Master’s thesis makes cancer breakthrough

A University of Alberta student has been awarded a prestigious academic award for his master’s thesis where he made a breakthrough on prostate cancer treatment. According to Postmedia, Weiyang Liu "spent four years developing a machine with a laser and fibre-optic probes that can be inserted through the skin and into the prostate gland to treat the cancer." Known as photodynamic therapy, the "treatment relies on light-sensitive drugs injected into the bloodstream, but the drugs remain inert until fibre-optic probes deliver the light to just the right spot to kill off the cancerous tissue." Within five years, the therapy could be a viable alternative to surgery. For his efforts, Liu was recognized for producing the best thesis by the Western Association of Graduate Schools.