Partner-led grants and awards
In addition to our core funding programs, we’ve had the opportunity to expand our funding through collaborative efforts with leading research institutions and funding organizations, allowing us to support an expanded portfolio of cancer research projects that are pushing boundaries and transforming outcomes.
We are proud to highlight our fundings in collaboration with our research partners throughout the years.
2025
Roots of Resilience: Investigating Indigenous Medicinal Foods in Cancer Care:
|
Principal Investigator |
Katelyn Recagno |
| Funding Amount | $11,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | BioCanRx |
|
Institution |
The Patterson Institute for Integrative Oncology Research at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Chemoresistance Detection by Electrochemistry:
|
Principal Investigator |
Searra Warnock |
| Funding Amount | $11,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | BioCanRx |
|
Institution |
University of Winnipeg |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Detect |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Simplifying medical ultrasound (US) images through an unpaired image-to-image translation using CycleGAN:
|
Principal Investigator |
Precious Kolawole |
| Funding Amount | $7,100 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | Carleton University |
|
Institution |
Carleton University |
|
Research Pillar |
Health systems and health services research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Developing and evaluating shared decision-making tools and approaches to support person-centered cancer care with a particular focus on health care systems:
|
Principal Investigator |
Tricia Monechesha Waane |
| Funding Amount | $7,100 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | Carleton University |
|
Institution |
Carleton University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Assessing the impact of pollution on public health which contribute to the development of healthcare plans and policies to reduce cancer incidence and improve life expectancy in Canada:
|
Principal Investigator |
Oluwatofunmi Olanipekun |
| Funding Amount | $7,100 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | Carleton University |
|
Institution |
Carleton University |
|
Short Summary |
Not available |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Exploring Indigenous framework approaches to Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) to better meet the needs of Indigenous individuals living with head and neck cancers affecting speech and communication:
|
Principal Investigator |
Robyn Grix |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
McMaster University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
Detection of cancer biomarkers and with cancer cell lines:
|
Principal Investigator |
Ruby MacMillan |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
McMaster University |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
TBD |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All Sites |
White blood cell therapies for cancer:
|
Principal Investigator |
Alandra Ward |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2025 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
University of Calgary |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All sites |
Northern Ontario Campaign – HSN Clinical Trials:
|
Principal Investigator |
Jennifer Ashcroft |
| Funding Amount | $474,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2025–2028 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
Health Sciences North Foundation |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
TBD |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific/All sites |
Building Digital Resilience for the Parents of Adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia:
|
Principal Investigator |
Lindsay Jibb |
| Funding Amount | $149,955 |
| Grant Duration | 2025–2027 |
| Partner(s) | The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada |
|
Institution |
The Hospital for Sick Children |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, Cultural, Environmental and Population Health Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care, Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Leukemia |
Remote symptom monitoring for patients after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation:
|
Principal Investigator |
Sylvie Lambert |
| Funding Amount | $149,979 |
| Grant Duration | 2025–2027 |
| Partner(s) | The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada |
|
Institution |
McGill University |
|
Research Pillar |
Health Services & Health Systems |
|
Research Goals |
Care, Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Leukemia, Lymphoma |
2024
Collaboratively developing culturally safe Shared Decision-Making (SDM) strategies with FNIM peoples who are faced with decisions about cancer screening participation:
|
Awardee |
Jayson Pomfret |
| Funding Amount | $11,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | BioCanRx |
|
Institution |
Queen’s University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Detect, Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Using targeted genetic screens to identify metabolic candidates for refining CAR T cell therapy:
|
Awardee |
Everett Poole |
| Funding Amount | $16,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | BioCanRx |
|
Institution |
University of Victoria |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Chemoresistance Detection by Electrochemistry:
|
Awardee |
Searra November Warnock |
| Funding Amount | $11,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | BioCanRx |
|
Institution |
University of Manitoba |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Detect |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Mental Health and Associated Health and Resiliency Outcomes in Sixties Scoop Survivors:
|
Awardee |
Noah Bennell |
| Funding Amount | $7,100 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | Carleton University |
|
Institution |
Carleton University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Natural Splicing Inhibitors in Cancer:
|
Awardee |
Jesukhogie Williams Ikhenoba |
| Funding Amount | $7,100 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | Carleton University |
|
Institution |
Carleton University |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Food Security and Traditional Food Knowledge in Indigenous Communities:
|
Awardee |
Gareth John Martin |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
McMaster University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Climate Change and Food Security in Indigenous Communities:
|
Awardee |
Maddy Lutes |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
McMaster University |
|
Research Pillar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Gathering and Documenting Existing Indigenous Health Research:
|
Awardee |
Faith Vaughan |
| Funding Amount | $17,050 |
| Grant Duration | 2024 |
| Partner(s) | McMaster Indigenous Research Institute |
|
Institution |
University of British Columbia |
|
Research Pillar |
Health systems and health services research |
|
Research Goals |
Champion |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Blocking SOAT1 activity to prevent obesity linked hepatocellular carcinoma:
|
Principal Investigator |
Scott Widenmaier |
| Funding Amount | $65,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2024–2026 |
| Partner(s) | Cancer Research Society |
|
Institution |
University of Saskatchewan |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Prevent |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Liver |
Fecal microbiota transplantation in combination with immune checkpoint blockade in patients with advanced melanoma: A randomized phase II trial:
|
Principal Investigator |
Arielle Elkrief |
| Funding Amount | $2,000,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2024–2027 |
| Partner(s) | Canadian Cancer Trials Group |
|
Institution |
Centre de recherche du CHUM |
|
Short Summary |
An estimated 11,300 Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma in a year. The current standard of care for patients with advanced melanoma is a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and while it plays an important role in treatment, more than half of patients will still experience disease progression and unfortunately die of the disease. Finding a path to make this treatment effective for more people would have enormous impact on patient care and significantly improve the odds of surviving advanced melanoma.
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is uniting with a team of 12 researchers and collaborators to lead one of the world’s largest randomized controlled clinical trials using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve the effectiveness of the standard of care for advanced melanoma. This phase II trial is made possible by investments of $1 million each from CCS and the Weston Family Foundation and will be overseen by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group.
The study is being co-led by researchers from Université de Montréal's affiliated hospital research centre (CRCHUM) and Lawson Health Research Institute, alongside collaborators and close to 130 patients with advanced melanoma who will be recruited throughout Canada to participate in this study. The phase II trial builds on previous research that also received funding support from CCS. Those studies showed the safety and therapeutic potential of using healthy donors’ stool to influence a patient’s gut microbiota and make treatment for advanced melanoma more effective. The study will administer fecal microbiota transplants using specially-prepared oral capsules produced and pioneered at Lawson Health Research Institute, which have been a game changer in patient acceptance and ease of use. |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Prevent |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Liver |
The Canadian Lung Outcomes in Users of Vaping Devices (CLOUD) Study:
|
Principal Investigator |
Janice Leung |
| Funding Amount | $999,927 |
| Grant Duration | 2024–2029 |
| Partner(s) | Canadian Institutes of Health Research |
|
Institution |
University of British Columbia |
|
Research Pilar |
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health research |
|
Research Goals |
Prevent |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Lung |
2023
Development of Novel Methyloproteomic Prognostic Subtypes of Chordoma:
|
Principal Investigator |
Gelareh Zadeh |
| Funding Amount | $294,584 |
| Grant Duration | 2023–2025 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
The Toronto Hospital (Western Division) – UHN |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Chordoma |
Previous years
Development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches targeting gene fusion-derived neoantigens to cure pediatric acute leukemia:
|
Principal Investigator |
Etienne Caron |
| Funding Amount | $537,362 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | CQDM – Facilitator of biopharma innovation |
|
Institution |
Hôpital Sainte‑Justine |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Leukemia |
Innovative Immunotherapy using Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) in Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Rhabdomyosarcoma:
|
Principal Investigator |
Elie Haddad |
| Funding Amount | $570,744 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | CQDM – Facilitator of biopharma innovation |
|
Institution |
Hôpital Sainte‑Justine |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Bone and connective tissues (including sarcoma), Leukemia |
Development of novel targeted therapies and diagnostic tools for high risk pediatric leukemias:
|
Principal Investigator |
Brian Wilhelm |
| Funding Amount | $390,213 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | CQDM – Facilitator of biopharma innovation |
|
Institution |
Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et cancérologie (IRIC) |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Leukemia |
SmartCAR‑T cells that modify the tumor microenvironment to augment anti‑tumor efficacy:
|
Principal Investigator |
Paola Neri |
| Funding Amount | $450,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | The Institute of Cancer Research |
|
Institution |
University of Calgary |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Lung, Multiple Myeloma |
Characterization of stromal and innate lymphoid cell populations involved in immunotherapy resistance in High‑Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer through multiOMICS analysis (CHRYSALIS):
|
Principal Investigator |
Pamela Ohashi |
| Funding Amount | $450,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | The Institute of Cancer Research |
|
Institution |
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – UHN |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Ovary |
Exploiting lipid‑laden macrophages to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy:
|
Principal Investigator |
Daniela Quail |
| Funding Amount | $398,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | The Institute of Cancer Research |
|
Institution |
McGill University |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Breast, Ovary, Prostate |
MAppinG adaptatioN Of tripLe negative breast cancer microenvironments to ImmunotherApy (MAGNOLIA):
|
Principal Investigator |
John Stagg |
| Funding Amount | $450,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2022–2025 |
| Partner(s) | The Institute of Cancer Research |
|
Institution |
Centre de recherche du CHUM |
|
Research Pillar |
Biomedical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Breast |
Breast Metastases Registry:
|
Principal Investigator |
Sarkis Meterissian |
| Funding Amount | $537,362 |
| Grant Duration | 2021–2026 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
McPeak‑Sirois Group |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Breast |
Canadian Cancer Trials Group:
|
Principal Investigator |
Janet Dancey |
| Funding Amount | $30,000,000 |
| Grant Duration | 2021–2026 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
Queen’s University |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Non-specific / All Sites |
Finding a better way to do prostate cancer imaging:
|
Principal Investigator |
Laurence Klotz |
| Funding Amount | $305,227 |
| Grant Duration | 2021–2027 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
Canadian Urology Research Consortium |
|
Short Summary |
Dr Laurence Klotz will evaluate the effectiveness of using MRI‑guided prostate biopsies compared to the standard of care. Nearly 24,600 Canadians are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, and 4,600 die from the disease. Men who have an elevated level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in their blood are referred for a biopsy of the prostate. Currently, this procedure is performed using an ultrasound probe to locate the prostate and guide the biopsy. However, ultrasound is quite ineffective at differentiating healthy and malignant prostate tissue and whether a cancer is likely to require treatment. With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, Dr Klotz’s PRECISE study aims to assess whether MRI could be used instead of ultrasound to determine whether a person has cancer and whether they will need treatment, potentially reducing unnecessary biopsies and side effects. Eight years into the study, the team will compare outcomes and costs and analyze predictive factors for clinically significant prostate cancer. |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Prostate |
A new imaging method to improve treatment of metastatic prostate cancer:
|
Principal Investigator |
Cynthia Ménard |
| Funding Amount | $2,976,803 |
| Grant Duration | 2020–2025 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
Centre de recherche du CHUM |
|
Short Summary |
Trial assessing PSMA PET imaging to improve detection of metastatic prostate cancer and guide treatment. The study compares outcomes, cost‑effectiveness, and quality of life versus the current standard of care. |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Prostate |
National Program on Radioligand Therapy for Prostate Cancer:
|
Principal Investigator |
Francois Benard |
| Funding Amount | $4,495,787 |
| Grant Duration | 2017–2022 |
| Partner(s) | — |
|
Institution |
BC Cancer, part of the Provincial Health Services Authority |
|
Research Pillar |
Clinical Research |
|
Research Goals |
Care |
|
Cancer Site(s) |
Prostate |