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Research

Each year, more than 14 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and more than eight million people die from the disease. New tools are urgently needed to better prevent, detect, diagnose and treat cancer so that people can live longer and healthier lives.

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is a collaborative, not-for-profit research institute that conducts and enables high-impact translational cancer research to accelerate the development of discoveries for patients around the world while maximizing the economic benefit of this research for the people of Ontario.

21,000+
21,000+
Ontario patients recruited to OICR-supported clinical trials
80%
80%
Growth in academic cancer clinical trial enrollment (through 3CTN)
3,500+
3,500+
Tumours sequenced to inform personalized cancer care
Our Vision

Cancer solved together

Our Mission

Partner with the oncology community to translate cancer research discoveries, transforming cancer care to benefit patients, and strengthening the Ontario economy.

Our Values

Excellence | Innovation | Collaboration
Impact | Responsibility | Community

Collaborate.
Collaborate.
We partner with researchers in Ontario and beyond
Translate.
Translate.
To conduct and enable cancer reserach
Change lives.
Change lives.
For the benefit of patients 
and the Ontario economy

OICR ensures Ontario’s world-class cancer research findings are benefiting patients and the Ontario economy. Here’s how we make that happen:

  • We conduct cross-disciplinary cancer research in fields such as genomics, immuno-oncology, informatics, drug discovery, and molecular pathology with partners in health care, research, government and the private sector;
  • We enable research in Ontario and worldwide by building collaborative networks, securely sharing data and making tools and resources available to the research community;
  • We translate our research findings to the clinic by developing clinical guidelines, supporting clinical trials and commercializing our innovations with our partner FACIT.
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Why is cancer so difficult to diagnose and treat?
  • Cancer is not one disease
  • Every patient’s cancer is different at the molecular level
  • Tumours are heterogeneous, so even parts of the same tumour can be different
  • Cancer evolves to be more comlex over time and can become resistant to treatment
  • Rare cancer stem cells, present in the tumour from day one, can resist treatment and allow a seemingly eliminated tumour to regrow
  • Cancer can suppress the immune system, keeping the body from recognizing or destroying tumours
  • New approaches to treatment are complex because they are individualized to each patient, which is termed precision medicine