MOHCCN News

Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network achieves goal of sequencing 15,000 genomes for game-changing cancer dataset

Landmark achievement strengthens Canada’s health data infrastructure, setting the stage for discoveries that will help personalize care for more cancer patients

The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN), a pan-Canadian initiative led by the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation, today announced that it had achieved its goal of sequencing 15,000 cancer patient genomes, marking a major milestone in its efforts to accelerate precision oncology for cancer patients in Canada. 

“This milestone reflects years of coordinated efforts by nurses, clinicians, researchers, lab technicians, data scientists, administrators, and—most importantly—patients across the country,” said Dr. André Veillette, the Network’s Executive Director. “Reaching our goal of sequencing 15,000 tumour samples is a critical step toward building a truly national, high-quality data resource that can transform how we study and treat cancer in Canada.” 

“Terry was one person doing what he could to make a difference for cancer patients,” said Darrell Fox, younger brother of Terry Fox and senior advisor to the Terry Fox Research Institute. “This milestone reflects how that same spirit has grown into a collective effort — made possible by thousands of people across the country, and especially the 15,000 patients who generously contributed their data to help improve cancer care for others.” 

The data is part of the MOHCCN’s Gold Cohort, Canada’s – and one of the world’s – largest and most complete cancer case resources. Generated through an unprecedented collaboration amongst 54 cancer centres across all ten provinces, the Gold Cohort includes data from 15,000 diverse cancer patients treated across the country. It is designed to enable researchers to conduct studies to better understand the molecular drivers of cancer and to accelerate the development of more precise, personalized approaches to diagnosis and treatment. 

In addition to genomic sequencing data of tumours and normal tissue, the Gold Cohort will include paired clinical data from these same patients, which is still in the process of being collected and ingested into the Network. This will help researchers and clinicians link genomic insights with treatment histories, outcomes, and other key clinical variables, providing evidence to help match future patients with the right treatment for their unique cancer. 

Summer Konechny is an osteosarcoma patient from British Columbia whose data is part of this game-changing resource.  

“Knowing that my data is part of this effort gives me hope for the future,” said Summer, who is also a member of the Network’s Patient Working Group. “If my genetic and clinical data can help researchers learn more about cancer and improve care for others, that’s incredibly powerful.” 

Portions of the Gold Cohort data are already being accessed and used by researchers within the Network to address pressing questions in cancer biology and precision oncology. As the Network transitions into Phase 2 later this year, it will expand researcher access to the dataset, while continuing to grow and enrich the resource by adding more patients, more data types, and deeper clinical context. 

“The MOHCCN success in building the Gold Cohort data reflects a unique, trans-national, collaborative approach to advance cancer research,” said Dr. Jayne Danska, a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, who is part of the Network’s External Advisory Scientific Committee. “Phase 2 will leverage these efforts to tackle fundamental questions and unmet clinical needs in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment that will benefit all Canadians.”