Press Release

New Terry Fox research program developed BY cancer patients FOR cancer patients – the first in Canada – supports ten teams addressing gaps and disparities in care, access, treatment

Vancouver, BC - Doctors and researchers in cancer clinics and labs across the country will spend the next year following “patients’ orders” rather than the other way around after receiving funds from a new patient-directed research program led by Terry Fox Research Institute’s Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (the Network).

The program, known as the Patient Voices in Research initiative, will address current gaps in precision oncology identified by those closest to it: cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.

“People who have lived a cancer diagnosis or have accompanied a close family on their cancer journey know better than anyone what cancer care looks like today and what needs to improve,” says Darrell Fox, younger brother of Terry Fox and senior advisor at the Terry Fox Research Institute.  “Like Terry, these cancer patients and survivors are driven by their own experiences to improve outcomes for future patients. In many ways, this program is a continuation of the ‘pay it forward’ drive that fueled Terry’s Marathon of Hope.” 

The Patient Voices in Research initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada to be fully designed and adjudicated by cancer patients for cancer patients. It was conceived by the Network’s Patient Working Group, a national advisory group made up of over 30 cancer patients, survivors and caregivers that helps steer the Network’s effort to rollout precision oncology for patients across Canada.

After designing, launching and reviewing the awards, the group selected 10 outstanding Canadian research teams as recipients of the award. These teams will receive a total of $1.8M over the next year to conduct their research and will report all their findings back to the patients.

“I am honoured to be a part of this announcement of the Patient Voices in Research grants,” says Yuan Lew, a lung cancer patient from Vaughan, Ontario, and a member of the Patient Working Group. “This first-of-its-kind program in Canada carries a significant funding envelope for research priorities that were defined by us, people with lived cancer experiences. As we continue to improve prognosis by utilizing precision medicine, we would like more research that improves access and quality of life. We’re excited to be part of MOHCCN’s commitment to a pan-Canadian approach to improving cancer outcomes.”

“We are extremely excited about this innovative funding program created and designed by the incredible members of our Patient Working Group and about the science it is supporting,” explain Drs. André Veillette, executive director of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network and Nicole Beauchemin, a retired cancer researcher based in Montreal and co-chair of our Patient Working Group. “The patients did a spectacular job to ensure that the projects align with our goal of accelerating precision medicine for cancer patients, while still addressing real-world gaps in cancer care that they have experienced themselves.” 

“We have never come across an initiative that highlights patients, caregivers, and family members as the heartbeat of scientific research to this extent,” says Dr. Natasha Szuber, a Montreal hematologist who will lead one of the research teams being funded by this award. “The Network is a trailblazer in this regard, and we are honoured to be among those funded through this innovative program.”

Funded projects

While the original funding envelope was $1M, the quality of the research being proposed was so strong that Network leadership nearly doubled it. 

The projects address disparities in access to groundbreaking treatments and clinical trials, explore lifestyle interventions to improve patient survival and quality of life, and seek to better understand the psychological impact of prolonged survival with aggressive cancers, amongst other topics. Many of the project are pan-Canadian in nature, highlighting the Network’s commitment to uniting cancer experts across the country to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.

The following projects were selected:

Patient quotes

“I am honoured to be part of the first cancer research grants in Canada to be designed, developed and judged solely by patients. The Patient Voices in Research Initiative showed the Network's commitment to meaningful patient engagement and its willingness and faith in its patient partners. Being able to use our own experience and knowledge to choose research themes that will impact the lives of other cancer patients and having the opportunity to follow these projects from conception to finalization is very exciting, and something can hopefully be seen as a model for other organizations to adopt." – Melissa Coombs, leukemia survivor, St. John’s, NL

“'I am honoured to be part of an amazing group of patients and caregivers who had the wisdom to put together this research initiative. This team selected the priorities targeted by this unique initiative, carried out in-depth reviews of submitted proposals, and made the final recommendations for funding. Outcomes of these research projects will accelerate the understanding and adoption of genomics and AI-driven precision oncology in Canada." – Denis Petitclerc, three-time cancer survivor, Sherbrooke, QC

“I am pleased to be a part of this announcement of the Patient Voices in Research grants. This first-of-its-kind program in Canada carries a significant funding envelope for research priorities that were defined by us, people with lived cancer experiences. As we continue to improve prognosis by utilizing precision medicine, we would like more research conducted that improves access and quality –of life. This PVR program is testament of MOHCCN’s commitment to a pan-Canadian approach to improving cancer outcomes.” - Yuan Lew, lung cancer patient, Vaughan, ON.

"Targeted therapy has been my lifeline, helping me survive an incredible 9.5 years with advanced lung cancer. Precision medicine is the future of cancer care, but not everyone has access to it in Canada. I'm excited to see how these projects help bring it to even more cancer patients." – Christine Qiong Wu, lung cancer patient, Winnipeg, MB 

“The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is already doing a great job at funding innovative hard science, but people who experience cancer know better than anyone else what works that current gaps in access to cancer research go beyond the hard science of treatments. Having a mechanism for patients to identify, prioritize and fund projects that begin closing gaps in these areas is a unique way to engage patients and it is why I think the Patient Voices in Research Initiative is so brilliant.” – Natalie Kwadrans, stage IV breast cancer patient, Calgary, AB 

“The Patient Voices in Research initiative is truly unique in Canada. I have participated in other initiatives like this, but this project is the first I’ve seen where the patients set the themes of the competition based on their priorities and then were the sole members of a panel reviewing and rating the research proposals presented. The grant provided by the TFRI and MOHCCN is highly competitive compared to others in the country, and the competition attracted applications of exceptional quality. I feel very proud of having been part of such an empowering initiative for patients.” - Rosilene Kraft, Breast cancer patient, Coquitlam, BC 

Media assets

  • Media assets, including b-roll and photography are available for download here.

 

Media Contacts

Kelly Curwin (Western Canada)

Chief Communications Officer

Terry Fox Research Institute

kcurwin@tfri.ca

 

Peter Mothe (Eastern Canada)

Senior Communications Specialist

Terry Fox Research Institute

pmothe@tfri.ca

(604) 773-2827 

 

About the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network 

The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is a bold collaboration inspired by Terry Fox that aims to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients across Canada through the acceleration of precision medicine for cancer. Led by the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation and made possible with support from the Government of Canada and partner institutions across the country, the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is beginning to transform cancer research and treatment by uniting Canadians under a single vision, “The Roadmap to Cure Cancer.”  Today, the Network includes over 600 researchers, clinicians and patients and 38 institutional members, including academic and health care institutions from all 10 Canadian provinces. www.marathonofhopecancercentres.ca 

About the Terry Fox Research Institute 

Established in 2007, TFRI invests in world-class, collaborative cancer research teams and partnerships. Together with its research and funding partners, TFRI is working to inspire the transformation of cancer research in Canada by bringing together leading cancer research and treatment organizations from coast to coast and empowering them under the framework of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network. Inspired by Terry Fox, we invest in highly collaborative, world-class scientific teams to drive research discoveries that improve and save the lives of cancer patients. 

 

“Like Terry, these cancer patients and survivors are driven by their own experiences to improve outcomes for future patients. In many ways, this program is a continuation of the ‘pay it forward’ drive that fueled Terry’s Marathon of Hope.”

Related Team Members