Results of the CIHR Team Grant - Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Competition 

In February 2026, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) launched its new strategic roadmap for the next five years. A key pillar of this strategy is our commitment to stopping cancer before it starts. We know biology, behaviours and environment all play a significant role in cancer risk, and that prevention is one of the most powerful ways to save lives. To advance this priority and accelerate impact, CCS has partnered with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) to invest in prevention research.  

The goal of the CIHR Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Team Grants Funding Opportunity, is to improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying cancer risk and development, informed by intersectional analyses that will drive a personalized approach to cancer prevention and early detection across our diverse Canadian population.  

Grants funded by CCS in partnership with:

This funding opportunity was led by the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (CIHR-ICR) in collaboration with the CIHR Institutes of: Aging (CIHR-IA), Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH), Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (CIHR-INMD), Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH), and in partnership with the BioCanRx, Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), Cancer Research Society (CRS), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) - Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE), and the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI). 

Through this partnership, 7 grants in the Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Team Grants Funding Opportunity were awarded by CCS in partnership with CIHR-ICR, CIHR-IPPH, CIHR-INMD and TFRI for total investment of nearly $14M.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research (CIHR-ICR) logoTerry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) Logo

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (CIHR-INMD) logoCanadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH) logo

Funding results of the CIHR Team Grant - Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Competition 

Note: The results listed only include grants funded by CCS and funding partners. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the grant recipient list, this list does not include an “official” notification. Successful applications have been informed, in writing, with an official Notification of Award giving the details pertaining to their grant. 

Identifying young women at higher risk of breast cancer                                            

Principal Investigator: Dr Mark Basik 

How gut bacteria can help prevent prostate cancer                                                        

Principal Investigator: Dr Vincent Fradet 

Preventing lung cancers caused by combined exposure to radon and wildfire smoke

Principal Investigator: Dr Aaron Goodarzi 

Preventing colorectal cancers linked to a common gut microbe 

Principal Investigator: Dr Alberto Martin 

Preventing breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 mutation

Principal Investigator: Dr Christopher Maxwell 

Decoding how breast cancer begins   

Principal Investigator: Dr Luke McCaffery 

Do ultra-processed foods cause colorectal cancer?

Principal Investigator: Dr Rachel Murphy 

Investment by research goal

Figures below are representative of dollar value of investment.

Investment by cancer site

Results by research area

Results by province

Results by gender identity