Our Network reaches new heights! A letter from Dr. André Veillette

Dear colleagues,

It is with great joy that I write to you to share exciting news from across our Network!

To begin, I want to announce that we have just achieved another incredible milestone in our efforts to build Canada’s largest and most complete cancer case resource! We now have over 6,000 whole genomes sequenced as part our Gold Cohort, almost half of which already have corresponding clinical data! This significant achievement is a testament to the power of our growing Network and shows everyone’s commitment towards creating high-quality data that will have a profound impact on the future of cancer research and care in Canada. We would never get here without your hard work and support—so thank you all for helping us continue growing this incredibly important resource.

I would also like to take this opportunity to announce the four recipients of our 2024 Clinician-Scientist Awards! Drs. Adam Kinnaird (University of Alberta), Igor Novitzky-Basso (University Health Network), Robert Vanner (University Health Network), and April Rose (Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital) will each receive a total of $450,000 over the next three years to run innovative projects that advance research into precision oncology. These projects are amongst several new initiatives announced in recent months, including eight Pan-Canadian projects and Health Informatics & Data Science Award recipients. All these projects support scientists and clinicians across the country and add new players to our growing Team Canada of Cancer Research, allowing us to leverage our collective expertise to advance precision medicine and improve outcomes and quality of life for our patients.

In the coming months, we will be announcing the winners of two more funding initiatives. The TFRI-MOHCCN Technology Development Awards will support projects that explore the development of new technologies to enhance our Gold Cohort, showcasing our desire to enhance a multi-omics approach to data generation for precision medicine. Meanwhile, the Patient Voices in Research Initiative is an innovative funding program designed and adjudicated by members of our Patient Working Group, which will fund patient-centric projects that address gaps in precision oncology in Canada.

There are many more updates that you can explore below, but before signing off I want to take this opportunity to invite you all to participate in the 2024 Terry Fox Run, which will be held on September 15 in communities across Canada. By participating in the run, joining the Terry Fox Run Challenge and wearing your purple researcher shirt, you can help show the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who support cancer research just how committed we are to working together to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.

We hope to see you there!   

Sincerely,

Dr. André Veillette
Executive Director
Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network

Latest News

New funding for early-career researchers

• 2024 Clinician-Scientist Awards. Four outstanding early-career clinician-scientists will each receive a total of $450,000 of the next three years to advance their research into precision medicine for prostate and liver cancers, as well as leukemia.
• 2024 Health Informatics & Data Science Award. In August the Network named 10 early-career data scientists as recipients of its 2024 Health Informatics & Data Science Awards. Each will receive a total of $80k to support the creation of new technologies to analyze data with the goal of improving diagnostics and therapies for cancer patients.
  

Pan-Canadian Projects announced

• Uniting researchers and clinicians from multiple provinces to work on projects that accelerate precision oncology. Eight new research teams will be receiving funding through our Pan-Canadian Projects program. Read about them here, here and here.
  

Network voices

• "I imagine a day when we all work together to improve the lives of all persons affected by cancer" Kirsten Efremov's cancer journey has been long and winding, but despite all the hardships she's endured, one thing is certain: she hasn't given up hope that one day, the process of detecting, diagnosing and treating cancers will be better.
• “I am optimistic for the future.” Natalie Kwadrans is hopeful that improvements in screening technologies and increased access to precision oncology will help breast cancer patients be diagnosed at earlier stages, resulting in improved outcomes for all women diagnosed with this disease.
• “We are patient partners and we have arrived.” Following the TFRI’s 10^th Scientific Meeting, Bev Riediger, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group wrote a beautiful poem about the growing role that patients play in research.
• The importance of understanding the patient- and system-level impact of precision medicine. "To broaden patient access to precision oncology, more evidence is needed to help decision makers determine what sequencing and treatment strategies should be made widely available," writes Dr. Samantha Pollard.
• Introducing the CAPA Principles for data. Big data is crucial to advance precision oncology. But to maximize the impact of these datasets, we need to ensure they're “complete, accurate, permanent, and accessible,” says Dr Marco Marra.
  

Team Canada of Cancer Research News

• Network announces creation of External Scientific Advisory Committee to help guide future expansion. Four outstanding scientists will work together to augment the Network’s existing governance structures and provide scientific and administrative guidance as it continues evolving over the next two years.
• Meet members of the Team Canada of Cancer Research. In the last few months we published profiles on Drs. Sachin Katyal (Manitoba), Houda Bahig (Québec), Sherri Christian (Newfoundland and Labrador), Laura Hopkins (Saskatchewan) and Dr. Rodney Ouellette (New Brunswick). Learn more about these how and why these incredible people are helping to accelerate precision medicine for cancer across Canada.
• Open letter: Over a hundred leading researchers funded through the Terry Fox Research Institute signed an open letter calling for new collaborations to usher in a new era for cancer research in Canada. The letter was published in the Globe and Mail.
  

Research highlights

• HESPE team publishes two papers. A research team partly funded by the Network published two papers in recent months. One explores patient preferences and concerns to improve data sharing for precision oncology across Canada; the other discusses the types of data needed to move precision medicine forward.
• We want to hear from you. Publishing an MOHCCN-related paper, please let us know!
  

Events

• TFRI’s 10^th Scientific Meeting. The TFRI’s 10^th Scientific Meeting took place in May in Toronto. TFRI’s research community, including members of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, came together to share their research and discuss the future of cancer research in Canada. Read our overview of the event, including who won our trainee award, here.
• MOHCCN Seminar Series. The Marathon of Hope – Québec Consortium and the British Columbia Cancer Consortium both held virtual events as part of the MOHCCN Seminar Series. Watch these presentations and learn more about upcoming events.
• Terry Fox Run 2024. We are looking forward to the annual Terry Fox Run on September 15. This event not only raises essential funds for cancer research but also celebrates the legacy of Terry Fox and the collective determination to overcome cancer. Register and join our challenge!