An incredible milestone! A letter from Dr. André Veillette

Dear Colleagues,

Five years ago, the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network set out to create Canada’s largest and most complete cancer resource: the MOHCCN Gold Cohort.

Today, we’re proud to announce that we’ve reached our initial goal of sequencing 15,000 cancer genomes.

We are profoundly grateful to every patient, researcher, clinician, donor and administrator who shared their data, knowledge and resources to make this a reality. This incredible achievement would not have been possible without your collaboration and dedication.

Thanks to your efforts, the Gold Cohort will empower researchers for generations to come to ask bold new questions and make data-driven discoveries that will improve the lives of cancer patients. This is a significant milestone in our joint vision to accelerate precision oncology for the benefit of all cancer patients in this country. And we’re just getting started.

The full story on this exciting milestone is below, as are other updates from across the Network. I highly recommend you take the time to read on.

In 1980, Terry Fox started a marathon against cancer. Thank you for everything you do to help us FINISH IT.

Sincerely,

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

Other news

Network news

• TFRI and MOHCCN Researchers appointed to the Order of Canada. Our heartfelt congratulations to Drs. Anne-Marie Mes-Masson and John Bell, two distinguished researchers with deep and long-time connections to the Terry Fox Research Institute, who have been appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. 
• Participants needed for Patient Voices in Research Initiative study. Researchers at BC Cancer and Simon Fraser University are looking for patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, research ethics board members, or researchers with experience in precision oncology to participate in a study to develop recommendations about how to ensure that future cancer clinical trials are person-centred and accessible. 
• “The best ideas need to go first.” A clinical trial led by Network researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Ontario has shed new light on the importance of using genomic sequencing to inform care for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer as a first line strategy.  

Patient voices

• How this Manitoban cancer patient is helping FINISH Terry’s dream. Three-time cancer patient Jennifer Graham shares her cancer journey and discusses how science, community and patient engagement are helping us get closer to a day where cancer is no longer feared.
• On the importance of precision medicine: “From Day 1 to Day 1046, my care portrayed what precision medicine really means: using data, biology, and personal context to make thoughtful, individualized decisions,” writes Lindsay Gustafson, a Manitoba-based member of our Patient Working Group.

Network Voices

• The importance of biobanks in cancer research. Watch Patient Working Group members, Jennifer Coish and Darrin Park, chat with Dan Loos, the coordinator of BioBank NL about all things biobanking—from why it matters to patients, researchers, and clinicians to how it helps accelerate precision oncology.
• Putting patient values at the centre of precision oncology. In a new edition of our Network Voices Conversation series, Patient Working Group members, James Pereira and Sheilah Brukewich, chat with Dr. Samantha Pollard about the importance of patient values to shape precision oncology research and care.
• Meet the Team Canada of Cancer Research: Dr. Sevtap Savas. In our latest Q&A, we spoke to NL-based researcher, Dr. Sevtap Savas, to learn more about her journey to cancer research and how she’s helping to FINISH the marathon against cancer that Terry started in 1980—both in the lab and in her community.

Events

• Upcoming events: Network Seminar Series - Clinical Trials. Register now to learn more about Network projects in the space of clinical trials (Feb. 4 | 3pm EST) and to hear from the second group of recipients of our Health Informatics & Data Science Awards (Feb 19 | 12 pm EST).
• Watch past events: Did you know you can watch all the past events in our Network Seminar Series? Catch up on the latest Network seminars at the following links: Health Informatics & Data Science (Part 1) and Health Technology Assessment projects.