Clinical Translation Pathway
Clinical Translation Pathway Summary
Inquiries
Director, Clinical Translation
Teresa Petrocelli, M.Sc., PhD
teresa.petrocelli@oicr.on.ca
OICR created the Clinical Translation Pathway (CTP) to accelerate translational cancer research so that precise, impactful and cost-effective treatments can benefit cancer patients.
What we do
The Clinical Translation Pathway (CTP) supports innovative cancer research that aims to turn scientific discoveries into tools to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively.
Why we do it
New findings in the lab don’t easily become new practices in the clinic. There are many challenges in turning scientific discoveries into tools and treatments that benefit patients. OICR created CTP to help overcome these challenges and deliver impactful and cost-effective cancer solutions to patients who need them.
How we do it
CTP supports a wide range of cancer innovative research, including innovations from OICR-supported research as well as projects from across Ontario. The program focuses on projects with a clear path to impact, helping research findings be adopted into practice. By encouraging the collaboration between researchers, patients, and caregivers, the CTP embodies the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Funding Streams
- Pre-Clinical Acceleration Team Awards (Pre-CATA): Supports pre-clinical projects, which are early stage studies before innovations are tested with humans, with a focus on the discovery of biomarkers, diagnostics and therapeutics.
- Clinical Acceleration Team Awards (CATA): Supports early phase (I-II) clinical trials for the validation of biomarkers, diagnostics and therapeutics in humans.
Currently funded CTP projects
Development of a therapeutic approach to target B cell exhaustion in high-risk early stage bladder cancer
Principal Investigator:
Madhuri Koti – Queen’s University
Madhuri Koti – Queen’s University
Biomarker Validation and Phenotypic Insights into Metformin’s Effect on Prostate Cancer Progression
Principal Investigator:
Neil Fleshner – University Health Network
Neil Fleshner – University Health Network
Radiolabeled ALK2 Inhibitors as PET Imaging Agents and a Therapeutic-Enabling Paradigm for the Treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
Principal Investigator:
David Uehling – Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
David Uehling – Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Pharmacogenomic and circulating biomarkers for predicting toxicity or suboptimal benefit from small molecule kinase inhibitor therapy
Principal Investigator:
Richard Kim – Lawson Health Research Institute
Richard Kim – Lawson Health Research Institute
Cell-free circulating tumour DNA methylation as a comprehensive biomarker to predict tumour behaviour and response to therapy in central nervous system tumours
Principal Investigator:
Gelareh Zadeh, University Health Network
Gelareh Zadeh, University Health Network
Circulating multi-molecule signatures for early detection of osteosarcoma recurrence
Principal Investigator:
Geoffrey Wood, University of Guelph
Geoffrey Wood, University of Guelph
Humanized mouse models for validation of therapeutic oncolytic virus and biomarker validation
Principal Investigator:
Karen Mossman, McMaster University
Karen Mossman, McMaster University
A Master Cancer Signaling Regulator as a Novel Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker
Principal Investigator:
Kun Ping Lu, The University of Western Ontario
Kun Ping Lu, The University of Western Ontario
Comprehensive, Longitudinal Evaluation of Prostate Imaging Biomarkers Post Radiation (CLIMBER)
Principal Investigator:
Glenn Bauman – Lawson Health Research Institute
Glenn Bauman – Lawson Health Research Institute
Translation of an early prostate cancer tissue signature in urine liquid biopsy for prognosis and active surveillance
Principal Investigator:
Jane Bayani – Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Jane Bayani – Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Development of a personalized epigenetic maintenance approach for AML and MDS patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Principal Investigator:
Tobias Berg – McMaster University
Tobias Berg – McMaster University
Validation of ultrasensitive HPV ctDNA analysis platforms for detection of molecular residual disease in HPV-positive cancers
Principal Investigator:
Scott Bratman – University Health Network
Scott Bratman – University Health Network
Molecular Residual Disease Interception in Locoregionally-Advanced High Risk HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC (MERIDIAN)
Principal Investigator:
Scott Bratman – University Health Network
Scott Bratman – University Health Network
A phase II single-arm, open-label trial of Kadcyla And Neratinib for Her2+ Breast Cancer with Molecular Residual Disease (KAN-HER2-MRD)
Principal Investigator:
David Cescon – University Health Network
David Cescon – University Health Network
Targeting chemotherapy-induced cancer diapause: a phase II study of 5-FU, irinotecan, bevacizumab and hydroxychloroquine in advanced colorectal cancer
Principal Investigator:
Eric Chen – University Health Network
Eric Chen – University Health Network
Development of a New Cellular Hierarchy-Based Framework for Advancing Precision Medicine in AML
Principal Investigator:
John Dick – University Health Network
John Dick – University Health Network
Surgery for Mesothelioma After Radiation Therapy using Exquisite Systemic Therapy with induction low dose cyclophosphamide and adjuvant PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor – the SMARTEST trial
Principal Investigator:
Marc de Perrot – University Health Network
Marc de Perrot – University Health Network
Patient-specific prediction of fluoropyrimidine dose and toxicity risk based on circulating micro RNA and NextGen exome sequencing coupled to functional validation in vitro and in vivo
Principal Investigator:
Richard Kim – Lawson Health Research Institute
Richard Kim – Lawson Health Research Institute
From Liquid Biopsy to Cure: Using ctDNA detection of minimal residual disease to identify patients for curative therapy after lung cancer resection
Principal Investigator:
Natasha Leighl – University Health Network
Natasha Leighl – University Health Network
REVOLVE: Phase 2 Clinical Trial in women with Ovarian Cancer Progressing post-PARP inhibitor with treatment adapted to real-time assessment of evolving genomic resistance
Principal Investigator:
Stephanie Lheureux – University Health Network
Stephanie Lheureux – University Health Network
Development of a Diagnostic Biomarker Assay to Guide a Precision Medicine Approach Towards Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Principal Investigator:
Mitchell Sabloff – The Ottawa Hospital
Mitchell Sabloff – The Ottawa Hospital
A Precision Medicine Strategy for Breast Cancer Detection
Principal Investigator:
Martin Yaffe – Sunnybrook Research Institute
Martin Yaffe – Sunnybrook Research Institute
First-in-Human Porphysome Nanotechnology for Precision Tumour Ablation and Surgical Guidance
Principal Investigator:
Gang Zheng – University Health Network
Gang Zheng – University Health Network
In the News
Stem cell test predicts leukemia relapse just 30 days after transplant
Feb 24, 2025
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research announces awards for eight research teams developing innovative ways to diagnose and treat cancer
Aug 14, 2024
New “window-of-opportunity” clinical trials explore cutting-edge treatments for cancers of the liver, head and neck
Apr 18, 2024
How AI can help diagnose cancers that are otherwise hard to spot
Mar 06, 2024
The secret to stopping deadly cancer recurrences may be in your blood
Aug 11, 2023
Cancer researchers focused on bringing new discoveries to patients get two-year funding awards
Jun 14, 2023
Patient perspectives fuelling translational OICR studies
Oct 05, 2022
Prostate cancer trial aims to deliver shorter, more effective radiotherapy thanks to advanced imaging
Aug 24, 2022
Funding from Ontario Institute for Cancer Research to help move research from experiment to impact
Aug 11, 2022
OICR announces funding for three new window-of-opportunity clinical trials
Jun 16, 2022
OICR, Intensity Therapeutics and The Ottawa Hospital to conduct Window of Opportunity clinical trial in early-stage breast cancer
Mar 24, 2021
Harnessing the time before a patient’s surgery to accelerate cancer research
Sep 20, 2019
Using the “window of opportunity” to understand biomarkers and tumour biology
Sep 11, 2019
Looking Ahead
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