A team of Toronto researchers is bringing a groundbreaking discovery closer to helping patients with more precise, less invasive cancer treatments. Their light-activated nanoparticles, called porphysomes, can detect, illuminate, and destroy cancer cells. And after more than a decade of support from TFRI, the team has Health Canada approval for in-human clinical trials. Building on this success, the team is studying how porphysomes (combined with other therapies) can stimulate the body’s immune response to fight cancer and potentially limit its spread.

This bench-to-bedside journey is a shining example of what teams can achieve with scientific collaboration and sustained investment in research. Special thanks to the Lotte & John Memorial Hecht Foundation for their significant support of this work over the years.

Summer Konechny and Terry Fox have a lot in common. Both were diagnosed with osteosarcoma as young adults and underwent chemotherapy and surgery to treat their cancer. Unlike Terry, Summer’s leg was spared thanks to advances in cancer research. And because of funding from the Network, her oncology team has another option to treat her cancer if it returns: genomic sequencing.

“Having my genome sequenced – thanks to Network funding – opened up more data for informed decision making about my health in the future and has provided me with a deep sense of peace surrounding my long-term survival.”

–Summer Konechny

Each year, 5,000 Canadians are diagnosed with oral cancer. Many require aggressive surgeries that affect their ability to speak, chew, and swallow. But thanks to donor support, a team of surgeons, engineers, and radiologists is developing tools to improve jawbone reconstruction surgery. Their work includes refining the use of 3D-printed surgical guides to make them more accurate and affordable. They will also launch a nationwide clinical trial to test these innovations and build a virtual platform to connect health professionals and share best practices in treating oral cancers.

Advances in cancer research and care are helping cancer patients live longer lives. But sadly, living longer doesn’t always mean living better. To change this, researchers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland are exploring the unique challenges faced by individuals living long-term with advanced cancers, persistent symptoms, and uncertain prognoses. By gathering insights directly from patients, the team is co-designing tools, resources, and programs to improve quality of life for this growing patient group.

Immunotherapy harnesses the power of the immune system to fight cancer. But it doesn’t work for everyone. And when it doesn’t, the costs and side effects can be significant. That’s why researchers are searching for predictive biomarkers: telltale signs in a patient’s tumour or genome that can indicate whether a specific immunotherapy is likely to work. These biomarkers are key to making cancer treatment more precise, more personal, and more effective.

When completed, the Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP) will provide technological tools to help accelerate the search for these biomarkers. With secure sharing and analyses of massive datasets (like those generated through the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network), the DHDP will help scientists in all walks of life uncover links between tumour biology, immune response, and treatment success. The goal? To give clinicians the tools they need to match the right treatment to the right patient. And to give more Canadians a better chance at recovery.

A cancer is considered rare when it affects fewer than 6 in 100,000 people. But when taken as a whole, these cancers are not rare at all. Every year, they make up 20% of all diagnoses and 25% of all cancer-related deaths in Canada. Yet despite their collective prevalence and mortality, we understand very little about most individual rare cancers. The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network supports multidisciplinary teams of experts who are working together to share data, resources, and knowledge to improve outcomes for patients with rare cancers in Canada.

“No single cancer centre has enough data – or enough patients – to have a big impact on research and care for people with rare cancers. But by generating and sharing high-quality clinical and genomic data collected at centres across the country, we can make discoveries that will impact the lives of cancer patients now and into the future.”

–Dr. Morag Park, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, QC, metaplastic breast cancer team lead