Funding will support Pugh’s innovative work in blood-based cancer detection and screening

Dr. Trevor Pugh, OICR’s Director of Genomics and Senior Investigator, has been named one of ten winners of the 2019 TD Ready Challenge.

The award, which is valued at $1 million, will support Pugh’s research over the next three years as he and collaborators, including Dr. Raymond Kim at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, develop an effective blood test for early cancer detection. The test will aim to help those with hereditary cancer syndrome, including individuals with Lynch Syndrome and people that carry BRCA1/2 mutations.

“People who carry genetic changes that place them at a high risk of cancer often face significant health, travel and financial burdens,” says Pugh. “Not all surveillance tests are readily accessible in remote or lower-income regions, so many of these people do not undergo necessary proactive preventative screening. We want to help fix that.”

With TD’s funding, Pugh, Kim, and collaborators across Canada will work to create an accessible blood-based screening test that can detect cancers earlier than current methods, and guide more personalized management of individuals at high risk of developing the disease.

“This project hinges on close collaboration and coordination with patients and clinical teams caring for them,” says Pugh. “TD’s support will further amplify the impact of our work, especially that of our team’s clinical lead, Dr. Kim, as he mobilizes hereditary genetics clinics for the benefit of patients across Canada.”

“TD’s support will allow our Ontario scientists to build on their leadership in early cancer detection and screening,” says Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of OICR. “We would like to thank TD for having the vision to support such an important project that will positively impact the health of Canadians. We would also like to congratulate Dr. Pugh and his team, and look forward to their continued progress in making cancer screening more accessible.”

As part of TD’s $1 billion commitment to community giving, the 2019 TD Ready Challenge encouraged organizations across North America to create innovative solutions that help increase equitable health outcomes and focus on preventative efforts. In total, TD awarded $10 million for the 2019 Challenge to deliver innovative healthcare solutions to those that need it most.

“OICR has brought forward a creative and scalable solution to help increase equitable health outcomes for underserved and remote communities,” says Andrea Barrack, Global Head, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group. “Being a winner of the TD Ready Challenge is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators, as well as their dedication to improving the health of their communities and opening doors to a more inclusive tomorrow.”

A full list of The 2019 Ready Challenge winners as well as more information about the challenge can be found at www.td.com/thereadychallenge.