"I believe that cancer will be cured in the not too-distant future. And I believe that that cure may be first here in Ottawa," said president and CEO Dr. Jack Kitts.
Under the lead of Dr. John Bell, the Ottawa Hospital is slated to begin phase one clinical trials of the new experimental treatment for some patients where all conventional therapies have been exhausted.
Simply put, the treatment involves using viruses that are innocuous to humans, except that they "viciously kill cancer cells," explained Dr. Kitts.
The human trials follow successful testing on lung cancer in mice, he added in a morning speech to local business leaders at the OBJ's Mayor's Breakfast Series.
Separately, Dr. Kitts said in an interview after his speech that the next step in deciding on a new location for the aging Civic campus facilities will be public consultations led by the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, which is in charge of health-care planning for the region.
He said moving the hospital either across Carling Avenue onto the Central Experimental Farm or to near Hunt Club Road and Woodroffe Avenue, across from the Nepean Sportsplex, would serve the community's health-care needs equally well.
However, when pressed, he said that from a logistical point of view, moving across the road would be preferable, but added that he has not had any official discussions with the federal government about building on its agricultural lands.
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