Ontario researchers join forces with Pfizer Global Research in $6-million partnership
From left to right: Dr. Brad Wouters, Dr. Tom Hudson and Minister of Research and Innovation John Milloy
(CPimages)
Scientists from OICR and the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) are joining forces with Pfizer Global Research and Development to discover and validate new targets for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.
The program, entitled POP-CURE (an acronym for PMH-OICR-Pfizer-CURE), will be led by Dr. Bradly Wouters, Senior Scientist at the OCI and OICR Senior Investigator, Selective Therapies Program. Dr. Wouters and a team of scientists at OCI and OICR will use genomic and molecular pathology approaches and develop a large clinical biobank to identify molecular signatures in colorectal cancer. These molecular signatures will be used to accelerate the development of biomarkers for early detection, monitoring and treatment of cancer.
"This exciting collaboration will join the world class genomics and informatics programs at OICR, cutting edge research in cancer stem cell biology and functional genomics at OCI/PMH and the world’s largest pharmaceutical company in a concerted effort to bring new therapies to colon cancer patients worldwide,” explains Dr. Ben Neel, a scientist at OCI who is serving as a principal investigator with the POP-CURE project.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S. and Canada. In Canada, an estimated 21,500 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008, and 8,900 will die of it.
Colorectal tumours are currently evaluated using physical criteria and classified based on the stage of the cancer’s development. However, patient prognosis and response to treatment varies widely at each stage, with some patients doing much better than others. This suggests there are a number of sub-types of colorectal cancer.
Biomarkers identified by the POP-CURE study could be used to classify colorectal cancer by sub-type at the molecular level, providing doctors with powerful new tools for predicting patient prognosis and response to treatment. Identification of molecular signatures could also aid in the development of new therapeutics that target cancer cells selectively. Because such treatments will primarily target and destroy cancer cells, sparing normal cells, fewer side effects are expected compared to current cancer treatments.
"I am very pleased with how the vision of Ontario and Pfizer scientists converged, and led to an exciting plan to use cutting-edge technologies and novel concepts about cancer cells, and transform these into new clinical strategies,” said Tom Hudson, OICR’s President and Scientific Director. Hudson is serving as a principal investigator with the POP-CURE cancer genomics research group.
Paul Lévesque, President of Pfizer Canada, announced at an event at OICR in July that Pfizer Global Research and Development will contribute $6 million over three years for the participating laboratories in Ontario. The OICR and OCI scientists will leverage existing Ontario Government support that has been provided to OICR and other organizations to build and use state-of-the-art research infrastructure such as equipment and tissue banks.
"Pfizer is proud to contribute to the research capacity in Ontario. The scientists from the Pfizer Oncology Research Unit are excited to be part of the POP-CURE initiative and to have the opportunity to collaborate and share expertise with these leading-edge Ontario scientists and clinicians,” said Lévesque. “At Pfizer, we believe that to be truly healthy it takes more than medication and we share POP-CURE’s goal: to develop personalized tools that could one day more effectively prevent, diagnose and treat patients suffering from colon cancer.”
Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation John Milloy announced the province is investing an additional $900,000 in the POP-CURE project through its Biopharmaceutical Investment Program, part of the government’s Next Generation Jobs Fund.
"Pfizer’s decision to advance their R&D through collaboration with Ontario researchers is a testament to the strength of our talent and our global leadership in cancer research. New breakthroughs will continue to be made, and we want these people, these ideas, and these high-value jobs right here in Ontario,” said Milloy at an event to celebrate the project’s launch.
