$5.9 million boost to cancer treatment research at UTM
A research initiative led by Professor Patrick Gunning in the Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences at U of T Mississauga has received $5.9 million in combined funds to establish a Centre for Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics.
The centre, which will be funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund and U of T Mississauga (UTM), aims to develop new therapeutic compounds that will target some of the deadliest cancers, such as leukemia (blood cancer) and glioblastoma (brain cancer), which are thought to originate from cancer stem cells.
“Our research team is delighted with this funding and the work ahead,” says Gunning, the principal investigator for the project. “There is tremendous potential here to develop targeted, effective drugs that kill the cancer stem cells that cause reoccurrence and significantly improve outcomes for patients.”
The researchers in Gunning’s laboratory, along with clinicians from health centres across the GTA, have devised an interdisciplinary public health and biomedical strategy to develop new cancer treatments.
The core research team includes numerous experts from UTM, the University of Calgary, the University Health Network, the Hospital for Sick Children and Trillium Health Partners. The funding will help to support research infrastructure, including new chemistry, microscopy, cell biology and high performance computing equipment.
The research conducted will create intellectual property and spin-off companies, as well as provide students and highly qualified personnel with exceptional research training and job opportunities. Most importantly, the work could contribute to effective treatments for some of the Canadians currently living with cancer, now numbering nearly one million.
“We are tremendously grateful for this support of research from the federal and provincial governments. The injection of funds will bring state-of-the-art infrastructure to our campus and enable regional and national research collaborations,” says Professor Bryan Stewart, UTM’s vice-principal, research.
“This partnership brings together a host of world-class researchers, and we are optimistic that this unique centre will be one of the leading cancer stem cell drug discovery programs in the world, with the overarching impact being improvements in healthcare for Canadians.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Patrick Gunning
Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences
905-828-5354
patrick.gunning@utoronto.ca
Nicolle Wahl
U of T Mississauga Communications
905-569-4656
nicolle.wahl@utoronto.ca