J. Armand Bombardier Foundation supports prostate cancer research

MONTREAL , Feb. 9 /CNW Telbec/ - Concerned with the health and well being of Canadians, the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation has donated $200 000 to the PROCURE Quebec Prostate Cancer Biobank, a tool to accelerate the pace of research on prostate cancer.

"The well-being of individuals and innovation are the focus of the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation in the area of health. The Biobank developed by PROCURE enables research that will contribute to better healthcare for patients; the PROCURE Biobank is a partner of choice for the Foundation", notes Madame Lyne Lavoie, Director General of the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among Canadian men. One in seven men will develop the disease during his lifetime. As Jack Layton , leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada announced last Friday, "This year, more than 25,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with treatable prostate cancer and I have recently learned that I'm one of them".

The PROCURE Quebec Prostate Cancer Biobank was created in order to help men touched by prostate cancer and their families. It is a critically important research tool for prostate cancer in Quebec . By collecting and storing a large amount of biological samples and clinical, medical and sociological data from men with prostate cancer, scientists will be better able to identify risk factors, improve detection methods, optimize treatments, and help prevent prostate cancer.

The Biobank collection takes place within four major University Health Centers in the province of Québec : the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CHUM), the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec (CHUQ), the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS).

"Without the synergy and the support of partners such as the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, a project of this magnitude could never have been possible" comments Malvina Klag, PROCURE's Executive Director.

    
                                About PROCURE
    

Founded in 2003 by Marvyn Kussner, PROCURE was created in order to meet the needs of men diagnosed with prostate cancer and all men at risk. Mr. Kussner , respected businessman and philanthropist, noted the lack of accessible information and scientific knowledge regarding this disease as he dealt with his own diagnosis. PROCURE, in conjunction with a Board of directors including other Quebec business leaders, has since established a bilingual and comprehensive website (www.procure.ca) and uses many vehicles through which to educate Quebecers across the province about prostate cancer. PROCURE also founded and runs the PROCURE Quebec Prostate Cancer Biobank in collaboration with the public sector. The goal of the Biobank is to accelerate the acquisition of scientific knowledge on how and why prostate cancer develops and progresses.

For further information: or to schedule an interview: Audrey Lalande, Education, Awareness and Communications, PROCURE, [phone] #15, Cell [phone]; Roch Landriault, Vice President, NATIONAL Public Relations, [phone], Cell [phone]