To do their jobs, cancer researchers need to be able to access high-quality tumour samples. These samples allow them to test new drugs, observe similarities and differences between tumours and learn more about the mutations that cause each cancer, among many other things.
In this context, biobanks play a pivotal role in cancer research. They provide a central location for scientists to access high-quality samples that help them further their research.
Today, uniting cancer researchers and institutions across Canada to harmonize tumour collection methods and create robust, high-quality biobanks is essential to give researchers access to the best samples possible, allowing them to make important discoveries that will revolutionize cancer research and care.
Our Research Strategy
At the Terry Fox Research Institute, we are bringing together the best researchers from the country's top cancer institutions to work on projects that are harmonizing tumour collection methods to create biobanks that can be accessed by researchers across Canada.
In 2022/23, roughly 8 per cent of the money invested by the TFRI supported biobanking efforts in Canada. This added up to a total investment of $1 million.*
To allocate our resources, we ask international experts to evaluate the excellence and the potential for impact of all our research projects. This approach distinguishes our research investment strategy from all others in Canada and allows donors to be confident that their investment is supporting the top 5% of Canadian researchers and their science.
*Our scientific discovery projects are interdisciplinary by design and often focus on more than one cancer type. The figures listed above are an estimate and should not be taken as exact figures.