Canada’s first platform to manufacture CAR-T cells – immune cells trained to kill cancer – is delivering results for Canadians with blood cancers. Multiple patients are cancer-free after an OICR-supported clinical trial. The platform also makes therapy more affordable by manufacturing CAR T-cells at the point of care.

A new OICR clinical trial builds on years of research into Canada’s third deadliest cancer. Tumour samples are being tested against OICR’s world-leading pancreatic cancer database for genetic clues on potential treatments, with results delivered in time to influence patient care.

Treating prostate cancer with radiation can involve up to 28 doses over several weeks. But an OICR-funded clinical trial is using two imaging tools to deliver radiation so precisely it may only take five doses. OICR is also using this combination to spot cancer relapse earlier without painful biopsies.

Diagnosing brain tumours often means sending samples to one of the few centres with expensive molecular testing equipment. But a new molecular test created by OICR researchers can help diagnose brain tumours in less than half the time of existing systems for a fraction of the cost.

Two molecular tests developed by OICR researchers can help predict if breast cancer will recur after treatment, and if chemotherapy will be effective against it. The tests have earned international patents and are on their way toward improving breast cancer outcomes and quality of life for women.

A multidisciplinary OICR-led network has launched five clinical trials where participants receive new therapies during the time between their cancer diagnosis and their initial surgery. These trials give trial participants early access to cutting-edge therapies while allowing researchers to study their effect on tumours after they are removed.

A 3D ultrasound system developed by OICR-supported researchers can improve breast cancer screening by accurately and cost-effectively spotting cancer in women with dense breasts, whose cancer is often ‘masked’ in traditional mammograms. OICR scientists are also using 3D ultrasound to make thermal ablation procedures to treat liver cancer more accurate.

U.S. lawmakers cited an OICR study when announcing their country’s upcoming ban on menthol cigarettes. The study evaluated a similar ban in Canada that came into effect between 2015 and 2018, estimating that a policy to ban menthols in the U.S. could cause 1.3 million more Americans to quit smoking.

OICR is creating a Canada-first network to find hereditary cancers earlier and match patients with treatments. The network has inspired a similar approach in the UK, and network leaders helped develop tools and criteria for standardized hereditary cancer testing that were adopted across Ontario.

Cancer clinical trial recruitment is up 130 per cent in Ontario since OICR created the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN). The network has launched several programs to match patients with trials and is piloting clinical trial ‘satellite sites’ in remote communities to reduce travel times and expenses for participants.

OICR has scaled up Ontario’s capacity for precision medicine, where treatment is tailored to a person’s genetics. Our genomics lab earned world-class accreditation that allows it to influence patient care, we secured Canada’s first state-of-the-art genome sequencer, and we are expanding our Joint Genomics Program across the province.

OICR founded and hosts the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), which has members in 90+ countries. GA4GH created international data sharing standards to help harness genomics data to benefit all populations. OICR scientists also provided guidance for countries on integrating genomic sequencing into their healthcare systems.