Cancer research earns student Atlantic science prize

A Grade 12 student from Montague Regional High School in eastern P.E.I. has won a prestigious regional science competition.

Since January Jacob Lava has been researching new ways to use thermo-therapy to treat cancer.

In thermo-therapy lasers and gold particles are used to directly attack tumours, in a way that is less invasive than other treatments.

"This has an advantage over chemo and radiation therapy is that it's selective," said Lava.

"Chemo and radiation, they have a lot of collateral damage to the body. They treat your entire body, where thermotherapy has the potential to heal only a tumour."

Lava will head to the national Biogenius Canada competition in Ottawa next week to represent the four Atlantic provinces.