The Terry Fox Research Institute, a brainchild of the Terry Fox Foundation, was launched in October 2007.  The Foundation has committed a minimum of $50 million over five years from donations obtained during the 25th Anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope and from new funds anticipated and those raised since 2005.

The mission and vision of the new Institute are to improve significantly the outcomes of cancer research for the patient through a highly collaborative, team-oriented, milestone-based approach to research that will enable discoveries to translate quickly into practical solutions for cancer patients worldwide.

Through its portfolio of projects, the Terry Fox Research Institute supports translational cancer research. This type of research requires organized, focused teams of researchers with a wide range of expertise to systematically achieve milestone-driven goals as quickly as possible.  To date the TFRI has funded more than a dozen projects involving more than 90 scientists across the country in research across a range of cancers: lung, prostate, breast, ovarian,  and colon.

In September 2008 the Institute and its partner, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, announced the launch of a nationwide lung cancer detection study involving 2,500 current and former smokers in seven cities across Canada. The study has the potential to revolutionize the detection and treatment of lung cancer, which remains Canada's leading cause of cancer deaths.

A virtual centre with headquarters in Vancouver, the TFRI presently has four nodes in Canada -- BC, Alberta,  Ontario and Quebec.  TFRI's projects bring researchers from across Canada to work seamlessly together to generate the evidence needed by cancer organizations to apply new knowledge to improve health outcomes in prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer patients.

After Terry lost his leg to cancer, he discovered that funding for cancer research in Canada was minimal. The motivation for his Marathon of Hope was to raise funds to help find a cure for cancer. The Foundation remains true to Terry's wishes today by directing all funds raised in his name to cancer research.

Over the last three decades the Terry Fox Foundation has raised approximately $400 million in funding for cancer research in Canada.  This funding has supported cancer research in three areas of science:  Biological Sciences (studies in the biochemistry, genetics, immunology and molecular biology of cancer), Chemical Sciences (studies in carcinogenesis, drug development and drug delivery) and Physical Sciences (studies in imaging, radiobiology and photobiology).

To view the Foundation’s research program portfolio, click here.