This is a great day for cancer research in Canada and, more importantly, for the health of all Canadians! We sincerely thank the Government of Canada for its ongoing commitment to improve the lives of Canadians diagnosed with cancer through the work of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network.
With today’s announcement of $80-million over 4 years for the project (effective Fiscal Year 26-27), the federal government signals and demonstrates its confidence in the Network and its mission and vision to accelerate precision medicine across our country to improve survival and quality of life for Canadians diagnosed with cancer.
This funding enables us to build on the remarkable success of Phase 1, in which we united patients, researchers, clinicians and administrators from 53 member institutions and over 100 funding and research partners across the country under a single vision: to accelerate precision medicine for the benefit of cancer patients in Canada. Over the last five years, this unprecedented collaboration allowed us to build Canada’s largest and most complete cancer case resource, the Gold Cohort, which today consists of data from 12,942 diverse cancer patients treated across the country and will reach its goal of 15,000 by March 31, 2026, when this phase is concluded. This resource will help unlock discoveries that benefit cancer patients in Canada for generations to come.
The Government’s commitment to fund Phase 2 is welcome news to all Network members and supporters from coast to coast. We are at the crossroads of a new era in cancer research for Canadians which will help to make precision oncology a reality for all who live here. With funding for Phase 2, we will focus on our goal of providing patients with equitable access to the best cancer care and treatment available no matter who they are, or where they live in Canada.
We are excited to continue working with the research community, as well as our partners and funders, including the Terry Fox Foundation, on Phase 2 of the Network. We are convinced that this collaboration is one of the most important national infrastructure projects ever to be undertaken in Canada. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the entire MOHCCN community, including the members of our Patient Working Group, for their commitment and dedication to the Network, and we look forward to continuing working together to finish the marathon against cancer that Terry Fox started in 1980.
Learn more about our plans for Phase 2, here.