The Canadian Cancer Society and the Cole Foundation launch a $3 million partnership that will create a better convergence among Montreal research centres specializing in pediatric cancer

MONTREAL, Nov. 24, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) – Quebec Division and the Cole Foundation announced today the launch of a unique partnership project to fund research on leukemia and lymphoma in children and young adults¹.

"The funds of the Cole Foundation/Canadian Cancer Society Research Foundation Program could reach $3 million. Half of the amount will come from donors and private sponsors. The Canadian Cancer Society – Quebec Division will in return contribute the other half, potentially $1.5 million. This partnership established in collaboration with the Cole Foundation will help implement new development strategies in Quebec within two years to face the challenges inherent in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma in children and young adults²," says Suzanne Dubois, Executive Director, CCS – Quebec Division.

"To this day, about $1 million has been raised among private donors and prestigious funding agencies (see full list on page 2). In addition to the contribution of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Cole Foundation, with a generous contribution from the R. Howard Webster Foundation, paid the cost of the Research Summit on Leukemia and Lymphoma which took place in Mont Gabriel last weekend and pledged to give $300,000 to the research fund that is still being raised. This amount could be increased and will match the highest donation made to the fund," says Barry Cole, CEO and Board Chair of the Cole Foundation.

Montreal stands out for its large number of researchers in hematology and the expertise in this field is concentrated here. Although Montreal hospitals treat many patients, their research centres too often function like silos, which means that the full potential of coordinated teamwork is not reached and resources are not maximized. So, the CCS/Cole Foundation project aims to break down barriers and encourage a closer collaboration between institutions to facilitate the emergence of new ideas. Also, the fund will encourage the training of new research teams that will include the active participation of clinicians.

"One of the innovative aspects of the Cole Foundation/Canadian Cancer Society Research Program is that new research teams from two or three different institutions (including institutions outside of Montreal), with at least one clinician, will be created," says Dr Jean-Sébastien Delisle, researcher and haematologist at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal and a speaker at the recent CCS/Cole Foundation Research Summit in Mont Gabriel. "The funding made possible by this partnership will also bring a noticeable competitive advantage to clinicians and researchers who will then be able to solicit multiannual funding from national or provincial grant organizations more easily to pursue and widen the scope of their work."

"Young scientists show more interest for collaborative work. So, we must cultivate a stronger sense of belonging to the scientific committee in Montreal and elicit a closer collaboration between researchers and clinicians, which will attract more investments for research in Montreal and highlight Quebec's strengths in pediatric cancer research," says Barry Cole.

"The great challenge where care for leukemia and lymphoma in children and young adults is concerned comes from complex problems stemming from treatments, such as secondary cancers and potential long-term health implications. The Cole Foundation/Canadian Cancer Society Research Program will benefit all Canadians and will position our local researchers and clinicians as precursors in research on leukemia and lymphoma in children and young adults," adds Suzanne Dubois.

The Canadian Cancer Society will receive and administer all donations towards the new fund. The Canadian Cancer Society's Research Institute (CCSRI) will assemble a jury of peers to evaluate the most innovative projects in 2016. A grant of up to $250,000 per year will be awarded to each research team for a maximum of 3 years. The first research grants will be awarded in 2017.

List of donations received to date for the Cole Foundation/Canadian Cancer Society Research Program:
Cole Foundation	$300,000
R. Howard Webster Foundation	$300,000
Mirella & Lino Saputo Foundation	$200,000
Fonds recherche du Québec - Santé	$100,000
Birks Family Foundation	$50,000
Maryse & William Brock Chair	$30,000
Fondation CHU Sainte Justine	$20,000
The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation	$10,000
Morris & Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation	$10,000
Henry & Berenice Kaufmann Foundation	$2,500
TOTAL CONFIRMED	$1,022,500

About the Cole Foundation
The Cole Foundation offers research grants to clinicians, postdoctoral scientists and postgraduate students and young principal investigators who are conducting research on leukemia and lymphoma and other related diseases in children and young adults. Through grants, the Cole Foundation has given more than $12 million to hospital researchers and laboratories in the Greater Montreal in the past 8 years. The late John N. (Jack) Cole created the Foundation in 1980 to support pediatric hematology and oncology research in Montreal. The businessman has funded the Penny Cole Laboratory of the Montreal Children's Hospital and the Jack Cole Chair in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at McGill University.  

About the Canadian Cancer Society
With the support of 300,000 annual donors and 30,000 volunteers, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is the Quebec charity with the potential to save the most lives. Each year, some 135,000 Quebecers turn to it. So, the CCS does everything it can to increase the overall cancer survival rate, currently at 63%, to 80% by 2030.

The money raised by the CCS helps:

• prevent more cancers and demand laws that protect public health
• fund more research projects
• support more people living with cancer

Let's save more lives. Visit cancer.ca or call us at 1 888 939-3333.

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^1	Around 920 children and youths (300 in Quebec) will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Leukemia and lymphoma account for more than 40% of childhood cancer cases that will be diagnosed in the country in 2015.
^2	Some 50 leukemia and lymphoma experts and specialists gathered in Mont Gabriel from November 20 to 22 on the invitation of the CCS and the Cole Foundation. The goal of this meeting was to think about new strategies to face the challenges inherent in these two diseases and ensure that these ideas materialize.

SOURCE Canadian Cancer Society

André Beaulieu, Spokesperson and Senior Advisor, Communication, Canadian Cancer Society - Quebec Division, 514 393-3444 - [email protected]