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Researchers identify tumour “fingerprints” linked to aggressive prostate cancer

Exciting new findings from a landmark international collaboration co-led by OICR were published in Nature.

Prostate cancer leaves behind genetic “fingerprints” that provide clues about how aggressive it will become and could help personalize cancer treatment in the future, according to groundbreaking new research co-led by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR).

About one in eight men in Canada will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. While some prostate cancers are relatively harmless and patients can live many years without symptoms, others will spread aggressively and become life-threatening.

In a study published today in Nature, an international team of researchers analyzed samples from nearly 1,000 men with prostate cancer. Rather than focusing only on cancer-causing genes, the researchers used high-powered whole-genome sequencing and machine learning tools to examine genetic mutations across the genome. Different biological processes leave different patterns of mutations, creating distinct genetic “fingerprints”. They then determined how those fingerprints were associated with tumour characteristics.

They discovered eight distinct mutational ‘fingerprints’ left behind by different cancers that helped explain how those cancers developed. Four of those fingerprints were linked to a high risk of cancer spreading.

“Knowing which tumours are most likely to spread and become deadly would be a significant advantage when planning treatment for prostate cancer,” says Dr. Jüri Reimand, an OICR Principal Investigator, Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Departments of Molecular Genetics and Medical Biophysics and one of the senior authors of the study. “Patients with the highest-risk tumours could get more intensive treatments, while others could be spared from potentially unnecessary treatments and side effects.”

The study is the first publication from the Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG), a large-scale international collaboration co-founded by The Institute of Cancer Research and the University of East Anglia in the UK, that is studying molecular data from 2,000 prostate cancer patients across nine countries.

The Nature publication was co-led by Dr. Kevin Cheng of Reimand’s lab, which develops and applies machine learning methods to analyze large cancer datasets. Reimand and Cheng collaborated with Dr. Joachim Weischenfeldt of the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet in Denmark, Dr. Geoff Macintyre of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas in Spain, Dr. Andreas Gruber of the Universität Konstanz in Germany and colleagues from around the world.

“We have effectively created a map of the biological processes that drive prostate cancer,” says Dr. Joachim Weischenfeldt of University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, another of the study’s senior authors. “This opens an entirely new field for understanding the underlying biology and for developing new treatments.”

Researchers will now investigate whether these mutational fingerprints can be used to classify prostate cancers based on how aggressive they are likely to become. If the classification system is validated in clinical studies, it could one day become a valuable tool to shape treatment decisions for patients with prostate cancer.

The study also has broader implications. Researchers also found that some fingerprints were associated with improved response to chemotherapy in an independent patient cohort. The same approach could potentially be applied to other cancers as well, helping identify the most aggressive breast, ovarian and other tumour types.

“This new way of understanding how cancer genomes evolve gives us another layer of information that can potentially be used to make sure each cancer patient gets the right treatment at the right time,” Reimand says.

This story informed in part by publications by the The Institute of Cancer Research and the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet

How Ontario scientists are preserving young cancer patients’ option to have children later in life

Support from OICR is helping increase uptake in an ovarian tissue cryopreservation program, which is offered to young cancer patients whose treatment might affect their fertility in the future.

The weeks after Evelyn Pijper was diagnosed with brain cancer last year were a whirlwind.

Just 12 years old and facing an aggressive course of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Evelyn and her family were confronted with a dizzying list of life-changing risks and side effects.

Evelyn Pijper

“It’s so much information about what could happen, and you’re just trying to get through what is happening now,” recalls Lisa Mychajluk, Evelyn’s mother.

Lisa says if it wasn’t for a unique OICR-supported program, they may have just glossed over one unexpected risk of Evelyn’s treatment — chemotherapy would likely damage her ovaries, leaving her unable to have biological children in the future.

Before Evelyn started chemo, her doctor referred her to the ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) program at Sinai Health System. The program offered Evelyn the option to remove and freeze tissue from her ovary that could be implanted back into her body later in life and give her a chance to conceive.

“I’m not sure if I want to have kids, but I might change my mind later on,” Evelyn says. “So I thought the procedure was a good idea.”

Preserving the choice to conceive can be empowering for young cancer patients and their families at a time when everything feels out of control, says reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jennia Michaeli.

Michaeli runs the OTC program, which became the first of its kind in Ontario when it opened two years ago. It is offered to young cancer patients who haven’t hit puberty yet, and therefore aren’t eligible for normal egg retrieval, as well as anyone whose cancer treatment is so urgent they can’t wait the weeks of preparation for egg retrieval. While it’s based at Sinai, the program partners with other Ontario hospitals to ensure people across the province have access. But despite now being standard of care, referrals to OTC remain low.

“It’s a new service, and not all clinicians know they should refer their patients to it,” says Michaeli, who is also a clinician-investigator at Sinai. “There is also a longstanding discomfort among oncologists about having fertility discussions with young patients, which can lead to missed opportunities.”

Dr. Jennia Michaeli

To minimize these missed opportunities, Michaeli is working with The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) implementation scientist Dr. Nicola McCleary and a multidisciplinary team to study how to increase the rate of young cancer patients referred to the program.

The study team will engage health professionals and lived experience partners to understand the potential impacts of  a streamlined pathway for eligible SickKids patients to be referred to the program and identify any implementation barriers that need to be overcome. Launched in July 2025, the study was selected for an OICR Innovation to Implementation award last year.

“With this support from OICR, we hope we can demonstrate a scalable model that increases referrals province-wide and give more young people the option to preserve their fertility,” Michaeli says.

It has been a little over a year since Evelyn was first diagnosed and about four months since her last round of chemotherapy. Doctors told her she is cancer-free, and her energy is coming back more and more every day.

Now 13 years old, she is more focused on getting back to school and on her hobbies, like baking cookies and auditioning at her local theatre company in Orangeville, Ont., than she is on having babies in the future. But she counts the OTC program as one of many things she’s grateful for over a difficult year.

“Looking back, I’m happy I did it,” Evelyn says. “Because I might in the future want to have a child, and it could give me that chance.”

Ontario commercialization partnership fills critical gap for women entrepreneurs and advances cancer discoveries

The WeSEED program from FACIT and OBIO® provides support and seed investment for women-led life sciences companies.

Two of Ontario’s leading drivers of life sciences innovation have teamed up to empower the province’s women entrepreneurs, and it’s helping bring life-changing cancer discoveries closer to patients who need them.

FACIT and OBIO® partnered to create the Women’s Synergistic Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (WeSEED) program, which provides business training, venture capital and other resources to the women entrepreneurs behind made-in-Ontario cancer innovations.

Launched in March 2025 with a cohort of five companies, the program addresses a critical gap for women-led start-ups, which receive just over two per cent of venture capital globally.

Dr. Connie Chen

“That disparity means a substantial number of start-ups were lost before they were even created. These barriers impede women-led companies from growing and thriving, and prevents their innovations from making an impact on the lives of patients in Ontario and elsewhere,” says Dr. Connie Chen, Senior Director of Strategy and Corporate Development for FACIT, OICR’s commercialization partner. “By supporting women entrepreneurs, WeSEED aims to elevate equity and representation in life sciences, advance homegrown IP, and give Ontarians access to the most innovative solutions in cancer care.”

WeSEED combines the strengths of both organizations and their proven track records of supporting women-led life sciences in Ontario. FACIT provides Ontario oncology start-ups with seed capital and commercialization expertise, with more than 40 per cent of its portfolio companies being women-founded or women-led. These companies have gone on to attract an additional $330 million in private sector capital to drive Ontario cancer-related innovations forward. OBIO’s Women in Health Initiative (WiHI) is designed to increase the participation and advancement of women in the life sciences and health tech sectors. WiHI has supported over 370 women in life sciences through training and experiential learning, and over 27 women-led companies in the WiHI Seed Program. WiHI alumni companies have raised over $28 million in capital.

With WeSEED, FACIT and OBIO are creating an intentional pathway to move promising women-led innovations from concept, to company, to investment and impact. By coordinating and combining efforts, they will give Ontario entrepreneurs access to earlier and integrated support, allowing companies to take full advantage of both organizations’ networks and resources.

“Canada’s future health and life sciences breakthroughs depend on ensuring that talented women entrepreneurs have equitable access to the resources needed to succeed,” said Dr. Maura Campbell, President & CEO of OBIO®. “The WiHI Seed program, together with our We-SEED partnership with FACIT, are creating meaningful opportunities for women-led companies to accelerate growth, attract investment, and bring impactful health technologies to patients and healthcare systems.”

Dr. Agata Kieliszek

Dr. Agata Kieliszek, Co-Founder and CEO of Block Biosciences, says the program is providing expert mentorship at a critical time for her start-up. Block Biosciences aims to develop the world’s first therapy to prevent brain metastases before they happen, and Kieliszek says WeSEED is opening doors to new funding and strategic opportunities that will help make that goal a reality.

“WeSEED provides a structured and supportive environment that encourages women founders to build meaningful relationships with mentors, investors and peers,” says Kieliszek, whose company Block Biosciences received an investment of $100,000 from OBIO® to accelerate commercialization of their novel therapy. “In doing so, they create more equitable access to networks and capital.”

Dr. Yvonne Bombard

Genetics Adviser founder and CEO Dr. Yvonne Bombard says WeSEED has and will continue to help her company strengthen its commercialization strategy, build new partnerships and accelerate its impact. A WeSEED company and recipient of seed capital from FACIT’s Compass Rose Oncology Fund, Genetics Adviser is scaling genomics care and helping patients navigate genetic testing pathways through its digital application that integrates clinically-validated patient education, decision support, digital consent and results engagement into clinical workflows.

Bombard says WeSEED is helping overcome some of the barriers traditionally faced by women in life sciences, and ultimately help move more exciting innovations into the clinic.

“Supporting women founders means ensuring more great ideas become real-world solutions that improve healthcare, strengthen our innovation ecosystem and create economic impact,” Bombard says.

Ella Zwep aiming to improve Indigenous representation in cancer research

The Laurier University undergraduate’s summer internship is focused on Indigenous recruitment to the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN).

Despite their history of prostate cancer, Ella Zwep knows her family is lucky.

Living in southwestern Ontario not far from large cities, they have access to primary care and screening programs. Through those programs, her grandfather’s prostate cancer was detected in the earliest stages, and he was able to have successful surgery.

But Zwep, who is Métis, knows that is not the case for many Indigenous people in Ontario. Many Indigenous people face barriers to accessing health services, and when they do, the care they receive doesn’t always consider their unique cultural context.

Zwep hopes that her BioCanRx Indigenous Summer Student Internship with the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network can help address some of these challenges.

She is researching the uptake of genetic testing and participation in hereditary cancer registries among Indigenous Peoples, aiming to understand gaps in access and barriers to recruitment. She will ultimately identify strategies for OHCRN to engage Indigenous participants as it builds a provincial database on hereditary cancer syndromes to help ensure that the registry is equitable, diverse and inclusive.

Zwep’s internship runs from May until the end of summer, when she will begin her fourth year studying health sciences at Laurier University. We spoke about how she got involved with OHCRN and about her experiences with the internship so far.

What appealed to you about this internship opportunity?

My biology and chemistry classes in high school really started my interest in science, and then I applied to health sciences programs at university because there are so many different paths you can take from there.

Throughout my undergrad I’ve really enjoyed classes on Indigenous health, health equity and the social determinants of health. This internship seemed like a great opportunity to apply what I learned in school to an important project like OHCRN. I am getting practical experience with health equity issues and learning about cancer research and the many careers in that field.

What have you learned so far about Indigenous engagement in genetic testing and hereditary cancer registries?

I’ve learned a lot about the barriers to participation that Indigenous people face. They include barriers to accessing primary cancer and genetic testing, and also the historical injustices and violations that sometimes make Indigenous people reluctant to participate in genetic testing and research initiatives.

That’s why it’s important for researchers and projects like OHCRN to build ongoing working relationships with Indigenous participants. You can’t just ask for their data and leave. You have to work together, communicate and build trust.

Why is it important for OHCRN to successfully engage with Indigenous Ontarians?

For example, I’ve learned that a lot of Indigenous people who do genetic testing will find out they have a genetic mutation of uncertain significance — meaning no one knows how that mutation could affect their health. That’s common because Indigenous people are not well represented in genetic databases, and so some mutations that are common to them are not well studied.

That’s why I’m excited to support OHCRN in recruiting Indigenous participants. Because if Indigenous people are well represented the OHCRN registry, which is going to be used in many important research projects, then that research should ultimately reflect the unique health issues of Indigenous people.

What are your plans for your future and how will this internship help you achieve them?

I’m planning on applying to med school and seeing where that takes me. But I’m also looking into doing a Master of Public Health, because I’m really interested in the policy and health equity side of working in healthcare.

This internship has provided me a lot of exposure to that policy and health equity side of things and opened my eyes to different careers in the field. The mentorship I’ve had and the connections I’ve made are really helping me understand the path I want to go down.

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research welcomes Dr. Aaron Schimmer as President and Scientific Director

Schimmer brings extensive experience as scientist, clinician and research leader.

Toronto, ON, August 4, 2026 — Dr. Aaron Schimmer officially steps into his role as President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) today, marking a new chapter for cancer research in the province.

Schimmer brings a wealth of scientific, clinical, strategic and operational expertise to lead OICR. An internationally recognized hematologist, blood cancer scientist and research leader, he most recently served as Director of Research at University Health Network’s (UHN) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, where he is also a longtime clinician-scientist.

As President and Scientific Director of OICR, Schimmer will lead the Institute and deliver on OICR’s provincial mandate to accelerate cancer research in Ontario for better health and a stronger economy.

“After years of close collaboration with OICR, I can attest to the transformative impact the Institute has had on cancer research in Ontario and around the world,” Schimmer says. “I am honoured and humbled to help lead this outstanding organization as we deliver life-changing solutions to the biggest challenges in cancer.”

Schimmer is one of Canada’s preeminent leukemia researchers, with more than 320 peer‑reviewed publications and 27,000 citations. He is also a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Medical Biophysics, and Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto, Past President of the Canadian Hematology Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. 

Schimmer’s appointment comes at an exciting time for OICR, which is launching its Strategic Plan 2026-2031 this year. As a highly respected Ontario research leader with connections across the province, Schimmer is perfectly positioned to deliver on the plan’s promise of a stronger, healthier future for Ontarians.

Schimmer says cancer research is at a watershed moment, full of unprecedented opportunities to transform how cancers are detected, diagnosed and treated. With world-class research talent, infrastructure and collaborations led by OICR, and the strong support of the Provincial Government, he says Ontario is poised to lead the next generation of cancer innovations.

“OICR has the unique ability to accelerate cancer research across the province that improves the health of Ontarians and people around the world, while producing economic benefits for the province of Ontario,” Schimmer says. “I look forward to working with everyone in the OICR community to write the next chapter for OICR and for cancer research in this province.”


OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province’s cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit http://www.oicr.on.ca.

The views expressed are those of OICR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Province of Ontario.

Mya Thompson is helping shape the future of Indigenous data governance in cancer research

As part of a unique summer internship, Thompson is informing researcher training and data access procedures for the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN).

With a lifelong interest in health sciences and a passion for promoting equity for Indigenous people, Mya Thompson may have found her niche.

The University of Toronto undergraduate is spending the summer researching Indigenous data sovereignty as part of a BioCanRx Indigenous Summer Student Internship with the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN).

Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of Indigenous people to control how their data is collected and used. It is critical for a project like OHCRN, an OICR initiative building a provincial database on hereditary cancer syndromes that can be accessed by cancer researchers. OHCRN participants may choose to self-report ethnicity information, which includes options for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.ƒ

Thompson, whose mother is Haudenosaunee from the Six Nations of the Grand River, says the project is a great match for her diverse interests.

“I’ve always loved science and had a passion for helping people,” says Thompson, who will enter the fourth year of an Honours Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Psychology program this fall. “As an Indigenous person, I’ve also seen that not everyone has equitable access to healthcare, and it’s important to me to advocate to fill those gaps.”

After reviewing data and research guidelines on Indigenous data sovereignty, Thompson will develop recommendations that will help inform a cultural competency training package for researchers as well as procedures for accessing OHCRN data. OHCRN also intends to do further consultations before finalizing the training resources and putting policies in place.

We asked Thompson about her experience so far with her internship and what the experience could mean for her future.


Tell us more about how you became interested in health science and Indigenous equity.

I spent a lot of time on the reserve with my grandparents as a kid, and my mom was heavily involved with the Band Council. Her interest in policy and in strengthening the community definitely influenced me. My dad is a chiropractor, so I also grew up hearing about his work with patients. Above all, I found myself wanting to help people, understand their issues, and guide them through solutions.

Why is Indigenous data sovereignty so important in health research?

Throughout history, there are many examples of Indigenous Peoples being included in health research studies, but their data has not been culturally contextualized. For example, past genomic studies have pathologized Indigenous communities, ignoring social determinants of health such as socio-economic status and intergenerational trauma, which contribute to disease. This lack of consideration can cause further discrimination to Indigenous communities.

What have you learned about how research projects can promote Indigenous data sovereignty.

Researchers should always keep in mind they do not own the data, it’s on loan to them. That means that Indigenous Peoples have the right to guide how their data is used and to be informed about what happens to it throughout all stages of a research project.

It is also important to understand that Indigenous Peoples are extremely diverse. Research has often used ‘Indigenous’ as an umbrella term, homogenizing Indigeneity rather than understanding specific identities like Métis, Inuit and First Nations. Ensuring these distinctions are clear can make research more relevant and beneficial to Indigenous people.

What are your plans for your future?

I don’t have concrete plans yet, but I want to continue advocating for Indigenous equity. Policy is very interesting to me because it’s an important lever to make social change, and I like being there at the beginning stages of decisions that help people in the future. Working with OHCRN has also reignited my interest in genetics and molecular biology, and it has opened my eyes to cancer research, which I’d like to explore in the future.

How will this internship help you achieve your goals?

Being able to contribute to key policies for a project like this is really meaningful. More practically, I got the opportunity to shape my own project, and that was really great experience. I also worked on a grant proposal for the first time, and I know that will be very valuable in the future. I’ve also really enjoyed networking and learning about other people’s career journeys and how they got to where they are.

3D ultrasound pioneer transforming cancer imaging around the world

Over two decades as Co-Director of OICR’s Imaging Program, Dr. Aaron Fenster has developed 3D ultrasound systems that are improving cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Aaron Fenster’s groundbreaking inventions in 3D ultrasound have sparked dozens of patents, two companies and a fundamental shift in how some cancers are diagnosed and treated.

But they all date back to a clinical need and an aha moment two decades ago.

Back in 2007, Fenster was leading an imaging lab at Western University’s Robart’s Research Institute and in the process of co-founding OICR’s Imaging Program. A young radiologist approached him in his lab, frustrated with the 2D ultrasound technology used to guide prostate biopsies at the time, and wishing Fenster could design something better.

That conversation was on Fenster’s mind a few weeks later as he watched a presentation at a radiology conference about the difficulties of interpreting ultrasounds. To Fenster, trying to make sense of three-dimensional tissue with a 2D image was like shining a flashlight through a small window into a dark room.

“All of a sudden it came to me,” Fenster recalls. “Why don’t we ‘turn on the lights’ by making ultrasound 3D?”

Fenster went back to London to work on a prototype for the world’s first-ever 3D ultrasound system for the prostate. The system he developed took dozens of 2D ultrasound images at different angles and used advanced software to combine them into a 3D image. After years of refining the technology, validating it through clinical trials, and working with industry partners to commercialize it, Fenster’s 3D ultrasound is now used to guide prostate biopsies in clinics around the world.

Today, Fenster is the past Director of Imaging Research Laboratories at the Robarts Research Institute, Scientist at the Institute, Professor at Western University, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Imaging Technology Commercialization in London, and Co-Director of the Imaging Program at OICR. He is recognized as a pioneer in 3D ultrasound and has helped make OICR’s Imaging Program one of the most impactful in the country.

“Having OICR’s continued support over the years has allowed us to build a large program and attract key collaborators, while giving us the flexibility to be innovative,” Fenster says. 

Dr. Aaron Fenster demonstrates his 3D ultrasound technology in a 2013 photoshoot

Fenster’s lab has become an important training ground for young researchers, with trainees leading much of the work. While the lab incorporates the latest technology like artificial intelligence, much of Fenster’s research has evolved from that first 3D ultrasound system.

That includes the 3D ultrasound whole-breast imaging system Fenster developed with students Dr. Claire Park and Amal Aziz. Offering safe, accurate breast cancer screening for women with dense breasts, whose cancer often goes undetected in mammographs, the system has received Health Canada approval and Fenster is hopeful it will be screening patients in Ontario hospitals before too long.

Fenster’s 3D ultrasound technology is also transforming brachytherapy, a cancer treatment where radioactive “seeds” are placed inside a tumour. Cervical brachytherapy usually needs MRI to guide the precise placement of the seeds, requiring the patient to go back and forth between the operating room and the MRI. Fenster is developing 3D ultrasound systems to guide the placement of the radioactive seeds for cervical brachytherapy that will allow the entire procedure to happen in the same room.

Fenster and colleagues have also developed 3D ultrasound technology to guide liver tumour ablations that has been patented and licensed, 3D ultrasound for kidney cancers that is being studied clinically, as well as several other applications. And just like that first 3D ultrasound prototype in 2007, nearly all these applications were inspired by clinical needs.

“That’s usually how it happens,” Fenter says. “A clinician comes to us with an unmet need, and we develop a solution that works for them and their patients.”

Dr. Aaron Schimmer to join OICR as President and Scientific Director

OICR will welcome the internationally recognized clinician-scientist and research leader in August 2026.

We are very excited to announce that Dr. Aaron Schimmer has been appointed OICR’s new President and Scientific Director beginning August 4, 2026.

Aaron is an internationally recognized hematologist, clinician-scientist and research leader who brings a wealth of scientific, clinical, strategic and operational expertise to lead OICR.

Aaron has served as Director of Research at University Health Network’s (UHN) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre since 2019 and has been a leading clinician and scientist at UHN since 2003. He is one of Canada’s preeminent blood cancer researchers, with more than 320 peer‑reviewed publications, 27,000 citations and 20 patents. He is also a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Medical Biophysics, and Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto, Past President of the Canadian Hematology Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. 

Aaron has a long history of collaboration with OICR through the many close partnerships between OICR and UHN. With in-depth knowledge of Ontario’s life sciences ecosystem and deep connections across the province, he is perfectly positioned to deliver on OICR’s provincial mandate to advance research for better health and a stronger economy in Ontario. 

“I am honoured and humbled to join OICR and help lead such an incredible organization,” Aaron said. “We are at an inflection point in cancer research with unprecedented opportunities for new cancer therapies and diagnostics. OICR has the unique ability to accelerate cancer research across the province and thereby create and protect highly skilled STEM jobs, produce economic benefit for the province of Ontario, and improve the health of Ontarians and people around the world. I look forward to working with everyone in OICR and across the province to write the next chapter in OICR’s history.”

As we welcome Aaron to OICR, we also want to thank Dr. Christine Williams and Dr. Lincoln Stein for their skilled and thoughtful leadership as Acting President and Acting Scientific Director through this transition.

We look forward to sharing more about Aaron and this exciting new chapter for OICR once he begins his role in August. For now, please join us in congratulating Dr. Aaron Schimmer.

Reimagining the clinical report: How plain language can help patients make informed decisions

In the CAN-PREFER trial, OICR researchers are trialing accessible, patient-friendly reports from cancer biomarker testing.

You shouldn’t need a PhD to understand your own cancer.

Scientific advances are helping people with cancer live longer, but they are also changing how we talk about the disease. “Mutations” and “biomarkers” are becoming just as important to treatment planning as the stage or location of a tumour, and it’s making it harder for the average person to understand what it all means for their care.

Biomarker testing is one advancement that is now becoming commonplace. These tests look for genes, proteins or other substances in a patient’s tumour that can point to which treatment might work best against it. But look at a standard report from cancer biomarker testing and you’ll be confronted with medical jargon and unfamiliar acronyms like BRCA and TP53.

Dr. Felix Beaudry

“Biomarker reports have become critical to a patient’s treatment decisions, but they are highly technical and often pretty opaque,” says Dr. Felix Beaudry, a Scientific Associate with OICR’s PanCuRx research program. “We want patients to be able to interpret these reports so they can be more active participants in their treatment planning.”

To tackle this problem, Beaudry has brought together a multidisciplinary team including OICR researchers, PanCuRx patient partners, and clinicians at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s McCain Centre for Pancreatic Cancer, Legresley Biliary Registry, and Schwartz Reisman Centre for Research Innovation in HPB. With a standardized template and curated explanations written with the help of specialized artificial intelligence tools, the reports explain test results in clear, action-oriented language focusing on potential treatment options and resources.

The reports are now being tested as part of the CAN-PREFER randomized control trial where patients will be asked to evaluate and provide feedback on the reports.

“We hope the reports can help start a conversation and give patients the right words and resources to understand implications of their test,” Beaudry says.

The idea for accessible biomarker reports came about a few years ago, when Beaudry and colleagues ran a study that found only half of patients who had biomarker testing understood the results of their report. Around the same time, he interviewed oncologists about biomarker reports as part of a different study, and some clinicians said they also found the reports hard to understand.

“They said the reports were dense and jargony — and these are the specialists,” Beaudry says.

To design the new patient-facing reports, Beaudry and PanCuRx Clinical Co-Lead Dr. Robert Grant engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including a team of patient partners like Neil Marr.

Marr’s wife Priscilla was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in 2019, and he remembers when she received the report from her biomarker test.

Neil Marr

“It was a struggle to understand those reports without having an advanced understanding of genetics,” he says.

Though Neil and Priscilla were grateful to have biomarker testing done, her test did not show any biomarkers that could influence her treatment. She ultimately passed away from cancer in 2021.

After a harrowing two years navigating the health system with his wife, Marr says that how medical information is conveyed is extremely important. Most medical documents are cold by their nature, so he encouraged the research team to infuse the patient-facing biomarker reports with a sense of optimism wherever possible.

“It’s important to do all we can to make the difficult experiences of patients and caregivers better,” Marr says.

OICR supports four new studies seeking cancer insights from existing patient samples and data

CATALYST will speed progress toward better detection, diagnosis and treatment for patients.

May 13, 2026, ONTARIO — Four new research studies funded by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) will deliver cutting-edge innovations by maximizing the impact of existing research and making the most out of patient contributions.

OICR is supporting the studies through CATALYST, a new funding stream for research that leverages available patient data and donated samples to advance new insights about detecting, diagnosing and treating cancer.

Led by top Ontario researchers, the first four CATALYST studies explore a range of groundbreaking approaches, from a blood test that could predict the chances of head and neck cancers returning, to evaluating whether a common diabetes medication can help prevent blood cancers. All four make use of available datasets, building off existing research to take the next step toward transforming clinical practice.

“It’s important we maximize every opportunity to push new discoveries past the finish line so they can make an impact on the lives of people with cancer,” says Dr. David Cescon, Scientific Director of OICR’s Clinical Translation research theme. “CATALYST was designed to do just that, while also honouring the patients who make research possible.”

Cancer patients are critical partners in cancer research, generously donating their time, insights and samples to enable new innovations.

“Patients who take part in research want to know that their participation is making a difference for the future of cancer care, and these studies are doing justice to their contributions,” says Vivian Simbul Sim, a cancer survivor and patient partner with Clinical Translation who helped review patient partnership plans for the CATALYST projects.

The first four CATALYST research studies include:

  • Dr. Neil Fleshner of University Health Network’s (UHN) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre exploring if a common diabetes medication can slow the progression of clonal hematopoiesis, a condition that dramatically increases the risk of blood cancers. Fleshner and others recently showed that a drug called metformin impedes the growth of cells that have a genetic mutation that causes clonal hematopoiesis. The new study will use genetic testing to further explore metformin’s potential to prevent blood cancers and other disease.
  • Dr. Hon Leong of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Dr. Lillian Siu of UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre are studying whether a new blood test can predict which cancer patients will benefit most from immunotherapy. In a previous study, patients whose tumours had high amounts of genetic material called ‘endogenous retrotransposable elements’ (ERE) responded better to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Now, Leong and Siu will use the same cohort of patient samples to see if measuring EREs in blood can also predict treatment response.
  • Dr. Enrique Sanz Garcia and Dr. Scott Bratman of UHN’sPrincess Margaret Cancer Centre are exploring if a blood test can help identify patients whose head and neck cancer has a high risk of returning after treatment. The study will build on earlier research by applying more advanced genomic sequencing technology to look for tiny fragments of tumour DNA in blood samples and see whether the presence of those tumour fragments is associated with cancer recurrence. 
  • Dr. Vikas Gupta of UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer and Dr. James Kennedy of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre are developing a system to predict how patients with rare blood cancer will respond to therapy. Bone marrow transplant is the only curative treatment for myelofibrosis, but it has serious side effects and is only used for high-risk patients. Having already developed a risk scoring tool for myelofibrosis, the research team will reanalyze the data to see if the score can identify which patients are suitable for transplant and at what time during treatment they will benefit most from it.

Each of these projects were rigorously evaluated through an iterative process, and they are poised to rapidly deliver on the study objectives.

“By reanalyzing samples and data that have already been collected using new and innovative methods, these studies are maximizing research efficiency and narrowing the gap between science and clinical practice,” says Dr. Lincoln Stein, OICR’s Acting Scientific Director. “Their work will make Ontario healthier and make the most of every dollar invested in our province’s world class research ecosystem.”

“In order to save and improve lives, we need to stay one step ahead of cancer,” says Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “Our government is proud to support the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research and commend their CATALYST program that will drive life-saving discoveries in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatments.”


OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province’s cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit http://www.oicr.on.ca.

The views expressed are those of OICR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Province of Ontario.