BC Cancer Consortium

BCCA_CRC Vancouver

Officially designated as a member of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MoHCCN) in June 2021, the BC Cancer Consortium brings many years of experience to advance the network’s precision medicine initiatives.  

As a part of the MOHCCN, the BC Cancer Consortium aims to strengthen cancer research and partnerships, improve our ability to support innovation in clinical care, and firmly embed precision medicine into our clinical care system. With the support of the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) and MOHCCN, we will: enhance support for our patients by scaling up precision medicine initiatives, improve our biospecimen and data collection infrastructure, accelerate our ability to translate research discoveries into improved clinical cancer care, and participate in data sharing initiatives across Canada and the world. As a world-leading research center, BC Cancer has a vision of “a world free from cancer” and a mission to reduce the burden of cancer. Research supporting patient care is fundamental at BC Cancer, as illustrated by a long history of internationally recognized cancer research discoveries, many of which have been made possible by a strong foundation of genomics research, to clinical adoption of transformational technologies and new treatment strategies for difficult-to-treat cancers.

Prior participation in the Terry Fox Canadian Comprehensive Cancer Centres Network (TF4CN), a collaborative project with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to provide proof of concept for national data sharing and collaborative translational research, led to the development of tools and frameworks that will be leveraged for the current network. As a world-leading research center, BC Cancer has developed a fertile landscape for emerging clinical and research trainees, a foundation that will strengthen the knowledge sharing aspect of the network. Combined with sequencing and data infrastructure housed at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, the BC Cancer Consortium is poised to lead and support data and knowledge sharing for all network members.

The BC Cancer Consortium is co-led by Drs. François Bénard, Marco Marra, and Daniel Renouf with the support of many researchers and clinician scientists at principal academic and health care organizations within the province including BC Cancer, the BC Cancer Research Institute (BCCRI), and Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. BC Cancer is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority and the University of British Columbia, participating jointly through the BCCRI.

Goals and Objectives

In 2019, BC Cancer developed a five-year strategic plan that includes priorities aligning with the vision of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) for a world free of cancer. Our goals and objectives, under our strategic priorities and in collaboration with MOHCCN, are to:

  • Leverage genomic discoveries to overcome incurable cancers
  • Translate cancer biology into diagnostic and therapeutic innovations
  • Increase clinical capacity to enable translation of innovations
  • Innovate for a sustainable cancer control system
  • Strengthen the research infrastructure

Partners

Projects

Consortium Leadership

  • Christian
    Steidl

    ResearcherMOHCCN Network CouncilWorking Group Chair

  • Steven
    Jones

    ResearcherMOHCCN Steering CommitteeWorking Group Chair

  • Marco
    Marra

    ResearcherMOHCCN Network CouncilWorking Group ChairConsortium LeaderWorking Group Member

  • Daniel
    Renouf

    MOHCCN Steering CommitteeConsortium LeaderWorking Group Member

  • Francois
    Benard

    MOHCCN Network CouncilConsortium Leader

  • Dermot
    Kelleher

    Research Lead

Project Management Team

Project and Cohort Leaders