Terry Fox research network gets $40-million yearly boost for precision cancer care

By Your Southwest Media Group

The battle against cancer is getting a $40-million boost for each of the next four years.

The Terry Fox Research Institute receives $20 million a year from the federal Health Department for the next four years, which the institute and its Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network will match, to continue precision oncology research work.

The institute and its network of institutions, whose leaders aim to create a national strategy for precision oncology research, set up a data bank containing genome sequences of cancerous tumours from over 16,000 patients to learn why "some people respond to cancer treatments while others do not," the statement said.

Precision oncology helps doctors determine individual treatments based on the genetic and biological makeup of patients' cancer cells. The approach is aimed at lowering "harmful side effects, including reducing damage to healthy cells, and makes the treatment more likely to work," the statement said.

"Terry Fox's legacy reminds us that Canadian discoveries can achieve extraordinary global impact," Health Minister Marjorie Michel said.

The money provides "hope to everyone affected by the disease," Michel said.

"This new funding is designed to build upon our national strategy to accelerate discoveries and bring more personalized cancer care to patients across the country — no matter who they are or where they live," said Jim Woodgett of Toronto, who directs the institute.

The grant covers the second phase of the network, when leaders aim to "add 11,000 new cases and strengthen the systems needed to generate, analyze and return genomic results to inform care," the statement explained.

Another goal is to improve national collaboration "by supporting real-time clinical genomic data generation, workforce capacity and equitable access to advanced cancer care across jurisdictions."