Medical Research Unveiled

Following World War I, Alexander Fleming returned to his research laboratory in London, England. His battlefront experience had shown him killer bacteria could be worse than any artillery. He set out to find a chemical that could stop bacterial infection.

In 1928, when he was disposing Petri dishes, in which he had been growing bacteria, he noticed that one was growing mold.  This was not unusual. What was unusual was that all the bacteria around the mold had been killed. What Alexander Fleming had discovered would save thousands of lives and benefit millions of people. It was penicillin.

Penicillin is only one example of the many benefits resulting from medical research. Anyone who receives medical treatment, even if it’s just taking an aspirin for a headache, is reaping the benefits of research. Through research, treatments for diseases are discovered, medical advancements are made, and cures are found. Medical research is the backbone of the medical community and it’s being done in your own community.

Everyday, doctors and staff at Calgary Laboratory Services (CLS) conduct research that will help save or improve the lives of millions of people. CLS is currently participating in research projects on detecting cancer markers for improved cancer treatments, early diagnosis of cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer, organ transplants, strokes, and leukemia. CLS also conducts numerous clinical trials, which are studies where new treatments, drugs, diagnostic procedures, vaccines and other therapies are tested on people to determine if they are safe and effective.

Research can be a very long and involved process. Even though penicillin was discovered in 1928 it was another ten years before the antibiotic was ready to be used. A number of elements are necessary before research can take place, including; medical experts, funding, access to laboratory services and tissue samples. CLS places Calgary in the unique position of having the only facility in Canada where all participants and elements required for research are available in one central location (one common Laboratory Information System). This makes it an ideal setting to conduct research. As a result, Calgary has been attracting some of the top pathologists and physicians from across the country making it a site for leading edge medical research.

Everyone reaps the rewards of research, however, the people who live in a centre where medical research is conducted are the first to benefit from the results. The first people to experience the positive effects of penicillin lived in Britain, where the clinical trials were held. With the large number of clinical trials being conducted at CLS, the people of Calgary will be the first to benefit from and access the numerous advances being made in medicine everyday.  

Since its formation in 1996, CLS has been involved in medical research and has continued to expand its capabilities. In 2004, CLS moved to a new state-of-the-art Diagnostic and Scientific Centre located at the University of Calgary Research Park. The broad range of qualified medical staff from various disciplines, first-class laboratory equipment and partnerships within the medical and university community positions CLS as a strong partner in leading edge medical research.

It has been over 50 years since the revolutionary antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered; who knows, the discovery of the next medical miracle could be just around the corner, made in your own community by researchers working in partnership with Calgary Laboratory Services.