˴Ƭ Vice-Principal ResearchInnovation, collaboration, and an entrepreneurial mindset are at the intersection of two Queen’s University neurosurgeon-scientists’ mission to transform brain tumour research and patient care.
“Every tissue sample represents a patient who’s trusted us with part of their care,” says Dr. Teresa Purzner, a neurosurgeon and researcher with the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) and Queen’s University, of an innovative multi-biopsy tool developed in the Purzner Lab. “We wanted a way to handle those samples with the same precision and consistency that we bring to surgery itself.”
Together with her partner, Dr. Jamie Purzner, who is also a neurosurgeon and researcher on the same team, they are leading a revolution in patient-centred care and translational research through the mission of the Integrative Brain Tumour Program (IBTP).
Both alumni of the University of Toronto and Stanford University, the Purzners bring a unique blend of clinical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to their work.
“We’ve always approached challenges differently but toward the same goal,” says Teresa. “Jamie has an extraordinary technical eye for design and methodology, and I tend to think at the systems and program level. The combination has allowed us to build something we couldn’t have done alone.”
Their journey from academic research to real-world innovation began with a shared passion for improving outcomes for patients with brain tumours.
“When we began our PhDs at Stanford, our focus was on understanding the biology,” says Teresa. “Back then, I saw translation as something that almost diluted the purity of science. As if turning discovery into application meant stepping away from the pursuit of knowledge. But when we identified a new target for pediatric brain cancer that worked even in treatment-resistant models, it changed how I thought about things.”
But finding the solution to the problem wasn’t enough. “I thought, ‘How can I just leave it at a published paper if I really believe in my work?’”
The published paper led the pair to begin to think about drug development, and how their research findings could have an impact on the patients they were serving. With the support of Stanford SPARK, a program aimed at translating lab discoveries to clinical applications for patients, the Purzners stepped into the world of translational research.
“It was really our first foray into entrepreneurship and the process of drug development – from lab to the regulatory process and clinical trials,” says Jamie. “We learned the importance of having experts in regulatory practices as well as experts on the business side, in how to get the drug developed for use in patients.”
From Stanford to Queen’s: a vision rooted in impact
When Dr. Christopher Wallace came to Queen’s to take over the Department of Surgery, he recruited Jamie and Teresa for their expertise and experience.
“He was our Program Director and Division Head when we attended the University of Toronto,” recalls Teresa. “I deeply respected him as a surgeon, but also as a human.”
The opportunity at Queen’s also allowed the pair to have what Teresa calls “protected research time.” On two-week rotations, they alternate their time from clinical work to research work. When Teresa is working on research, Jamie is in the clinic and surgery, providing care for patients, and then they switch roles. This protected research time is critical to getting grant funding and providing adequate opportunities to develop intellectual property (IP) and support graduate students.
“If you're a researcher who has developed something novel, Queen’s has the potential for inventor-owned intellectual property,” adds Jamie. “If you are working on a healthcare startup – whether it be a medtech device or a pharmaceutical, the IP is one of the most important aspects, and at Queen’s it belongs to the inventor(s).”
Bridging research and real-world impact
Since coming to Queen’s, the Purzners haven’t slowed down their pursuit of improving patient outcomes. And Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation has played an important role in supporting the Purzners’ entrepreneurial journey, from patent application to potential commercialization.
“We first met the Purzners during a workshop that Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation did a few years ago,” says Mike Wells, Partnerships Development Officer with QPI, whose background spans biochemistry, business administration, and pharmaceutical development.
That workshop led to further discussions around intellectual property, patenting, and regulatory processes, and the Purzners began working with other members of the QPI team, including Patent Agent Stephen Scribner, Director, Intellectual Property, as well as Isabelle Grenier-Pleau, Partnerships Development Coordinator and Patent Agent Trainee, who conducted prior-art analyses. The team’s deep understanding of the patent landscape strengthened the strategy for protecting and commercializing the Purzner’s innovations.
“Mike Wells and Mike Jamieson [Queen’s Regulatory Support Advisor] have been really helpful,” says Teresa, who was initially cautious about working with an institution to develop a company around their IP due to fear of being caught up in bureaucratic policies. “Not all post-secondary institutions allow inventors to own their IP, and they’re not always experienced in what it takes to build a medtech or healthcare startup.”
After meeting with “the Mikes,” the Purzners felt assured that QPI’s expertise would be a very valuable resource in building a company around their IP.
In July 2022, before arriving at Queen’s, the Purzners filed an international patent application for one of their inventions, a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt that addresses the challenges associated with traditional shunt designs and revision procedures in the treatment of hydrocephalus. QPI has since taken over responsibility for prosecution of that patent application and has filed national stage applications in Canada and the United States.
And their latest invention has vast potential to transform brain tumour diagnoses and treatment strategies. The multi-biopsy tool enables precise, reproducible, and spatially registered tissue collection during brain surgery.
“As surgeons, we wanted to capture tumour samples in a way that prioritizes patient safety. As scientists analyzing the samples, we needed samples that produce clean data,” says Teresa. “It’s something that we’ve learned the importance of having been both surgeons and scientists.”
The design of the multi-biopsy tool consists of a small capsule that attaches to a Frazier suction device. The capsule may be used to securely capture, contain, and eject a tumour sample for later analysis. This method greatly reduces variability between sample sizes, better preserves samples, and improves collection time. The method also allows each capsule to be individually labelled, streamlining and simplifying the process of fixing and analyzing patient tissue samples.
A patent application for the biopsy tool has now been submitted with the assistance of QPI’s patent team.
Passion from personal experience
One of the driving forces behind the prototyping process of the biopsy tool was Kaytlin Andrews, a Mechanical Engineering student who became a PhD researcher. Her personal connection to glioblastoma, having lost her mother to the disease, inspired her to pursue the project during her undergraduate capstone project.
“I always knew I wanted to work at the intersection of health and engineering. When I saw the list of potential projects, one of them was working on the development of an optically tracked multi biopsy tool to investigate glioblastoma.”
Working on a team of fourth year undergrads for the capstone project under the supervision of Dr. Heidi Pleog, the students were responsible for taking the initial idea and researching how they could engineer a prototype. “The project demonstrated the importance of an interdisciplinary team and was made more impactful knowing that what we were working on had direct application to what was happening for the patients being treated right next door,” says Kaytlin.
With mentorship from the Purzners, Kaytlin transitioned into the direct-entry PhD program and continues to refine the device and apply it in clinical settings.
A future fueled by purpose
With new funding from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Terry Fox Marathon Of Hope, the Purzners are expanding their research infrastructure, including state-of-the-art tissue banking and access to clinical trials.
The Purzners are proving that multi-disciplinary teams and university-backed support not only play a big role in sparking innovation, but also in achieving measurable patient outcomes. Since implementing IBTP, KHSC has seen a 40% increase in patients receiving surgery within provincial targets and a 40% reduction in delays to radiation therapy. Their work continues to push boundaries, not just in neurosurgery, but in how research can be deeply integrated with patient care.