Dr. Michael Weinfeld, PhD (1982), University of London, obtained his BA in Chemistry from Oxford University, UK in 1978 and his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London, UK in 1982. After postdoctoral fellowships at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in Ontario and the University of Alberta, he started his own laboratory at the Cross Cancer Institute in 1989.
He is currently a Professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta and Senior Research Scientist with Alberta Health Services. Dr. Weinfeld’s research interests include imaging and therapy of hypoxic regions within tumours. Tumours often contain regions with low levels of oxygen (hypoxia), which are more resistant to radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy than well oxygenated tissues. Compounds such as nitroimidazoles are selectively activated in hypoxic cells and bind to cellular constituents. Radioactive isotope labeling of such compounds thus presents an opportunity to image and treat hypoxic tumour cells. In collaboration with Dr. Piyush Kumar and Dr. Leonard Wiebe, Dr. Weinfeld is examining some of the key radiobiological characteristics of this approach to image and treat hypoxia.