What the facility does
Develop, assess, and evaluate lifestyle interventions (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour) in cancer survivors.
Areas of expertise
The Exercise Oncology Lab (EOL) is a multi-purpose laboratory allowing the space to be transformed for a variety of intervention modalities (e.g., distance-based, supervised), as well as physical function and exercise testing. The lab’s mission is to promote physical activity as an essential component in cancer control and survivorship.
The team focuses on a variety of research questions, including:
- Can physical activity help manage treatment-related side effects?
- What is the role of physical activity for cognitive functioning?
- What is the optimal physical activity program for benefits?
- How do we maintain physical activity levels throughout the cancer care continuum?
Research services
The Exercise Oncology Lab is dedicated exclusively to developing, assessing, and evaluating behaviour change interventions in cancer survivors. The lab contains four suites:
- The Exercise Suite houses the exercise training and testing space to enable the development and testing of exercise interventions. This space is equipped with objective measures for exercise and sedentary behaviour including ActiGraph accelerometers and activPAL inclinometers.
- The Behavioural Counselling Suite is used for behavioural counselling sessions necessary for long term exercise maintenance.
- The Analysis Suite contains data processing and analysis software used in behavioural interventions.
- The Biomarker Suite (directed by Dr. Daniel Santa Mina) is a wet lab dedicated to understanding the mechanisms between exercise and cancer- and treatment-related symptoms.
Sectors of application
- Education
- Healthcare and social services
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise Suite | METAMAX-3B spiroergometer with Total System Package | Portable device for cardiopulmonary exercise testing with calibration gas, O2 sensors, sample lines, and internal pump. |
| Lode Corival CPET Ergometer | CPET=cardiopulmonary exercise test. Research-grade cycle ergometer designed for individuals with medical conditions that find standard bicycles ergometers uncomfortable. Used for exercise training or for cardiopulmonary testing. | |
| Monark 939E NOVO Electronically Controlled Testing Ergometer | Research grade cycle ergometer for exercise training and cardiovascular testing. | |
| Analysis Suite | ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers | Wearable devices used to track physical activity and sedentary behaviour. |
| activPAL inclinometers | Wearable devices used to track physical activity and sedentary behaviour. | |
| Fitbit Inspire health and fitness trackers | Wearable devices used to measure step count and heart rate. | |
| Exercise Suite | THERABAND resistance bands | Resistance training and exercise testing. |
| Biomarker Suite | Thermo Scientific Sorvall ST16R Refrigerated Benchtop Centrifuge with Blood Processing Package | Separates human samples (e.g. blood, urine, and other body fluids) for sample processing. |
| Analysis Suite | IBM SPSS Statistics software | Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Statistical software for data analysis. |
| ActiLife data analysis software | Actigraphy data analysis software platform. | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery | Cognitive function testing. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
- Juravinski Cancer Centre
- University of British Columbia
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA)
- University of Calgary
- Northeastern University (USA)
- University of Victoria
- Baycrest
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Additional information
| Title | Hyperlink |
|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) students study impact of COVID-19 on physical activity and cancer survivors. | https://www.kpe.utoronto.ca/faculty-news/kpe-students-study-impact-covid-19-physical-activity-and-cancer-survivors |
| Action Kidney Cancer World Kidney Cancer Day 2020 physical activity video. | https://actionkidneycancer.org/help-support/ask-the-expert/# |
| Outpacing cancer with exercise: Q & A with Kinesiology and Physical Education’s (KPE) Linda Trinh. | https://www.kpe.utoronto.ca/faculty-news/outpacing-cancer-exercise-q-kpes-linda-trinh |