The unsung heroes of cancer research

Meet Project Managers Prabhjit Basra and Aileigh Kay, members of the Team Canada of Cancer Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Cancer research is a team sport, and project managers are the playmakers—keeping the team coordinated, the work on track, and the entire operation running like a well-oiled machine.

At the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Prabhjit Basra and Aileigh Kay play this role. They co-lead central operations for the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centre Network’s Ontario Cancer Consortium, helping unite a diverse team of experts at Princess Margaret and across the province that are working to accelerate precision medicine for cancer. With backgrounds in genomic sequencing and oncology research—and a personal connection to cancer—they bring both technical expertise and deep commitment to their roles.

We spoke to Prabhjit and Aileigh to learn more about their work and their inspiration and how the MOHCCN is making a difference for patients at UHN and across Canada.

Why did you get involved in cancer research? Was there a particular moment or experience that led to this decision?

We both have a personal connection to cancer through our family histories. Losing our grandfathers at a young age – both of whom played significant roles in our lives – deeply impacted us and sparked our interest in understanding the disease. That early loss became a driving force behind our decisions to pursue work in cancer research.

Cancer research is difficult: progress is slow and for every step forward there may be quite a few steps backwards or sideways. What inspires you to keep going? What life lessons have you learned through your relationship with cancer research?

One of the most meaningful aspects of working in cancer research is knowing the impact it can have on patients. Even when progress stalls in certain disease areas, advancements in others continue to bring hope and momentum. It’s a reminder that progress isn’t always linear, but it’s still progress.

What’s especially humbling is seeing patients express gratitude for the research being done—many are eager to participate, not for their own benefit, but to help advance knowledge for future patients. That kind of selflessness is incredibly inspiring.

Through this work, we’ve learned that research is fundamentally about collaboration and community. It takes a collective effort to generate new ideas and push boundaries. And like the saying goes, 'Rome wasn’t built in a day'—persistence, patience, and teamwork are key to making meaningful strides.

What is your role as a Project Manager for the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network?

Pretty much everything! We support various aspects of MOHCCN within UHN—from identifying and engaging cohorts interested in participating, to coordinating tissue collection and evaluation, and overseeing clinical data collection and monitoring. We also troubleshoot technical issues, review and submit ethics applications, and help ensure everything runs smoothly. Recently, with PM2C becoming the secretariat of the Ontario Cancer Consortium (OCC), we’ve taken on a guiding role—supporting new Ontario sites as they onboard and navigate the MOHCCN process.

Just like Terry Fox united Canadians nearly 45 years ago, the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is uniting researchers, clinicians, patients and administrators from cancer treatment and research institutions across Canada to accelerate precision medicine. How important is this collaboration and what impact has it had in your region?

What makes this initiative so special, especially at UHN, is its prospective approach. It gives patients access to detailed information about their specific cancer and opens the door to more personalized treatment options. Genomic sequencing, which isn’t usually part of standard care, is now available through this project. And by making it accessible across all cancer types, we’ve been able to gather the data and sample sizes needed to study rare cancers—something that gives patients and families real hope.

At UHN, there are around 300 people involved in this project—from clinicians and pathologists to genomics experts, researchers, legal teams, project managers, bioinformaticians, and data curators. It’s rare to see such a diverse group of professionals working so closely together, and what’s even more impressive is that this is just a small part of the full team. It really shows what’s possible when people from different backgrounds come together with a shared purpose.

If a researcher, clinician, patient or donor asked you why the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is important, what would you tell them?

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, that is uniting the fight against cancer across the nation. In many ways, it feels like we’re continuing the legacy of Terry Fox.

What does Terry Fox mean to you? How does Terry inspire you?

Terry Fox showed us what courage and perseverance can achieve—uniting a nation through a common goal. It’s remarkable that one young man’s legacy continues to shape cancer research in Canada, even 45 years later. His story reminds us that individual actions can create lasting impact. We’re proud to carry forward his vision through the Marathon of Hope, inspired by the difference he made—and continues to make.

Prabhjit Basra and Aileigh Kay, project managers for the MOHCCN at University Health Network.

About the authors

Prabhjit Basra completed her Bachelors and Masters of Science at Carleton University. After spending few years in industry, she joined UHN in 2019 as a Research Technician in the Pugh Lab. There she gained hands-on expertise in sequencing and led implementation of a sample tracking software in the lab. She also worked with shallow whole genome sequencing data and ran quality metrics. In 2023, she joined the Cancer Genomic Program and Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network as a project manager. As of early this year, she co-leads the central office operations for the Network at UHN.

Aileigh Kay completed her Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology and Master of Science in Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. She joined the University Health Network in April 2019 as a Research Analyst within the Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Oncology Research Program, where her work primarily focused on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). During this time, she led the development and management of a comprehensive data repository encompassing all primary liver cancer patients at UHN. In June 2023, she transitioned to the Cancer Genomics Program to contribute to the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) as a project manager.