Major Funding from the Cancer Research Society Accelerates Collaboration at the GCI

The Cancer Research Society (CRS) is a philanthropic organization dedicated to funding cancer research in Canada. Researchers at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) are supported by the CRS through their competitive operating grants and studentship awards. Philanthropic funding sources like the CRS are critical to supporting multi-institutional initiatives and cross-disciplinary partnerships in cancer research.

CRS scholarships empower students to contribute meaningful discoveries and pursue highly advanced and collaborative projects. 5 GCI trainees were awarded CRS fellowships this year, bringing to total of trainees who hold CRS fellowships at GCI to 7. 2024 CRS doctoral scholarships are held by GCI trainees Emilie Solymoss, Ozgun Varol, Juliette Wilson Sanchez and Hailey Dall-Proud. Postdoctoral researcher Sébastien This holds a CRS postdoctoral scholarship.  In 2023, 2 of 21 doctoral scholarships were awarded to GCI trainees, while in 2024 4 of 40 doctoral scholarships and 1 of 8 post doctoral scholarships were awarded to GCI trainees.

Collaborations within Montreal, across Quebec, and at an international level are essential to the trainee projects supported by CRS scholarships. Researchers at the McGill Genome Center, RI-MUHC and Université de Montréal are key players in Emilie, Ozgun, and Sébastien’s research. Hailey has received project support from the Quebec Breast Cancer foundation, sharing “I would specifically like to recognize the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation Tissue Microarray Consortium and the many patients who have donated their tissues, which has allowed us to better study the clinical implications of our protein of interest”.

At the international level, Juliette’s project is part of the TRANSCAN international collaborative grant initiative. She has been able to collaborate with and learn from researchers at the Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan and National Cancer Research Center in Madrid. The targeted funding provided by CRS scholarships helps break down barriers to trainee collaborations, driving innovation and creating networks for the next generation to work together to advance our understanding of cancer.

The CRS also funds operating grants, which are essential for providing stable funding for the day-to-day activities of laboratories as well as ambitious collaborative projects. This year, Professor William Muller was awarded a CRS operating grant to support a project to evaluate the role of immune cells called neutrophils in the progression of breast cancer. Professor Daniela Quail was also awarded a CRS operating grant for a project investigating the role the daily rhythms of neutrophils play in influencing lung cancer progression. In addition, the CRS partnered with Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society to award Dr. George Zogopoulos an operating grant to study the tumor microenvironment of treatment-resistant pancreatic cancer. This support will enable the teams to share resources, expertise, and data with researchers across disciplines and geographic locations to accelerate the pace of discovery.

Philanthropic organizations like the Cancer Research Society are essential drivers of progress in cancer research, enabling scientists and trainees to tackle complex challenges through innovative projects and collaborations. The sophisticated research projects at the GCI funded by CRS operating grants and scholarships demonstrate the impact of targeted funding in advancing our understanding of cancer and improving patient outcomes.