NICE, ROKS, Opal

In the Kildea Lab at the Research Institute of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) we are studying how ionizing radiation causes and cures cancer, and we are building person-centered software to power the learning healthcare system of tomorrow.

Our research projects fall into three broad categories: (1) Neutron-Induced Carcinogenic Effects (NICE) projects, (2) Radiation Oncology Knowledge Sharing (ROKS) projects, and (3) Opal projects.

Opal is the award-winning patient portal that is developed and operated by the Opal Health Informatics Group (O-HIG) at the RI-MUHC. John Kildea is a co-founder of the O-HIG and he directs its research and innovation activities. Opal is powering the Quebec SmartCare Consortium in which John is the principal investigator.

Latest News

What’s happening in the Kildea lab

Presentations by Felix Mathew and Nicolas Desjardins-Proulx at the International Congress for Radiation Research in Montreal

Felix presented his poster outlining his new simulations pipeline for radiation-induced DNA damaage and sequencing, entitled “Drawing Parallels and Bridging Single-Cell Sequencing Experiment with Monte Carlo Simulation.

Nicolas presented a poster on his summer research project enttitled “Preliminary results simulating direct and indirect neutron-induced DNA damage with repair mechanisms”.

John Kildea, Felix Mathew, Nicolas Desjardins-Proulx

Last updated on Sep 15, 2023 1 min read

Presentations by Felix Mathew and Nicolas Desjardins-Proulx at the International Congress for Radiation Research in Montreal

Congratulations to Haley Patrick for publication of her paper in Acta Oncologica entitled "Experimental validation of a novel method of dose accumulation for the rectum".

This paper describes Haley’s experimental validation of her dose-surfacing mapping software using film dosimtry. It represents the first experimental validation of dose-surface maps for radiotherapy using film. The experimental work was conceived of, designed by, and carefully carried out by Haley as part of her PhD project.

Haley M. Patrick, Emily Poon, John Kildea

Last updated on Jul 29, 2023 1 min read

Congratulations to Haley Patrick for publication of her paper in Acta Oncologica entitled "Experimental validation of a novel method of dose accumulation for the rectum".

Talk by John Kildea in the McMedHacks Program

John presented on “Co-design and data-sharing with a patient portal to facilitate AI research in healthcare”. McMedHacks

John Kildea

Last updated on Jul 16, 2023 1 min read

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Featured Publications

Representing the NICE, ROKS and Opal projects of the lab. All publications are listed under the Publications menu.

Haley M. Patrick, Emily Poon, John Kildea

July 2023 In Acta Oncologica

Experimental validation of a novel method of dose accumulation for the rectum

This paper describes how Haley built a simple phantom and used film dosimetry to experimentally validate her rtdsm dose-surface mapping software.

James Manalad, Logan Montgomery, John Kildea

March 2023 In PMB

A study of indirect action's impact on simulated neutron-induced DNA damage

This paper describes the work undertaken by James during his MSc project, simulating the indirect action of neutron radiation on DNA.

John Kildea, John Battista, Briana Cabral, Laurie Hendren, David Herrera, Tarek Hijal, Ackeem Joseph

February 2019 In Journal of Medical Internet Research

Design and Development of a Person-Centered Patient Portal Using Participatory Stakeholder Co-Design

This paper describes the pioneering process of participatory stakeholder co-design that our research team used to build and deploy the Opal patient portal at the Cedars Cancer Centre of the McGill University Health Centre.

Robert Maglieri, Angel Licea, Michael Evans, Jan Seuntjens, John Kildea

October 2015 In Medical Physics

Measuring neutron spectra in radiotherapy using the nested neutron spectrometer

This paper, which was listed in Editor’s Picks 2015, was our pioneering report in the field of neutron spectrometry that demonstrated how Detec’s Nested Neutron Spectrometer (NNS) could be used for practical neutron spectral measurements in radiotherapy environments. Using the NNS in passive mode, we were able to determine a radiotherapy neutron spectrum in just over an hour, whereas previously such measurements took days or weeks using passive techniques. Our NICE research program builds upon this initial work.

Funding Partners

The research of the Kildea lab is made possible by the financial assistance of the following granting agencies and foundations.