U of A oncologist wins prestigious award for prostate cancer breakthrough

Dr. Adam Kinnaird spent his junior hockey days commuting between Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan, eating on the run and sometimes sleeping in his car between games and morning classes. Now, more than 20 years later, the University of Alberta oncologist is an internationally recognized researcher whose work could transform how millions of men are screened for prostate cancer.

In March, Kinnaird won the EAU Imaging Vision Award from the European Association of Urology, recognizing his study as the most innovative imaging research published in urology over the past year.

His breakthrough: comparing prostate MRI — the current gold standard — against a new imaging device called high-resolution micro ultrasound. In a randomized controlled trial across 20 centres in eight countries involving roughly 800 men, Kinnaird's team showed the micro ultrasound performed just as well at detecting prostate cancer.

The difference matters enormously for global health. An MRI scanner requires expensive infrastructure and a trained technician. The micro ultrasound is a point-of-care device that works anywhere there's electricity — meaning it can be deployed in clinics without advanced facilities, at a fraction of the cost.

"The machine can basically be used anywhere there is electricity," Kinnaird said. "So it has portability that could be used world-wide, and it's also a lot cheaper than an MRI."

Kinnaird said the University of Alberta hospital was a natural fit for the trial because it draws patients from north of Red Deer to the Arctic Circle — several million people funnelled into Edmonton for care, giving the research team extraordinary volume and diversity.

Hockey taught him discipline and leadership. Research is teaching the city it sits at the centre of something bigger.