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The Terry Fox Research Institute

Expanding our research portfolio

Since its inception, the TFRI has invested in groundbreaking scientific projects that accelerate discoveries for the benefit of cancer patients. Today, this investment expands beyond our flagship basic science and translational research programs. With support from partners across the country, including the Government of Canada, we now lead two innovative projects that embody Terry Fox's spirit and unite our country to improve the lives of cancer patients through precision medicine: the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network and the Digital Health and Discovery Platform.

Learn more about our Mission and Vision.

Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP) Logo

Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP)

The DHDP is a pan-Canadian initiative co-led by the TFRI and supported by the Government of Canada. The DHDP provides the cutting-edge technological and policy infrastructure needed to share and analyze large amounts of health data generated through the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, allowing us to improve health outcomes for Canadians through the advancement of precision medicine for cancer and other diseases.

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Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network Logo

Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network

The MOHCCN is an unprecedented collaboration led by the TFRI and supported by the Government of Canada that unites the country’s top cancer hospitals and research centres to create the Team Canada of Cancer Research. Just like Terry’s Marathon of Hope united Canadians under a single vision, the Network unites our cancer research community, empowering them to work together to make precision medicine for cancer a reality for all Canadians.

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Newly funded research projects

Optimizing CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of extranodal lymphoma

Immunotherapies, including CAR T-cell therapy, are highly promising new cancer treatments harnessing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. “There's so much excitement around CAR T-cell therapy and synthetic biology and for good reason. Clinically, it's been very effective,” says Dr. Laura Evgin, scientist at BC Cancer Research Institute (BCCRI) and assistant professor at ...

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Harnessing the immune system to improve treatment outcomes in high-risk leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer that develops in the bone marrow and invades the blood. Because it is acute, it progresses rapidly and can be fatal within months if not treated. “Despite improvements in therapy, these cancers often return, with many patients succumbing to the disease,” says Dr. Anastasia Tikhonova, scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre...

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Integrative computational framework for precision cancer prevention and early detection

With the aging world population, poor lifestyle choices (obesity, tobacco, alcohol) and environmental factors (air pollution), Dr. Sushant Kumar, a scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, believes we are at the cusp of a cancer "epidemic" and, therefore, we need to develop a more proactive approach. It’s a belief he’s putting into action with funding from a 2024 Terry Fox New...

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Development of multi-omic and multi-modal liquid biopsy assays for osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the cancer that Canadian hero Terry Fox was diagnosed with when he was just 18. The most common type of bone cancer in young adults, it is characterized by tumours that usually appear in the long bones around the knee or upper arm. However, because not all tumours are the same, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. Adjusting therapy for patients with osteosarcoma is one of the m...

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Understanding, supporting and improving outcomes for women with invasive lobular breast carcinoma: a pan-Canadian prospective cohort study

Invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILC) is an increasingly common cancer that accounts for about 10 to 15 per cent of invasive breast cancers. While breast cancer is recognized as the most common cancer affecting Canadian women, this subtype is unique: its cells don’t stick together to form a tumour, they grow as single cells or in a line. “Because these cells don't form masses, women...

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Micro-ultrasound technology in prostate radiotherapy – seeking macro-advances through visualization of the micro

  • Lucas Mendez / Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting Canadian men, and while there have been significant advances in the treatment of this disease, it’s difficult for patients to access the best possible care. “We’re not offering state-of-the-art care for these patients due to a lack of resources,” says Dr. Lucas Mendez, an assistant professor at Western University and a rad...

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Bone-sourced acute myeloid leukemia extracellular vesicles contribute to disease progression

How does the microenvironment affect how acute myeloid leukemia develops, and what new and improved therapies will help us to target it? A Queen’s University investigator aims to answer these questions with her New Investigator award from the Terry Fox Research Institute. “There’s a clear unmet need to improve survival outcomes in the acute myeloid leukemia space,” says Dr...

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  • Funding Programs

    The Terry Fox Research Institute functions as the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation. In this capacity, the Institute invests and manages approximately $27 million in combined funding for discovery and translational research and training for future scientists and clinicians in cancer research.

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  • Our Research

    We know more about cancer today thanks to the biological, molecular and genomic discoveries, new technologies, tests and treatments made possible with research funding from The Terry Fox Foundation and through the translational work undertaken by TFRI. As a result, we have better ways to detect, diagnose and treat cancer today. This is helping cancer patients to live, to live longer and with a better quality of life.

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  • Terry Fox and the Terry Fox Foundation

    Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

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  • Digital Health and Discovery Platform

    The Digital Health and Discovery Platform (DHDP) is a pan-Canadian initiative that seeks to improve health outcomes for Canadians by deploying cutting-edge technologies that advance precision medicine.

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  • Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network

    The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network is a bold vision led by The Terry Fox Research Institute and The Terry Fox Foundation with support from dozens of research and funding partners across Canada.

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Updates

Updates

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    2021-22 Facts

    • 26.6 Million Dollars for Cancer Research and Training
      Million Dollars for Cancer Research and Training
    • 47 currently funded projects for team science and research
      Funded Projects for team science and research
    • 98 Partners in Funding and Research
      Partners in Funding and Research