, this is an opportunity to create something new.”

Lymphedema is an under-researched chronic condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system. It is possible for the disease to be genetically inherited and can be especially difficult for children.

Article content

It can also be caused as a result of surgery, trauma, cancer therapy, inflammation or infection of the lymphatic system, which moves fluids throughout the body.

According to the Alberta Lymphedema Network (ALNET), approximately 300,000 people in Canada are affected by lymphedema. An estimated 60 per cent of cancer patients suffer from lymphedema, and up to 80 per cent of breast cancer patients who have undergone a mastectomy.

If untreated, there is a risk of loss of limb function and the onset of chronic infections. Treatments currently include manual drainage using a specialized form of massage and wrapping limbs.

Gibson said with his research team, which he hopes to make up of physicians, oncologists, massage therapists and other scientists, they will be able to learn more about lymphoma and new ways to treat it.

Article content

“We don’t really know a lot about the lymphatic system at the basic science level. And if we don’t know that, we don’t really know the process of why it gets developed into diseases like lymphedema,” he said.

“With lymphedema there’s no real advance in treatment. It’s still the same type of treatments they’ve been doing for the last 20-plus years. So we are trying to get our understanding of how we can better treat these patients.”

The chair was established through an initial $5-million donation from the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation in 2018. The Kipnes Foundation donated an additional $1 million, and matched by the University Hospital Foundation for a total of $7 million, to establish the research lab.

Dianne Kipnes was diagnosed with lymphedema in 2009, five years after undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. At the time of the announcement establishing the chair, Kipnes said they will help develop an area where there is much-needed research and can help a lot of people dealing with pain.

Gibson is coming to the U of A from the University of Manitoba, where he contributed to the creation and expansion of the Manitoba Tumour Bank and served as director of the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute from 2012 to 2015.

As chair, Gibson will be bringing in partners from other institutions and be part of ALNET.

“Our long-term goal is that we want to be an internationally recognized centre for this type of research,” Gibson said.

ajunker@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/JunkerAnna