The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 57

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2006 F3 CFFY Ottawa scientists find molecule that repairs sun-damaged DNA Breakthrough could help in bid to find way to kill cancerous cells DNA, so that it is better killed by the cancer drug. That's why we need to know the molecular details of these repair pathways." There are two repair mechanisms, Mr. Gray explains. The main one can detect when bits of DNA code are missorted, and restore the original genetic code. The other is a backup, to be called into service if needed.

"It turns out that this ubiquitin molecule is at the heart of the switch" between the main repair system and the backup, he said. "We showed this by mutating a gene that encodes that ubiquitin molecule," so the cell could do everything normally except switch the repair systems on and off. Cells could then use only the backup repair system, which isn't as good as the main one. Their work, with co-author Roland Chiu of Maastricht in the Netherlands, is published today in the Public Library of Science Genetics, a research journal. ent goal in mind: They want to use their knowledge to kill cells that have turned cancerous.

The little molecule is called ubiquitin, so named because it's ubiquitous: It's in every cell of every mammal, every bird, every fish, even right down to humble yeast cells. Ultraviolet light is a source of DNA damage. But our cells tvvvMmm 1L ail OIIHIQ LiM. Jl autism fight to McGuinty i' They intend to fight premier even after losing court ruling on financing children's program The Gray-Brun team hopes that learning how cells fix themselves will eventually make cancer drugs more effective, more able to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Some chemo drugs damage the DNA in cancer cells to kill these cells.

If a treatment can also shut down the cancer cell's repair system, it stands a better chance of killing that cell, Mr. Gray says. "We want to kill it, so we want to make it less able to repair KIER GILMOUR, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN he still has a chance to create an interesting vision for the city." But Ms. Graham says the task won't be easy. Mr.

O'Brien's lack of political experience could be an advantage because in a city that seems to be tiring of the mayor but lukewarm to his principal challenger, he may be a breath of fresh air. By the same token, however, his lack of experience could work against him, especially since being a successful businessman is no guarantee of a successful political career. And with most of the experienced organizers and campaign workers already committed, Mr. O'Brien may have left himself too tall a mountain to climb. "There is a very narrow shaft of daylight that Larry O'Brien has to hit and he has to find a credible way to differentiate himself from the rest," says Mr.

McLoughlin. "The odds are stacked against him, but if anybody can successfully manage the long odds, it is Larry." Ms. Graham says it will all come down to what vision he has for the city. "I can see him putting himself forward as someone with business acumen, but will he be a tax fighter or somebody who will espouse a grand vision for the city. And what will that vision be," she said.

legal counsel ty. She will begin her five-year mandate on Aug. 14, and will be replacing Pierre-Yves Boucher, who will be retiring from the university Pamela Harrod after a 50-year career, including 16 years as secretary. have a series of defences to detect the damage and fix it. Now Doug Gray of the institute and the University of Ottawa, and his PhD student, Jan Brun, have shown what other scientists had suspected: ubiquitin is part of the repair "pathway." This is a crucial role, because DNA is often damaged.

And if an animal can't repair it, the result will be cells where healthy genes are broken down and mutations occur. That's how cancer begins. year. Last year, Mr. O'Brien served as general manager, organizer and chief fundraiser for a team of teenagers that took part in the world inline hockey championships in France.

Named Ottawa's businessman of the year in 1996, Mr. O'Brien also served as a member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Science and Technology in 1999. A former Liberal who switched to the Canadian Alliance and then back to the Conservatives, he was one of the early advocates of the uniting of the two conservative parties. As a shrewd and successful businessman, political observers say Mr. O'Brien would bring a wealth of knowledge and financial discipline to a city hall that seems adrift.

He has turned around a slumping company, knows how to run a tight ship, knows the importance of staying focused and is not averse to making tough decisions. He is possessed of social conscience. "By most people's standards, Mr. O'Brien is a successful businessman who has shown he has a public conscience," says political commentator Katherine Graham, dean of public affairs and management at Carleton University. "We are still in the phoney war period of the campaign and of 0 appoints new The University of Ottawa has appointed a new secretary, the university's chief legal counsel and record-keeper.

Pamela Harrod, currently corporate secretary and general counsel at the University of Winnipeg, has also worked for CanWest Global Communications General Electric Canada Inc. and the federal Department of Justice. Ms. Harrod, who was raised in Ottawa, has a degree in law from the University of Ottawa and an political science degree from Carleton Universi mttw 1 1 mi vwi- BY TOM SPEARS An Ottawa science team has found that a simple molecule in every cell in our bodies helps repair DNA when it's damaged by the sun's UV light. This keeps cells alive and prevents cancer.

But the researchers at the Ottawa Health Research Institute have a differ Waiting for O'Brien's philosophy Now that he seems about to announce his mayoral candidacy, the next step for the successful businessman will be to demonstrate the kind of candidate he will be. MOHAMMED ADAM reports. He is a technology mogul, master fundraiser and philanthropist, but Larry O'Brien could soon become the worst nightmare of Mayor Bob Chiarelli, Alex Munter and Terry Kilrea. In a move that could change all the political calculations in Ottawa, the 57-year-old founder and chairman of Calian Technology is poised to announce his candidacy for mayor. It is good news for those who have been clamouring for a fiscal conservative or "centre-right" candidate, but for the three main candidates in the November election, this could be the last thing they wanted.

He is a formidable opponent and his presence could force them back to the drawing board to rethink their strategies. At the very least, political ob-; servers say, Mr. O'Brien's entry into the race would animate has otherwise been a rather dull campaign. "He is an incredible success story in business and he has the people skills, personality and creativity essential in politics," says Barry McLoughlin, an Ottawa communications consul- tant and political commentator. has a foundation to build on, but he has to articulate a compelling vision." But who is Larry O'Brien and what is he likely to bring to the race? He is smart, hardworking and likeable.

But also controversial as in 1999 when he urged Canada to face the reality of world economics and abandon our own currency for the U.S. dollar. Mr. O'Brien is known, espe- cially to readers of the business pages, as one of Ottawa's tech-' iiology pioneers, a man who started a small technology ser-' vices business 24 years ago and built it into a successful $100-million company that today, employs more than 2,000 around the globe. But Mr.

O'Brien is not your typical wealthy businessman iwho was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His is a ver-' jtable rags-to-riches story. Born in Ottawa, he went to Algonquin College where he studied physics and technology before landing a job with a technology company where he worked alongside the likes of Terence Matthews and Michael Cowpland. He turned down I several invitations to work with two maestros when they Quebec police seize in marijuana Quebec police seized $2.5 mil-. lion worth of marijuana plants in raids on outdoor grow operations in the past week.

MRC des Collines police said a tacti-cal team seized 1,700 plants from a grow operation at a rock "quarry in Val-des-Monts 'Wednesday. Last week, police seized 596 marijuana plants and a stolen camping trailer during two raids in Val-des-Monts and L'Ange Gardien. No one has been arrested. Larry O'Brien made his mark on the Ottawa business community by turning Calian Technology into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. But while he has business acumen, he is unknown as a politician.

agnosed at the age of two, when he became increasingly difficult to handle. "He was impossible, unbearable just screaming all the time," Mr. Trau recalled. "My wife quit her job simply to be able to give him full-time care." Vincent was one of the fortunate few to be enrolled in an intensive program. He no longer screams, he communicates well, and Mr.

Trau and his wife have been taught through the intervention team how to teach the boy on their own. "But Vincent will still need help long after he turns six," Mr. Trau said. "And if we have to borrow, remortgage our house, whatever it takes, we will do it to keep him in treatment, right up until our house is repossessed." Mr. Kavchak said his son, Steven, turns six in January.

"But we can't allow treatment to stop. Steven has benefited too much. He's getting out of his world and into ours, but the process is far from finished. "As a family, we will do anything we can to keep the treatment going, but I guess we will have to revert to the private sector, at great cost. "This is a shock in a country that has boasted for decades of its commitment to universal health care." There are now two private member bills in the House of Commons that call for a Canada Health Act amendment to allow medicare to pay for the intensive program for all autistic children.

The standing Senate committee on social affairs, science and technology is also addressing the issue. Mr. Kavchak was one of several parents who expressed hope that the committee's report, due in the fall, will strongly call for a national strategy on autism. "But many of us think that (federal Health Minister) Tony Clement shouldn't wait," Mr. Kavchak added.

"He should call an immediate meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts. We should start developing a strategy now." On Aug. 21, the Ontario Autism Coalition wants parents and other concerned citizens to picket a number of provincial constituency offices, including Mr. McGuinty's office on Kilborn Avenue. At the same time, the constituency offices of other politicians will be picketed in Scarborough, Windsor, Kingston, Sarnia, and London.

fraud, police warn purchase of a new police vehicle. The callercanvasser has been masquerading as a representative of the Ottawa Police Service, and at times as a member of the Ottawa Police Association. Ottawa police are reminding the public that the force does not campaign for donations its budget for salaries and equipment is provided by the City of Ottawa and are urging residents to not reveal any personal banking information if confronted with such claims. BY CHARLES ENMAN With last week's court decision in their minds, parents of autistic children spoke out yesterday to decry Ontario's lack of support for a form of intense therapy for those children, especially those over the age of six. "It is negligent, and fundamentally irresponsible, for the provincial government to deny help to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society," said Andrew Kavchak, whose five-year-old son, Steven, has autism.

Ontario pays for the intense therapy for some autistic children, but not for all, and not for any after their sixth birthday. Last year, the Superior Court of Ontario ruled that age criteria were discriminatory, and that the therapeutic program should be maintained past the age of six. But the McGuinty government appealed that decision, and last week the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that autistic children over the age of six do not suffer historical disadvantage when cut off from the intervention, assuming they had even received the services in the first place. At a news conference hosted by the francophone chapter of Autism Ontario, parents deplored the government's decision to appeal the Superior Court ruling. "Dalton McGuinty made clear during the last provincial campaign that he supported our cause," said Andreas Trau, whose son, Vincent, 4, has been diagnosed with autism.

"He said he was opposed to any age cutoff for any therapy that has been shown to work and we are disappointed that he took the easy route to simply appeal and wash his hands of the situation." Bernard Deslisle, president of the francophone chapter of Autism Ontario, said that fewer than 25 per cent of autistic children under the age of six are getting into the Intensive Education Intervention Program anyway. This was unfortunate, he said, because research showed nearly half of children given the treatment can become full participants in community life. The treatment, which requires very intensive one-on-one work between therapists and the child, can easily cost up to $50,000 per child a year. Mr. Trau said his son was di 'Police canvasser' a Ottawa police are warning the public about a fraudulent charity campaign whose principal is trying to solicit funds from Kanata area residents, allegedly on behalf of the police force.

The suspect, who has been engaged with door-to-door canvassing and cold phone calls, has been seeking donations for additional Kanata police patrols for the summer months. In some phone conversations, the caller requested credit card information and said donations would be funnelled toward the started Mitel, determined to make it on his own. In 1979, he started a small company that sold pagers and it was not uncommon to find him at the Ottawa airport flogging the devices to business travellers. The company collapsed. Never one to give up easily, he founded Calian in 1982 as a computer services company with $35 in cash.

In 2004, his stocks in the company were worth about $12 million. Today, he is one of the city's high flyers and lives in the heart of Ottawa's downtown at 700 Sussex where a penthouse can easily top $1.8 million. But those who know him say he is not just driven by the lure of profit. Perhaps it was his own sense of mortality in 2003 when he nearly died from blood poisoning. Or just the desire of a successful man to give something back to his own city.

Whatever it was, Mr. O'Brien's generosity in supporting and funding community causes is well known. He has given money to his alma mater and with his former wife, Debbie, raised millions for the SCO Health Service Foundation, which runs Saint-Vincent Hospital and the Elisabeth Bruyere Health Centre. The two were honoured with the United Way's Community Builder of the Year award this Two injured in Parkway rollover Two men were injured afer a rollover crash on the Airport Parkway late Wednesday. Ottawa police said a southbound Cadillac tried to pass another vehicle near Walldey Road when the driver lost control, crossed the northbound lanes and rolled over.

One of the males was found by police about 25 metres from the vehicle, although it is not known if he was thrown from the car. Both received non-life-threatening injuries..