Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 51mFall is the best season and I will not be debating this. I'm in a sweater biking to work. I will arrive at the perfect temperature, not sweaty and not cold. It's sunny out, but I don't need sunscreen. The best. 161
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I saw it pop up and went "oh hell no." In this day and age, I simply do not understand anyone who just switched it on without being aware of the dangers. 010
Reposted by Vicky ForsterRaywat Deonandan 🍁🇨🇦 @deonandan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The buck stops at Queen's Park. Hospitals run a $70 million debt while Doug Ford spends $48 million ripping out bike lanes. We live in the stupidest timeline. 1415770
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026I read a Guardian article about Kolsch in Cologne earlier and now I have been craving Kolsch all day. But it is Thursday and I have a toddler. And no Kolsch. Alas. 010
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Single handedly keeping Toronto sign makers in business. #localhero 240
Reposted by Vicky ForsterVicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026September is childhood cancer awareness month. In 2017, I had the privilege of visiting the childhood cancer treatment ward in Tanzania when I was there to do my TED talk. Recently, I talked with one of the clinicans there to learn about progress over the last 10yrs. cancerworld.net/from-10-to-m...cancerworld.netFrom 10% to More Than 50% Survival: Tanzania Transforms Childhood Cancer Care, But Challenges Remain | Cancerworld MagazineChildhood cancer survival in Tanzania has risen from below 10% to over 50%, but late diagnosis remains a major barrier to curing more children. 021
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026September is childhood cancer awareness month. In 2017, I had the privilege of visiting the childhood cancer treatment ward in Tanzania when I was there to do my TED talk. Recently, I talked with one of the clinicans there to learn about progress over the last 10yrs. cancerworld.net/from-10-to-m...cancerworld.netFrom 10% to More Than 50% Survival: Tanzania Transforms Childhood Cancer Care, But Challenges Remain | Cancerworld MagazineChildhood cancer survival in Tanzania has risen from below 10% to over 50%, but late diagnosis remains a major barrier to curing more children. 021
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Ah! Sorry I didn't realise it wasnt free to read. Here is a gift link: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/67ecdc2...theglobeandmail.comNobody wants to talk about childhood cancer, but I willAfter my daughter was diagnosed just before she turned three, I made it my mission to tell everyone about it 220
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Brilliantly written piece by my friend and colleague Megan Easton. #childhoodcancer #CCAM www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-p...theglobeandmail.comNobody wants to talk about childhood cancer, but I willAfter my daughter was diagnosed just before she turned three, I made it my mission to tell everyone about it 142
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 05/09/2026I haven't watched a game this season before this one. You are welcome, #BlueJays fans. 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026And here they are, in the skies of Toronto having a pootle in the sky in this fine afternoon. I will tolerate their noise as a patriotic statement. 000
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026I for one welcome the American fighter jets not doing the airshow thingy. They are particularly loud and not nearly as impressive as the snowbirds... 110
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026I am in support of e-bikes being able to use bike lanes for the sole reason that more of the riders will die or get injured if they can't. But I sure as hell wish they would stop running reds and almost colliding with me and my kid in a stroller on pedestrian crossings on a weekly (at least) basis. 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026*Starts a support group for people trying to have meetings while airshow rehearsals are on* As my fellow meeting attendees were deafened, I was shouting "SORRY THAT ONE WAS RIGHT OVER THE HOUSE" while scrambling to close the window. 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026This drizzly, thunderstormy shoulder season weather is giving me a headache. Can fall just arrive already? I am very ready for my sweaters, soup, fall colours etc etc. 030
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Argh, this is sad to see. www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/nova...fiercebiotech.comUPDATED: Novartis halts autoimmune CAR-T trials after 3 deaths, as BMS also pauses studiesThree deaths have forced Novartis to pause development of its CD19 CAR-T candidate in autoimmune diseases, just as Bristol Myers Squibb has halted a similar program due to immune-related adverse ev | ... 040
Reposted by Vicky ForsterC.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 01/09/2026“Research suggests that roughly 10 to 20 percent of people who get intestinal illnesses from bacteria, viruses or parasites will end up having symptoms, like diarrhea and abdominal pain, that can last for months or even years. This condition is called post-infection irritable bowel syndrome.”nytimes.comFoodborne Illnesses Can Lead to Long-Term Gut Issues (Gift Article)The cyclospora outbreak may result in a surge in cases of post-infection irritable bowel syndrome. 43515
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026*Aside from a few very significant examples e.g. CD19 targeting drugs and cellular therapies. 000
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026For various reasons, pediatric cancers are not typically a big focus for drug development* compared to adult cancers but if drugs approved for other indications can be transferred to pediatric cancers, it could be a big boost. 120
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026The recent (early) success of RAS inhibitors in pancreatic cancer has buoyed hopes that the drugs may be useful in both (relatively) common and rare types of pediatric cancers. ccr.cancer.gov/news/article...ccr.cancer.govTargeted Cancer Drugs Show Promise for Children with Rare RAS-Mutated Cancers | Center for Cancer ResearchTargeted cancer drugs already used in adults may also help treat childhood cancers carrying rare G12C mutations, according to new research from the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research scientists. 130
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026It's the most wonderful time of the year for fresh fruit and vegetables in Canada. We really genuinely at the moment don't need imported produce. And the homegrown stuff is *delicious* *stuffs self with peaches, corn, squash, zucchini, apples, pears...* 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Anecdotally because it could have just been stock control more than anything else - the piles of Canadian fall produce at my local grocery store were fairly well picked over, where U.S. apples and soft fruits were untouched. I hope this is a real trend. 140
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I actually don't personally know anyone who is truly enraged by Trump changing the U.S. name of Lake Ontario. It's just yet another irrational, childish action. All it seems to have done is remind people to support Canadian businesses and products and avoid U.S. 180
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Thanks to @boghuma.bsky.social for providing expert comment on the situation with this, and other vaccines in development. 010
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Here is an update on #Ebola in DR #Congo. The WHO has decided to trial an Ebola vaccine used in previous outbreaks. The decision comes following new evidence showing it might provide some protection despite being engineered to target a different virus strain. www.forbes.com/sites/victor...forbes.comEbola Vaccine Rollout Begins In DR Congo Amid Continuing OutbreakThe vaccine was not designed for the Bundibugyo strain causing the epidemic, but experts are hopeful that it may provide some protection while new vaccines are developed. 164
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026I've not done a lot of news writing recently, but I've been trying to get back into it and challenge myself with fixed timelines to research, write and edit pieces. Necessary when I normally fit it in to breaks from my regular job, or do it on evenings/weekends. 010
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Always nice when a big cancer center shares an article I wrote about their work. 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026There is a rumour circulating that Dolly Parton died of "Turbo cancer" because she took the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine which she helped develop. I am here to tell you that "turbo cancers" do not an exist. That an 80 year old died of cancer is unfortunately, not an unusual way to die at that age 070
Reposted by Vicky ForsterShannon Proudfoot @sproudfoot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I mean this very, very seriously: It is absolutely an option for us to ignore his idiotic Lake America stunt. We can do that. We can just tune it out like you would block out a child howling at you in the cereal aisle, recognizing that to do anything else would be to give the whiner what they want. 1229074
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I urge you to channel this outrage about the renaming* of Lake Ontario into actual action to support Canadian businesses and boycott anything made in the U.S. *The U.S. can only rename it for the U.S. it isn't in charge of the global renaming of anything. Best to remember that. 040
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Okay, this seems to be a more useful (and cool) use of AI than people making themselves into dog cartoons, or making their dogs into human cartoons. Or whatever people use it for. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/s...nytimes.comSome Scientists Have ‘Magic Hands’ in the Lab. This A.I. Is Learning Why. (Gift Article)Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results. An A.I. model is trying to figure it out by watching every move. 000
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/67ecdc2...theglobeandmail.comOttawa taps 64 leading scientists and scholars to bolster Canadian researchThe first group of Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada includes researchers from 13 countries, with most leaving institutions in the U.S. 000
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026AI attempting rice on a recent restaurant menu flyer I received 020
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Thanks for covering this. I had leukemia when I was a kid and would not have been able to go to school while on active treatment if there were measles outbreaks. Luckily back then (UK) children not being vaccinated was practically unheard of. 040
Reposted by Vicky ForsterEmily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026I'm a staff writer at @wired.com and I'm looking to speak with parents of immunocompromised kids, especially those in areas with measles outbreaks, and how you're dealing with back to school with rising cases. emily_mullin@wired.com 25904619
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Always up for writing about some GOOD SCIENCE NEWS after work: www.forbes.com/sites/victor...forbes.comFDA Approves New Pancreatic Cancer Drug After Stunning Trial ResultsThe therapy is a brand new targeted drug for the disease which experts have labelled as a substantial breakthrough following doubling of survival time in a trial. 021
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026My bus just overtook 24 cyclists in a bike lane between stops. Yes, I counted. 24 cars in front of me instead sure would slow things down... 051
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Very amused by the new Canadian tariffs on *checks* ornamental fish. A terrible time for enthusiasts of the hobby. 020
Reposted by Vicky ForsterCanadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Before Europeans arrived, these were some of the names for The Great Lakes: Superior: gichi-gami (great sea) Erie: erielhonan (long tail) Michigan: michigami (long body of water) Ontario: Ontarí'io\kanadario (great lake\beautiful water) Huron: karegnondi (fresh water sea) 293121264196
Reposted by Vicky ForsterDave Itzkoff @ditzkoff.bsky.social · 25/08/2026This is going to completely screw up the lyrics to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 1242112370
Reposted by Vicky ForsterVicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Who wants to read an article about the 25 year history of small molecule inhibitors for #cancer treatment? I've got you! Happy to share this piece I wrote for Cancer Therapy Advisor to mark 25 years since the first of these drugs, Imatinib was approved. www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/features/ima...cancertherapyadvisor.comThe 25th Anniversary of Imatinib and the Evolution of Small Molecule InhibitorsIn 2001, imatinib was the first proof that small molecule inhibitors targeting molecular drivers of cancer could be an effective treatment. 194
Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I found some Quebec strawberries today actually! Delighted! 010