Annual Competition for Research Grants 

The Cancer Research Society (CRS) is awarding 90 new research grants valued at $10.8 million as part of its annual competition. It is an all-time record for the organization for a second year in a row. The grants are awarded to some of the most promising cancer research projects in Canada.   

As part of its annual competition, the CRS receives hundreds of applications from researchers and clinicians throughout Canada who are seeking a $120,000, 2-year grant for a cancer research project. The financial support is awarded to projects retained through a rigorous selection process conducted via peer evaluation committees which this year were composed of 85 researchers and clinicians who generously volunteered their time.  

“The Cancer Research Society is an undisputed leader in Canada’s research sector. Our vision for the last 75 years has been to outsmart cancer by providing the necessary financial support to brilliant researchers across Canada whose research projects are both innovative and promising.  

This announcement further demonstrates our impact on cancer research and inevitably on cancer patients and their families.” 
Manon Pepin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Research Society 

Whether it is to counter the adverse effects of certain cancer drugs or detect breast cancer with a blood test, discover some of the innovative proposals of researchers who received a grant by clicking here.  

“We are very proud of the excitement our competition has generated within the scientific community and among leading researchers. All of the selected projects have a real potential to lead to breakthroughs that will ultimately have an impact in the cancer research ecosystem.”   
Dajan O’Donnell, PhD, Director of Scientific Affairs and Partnerships at the Cancer Research Society 

The support offered by the CRS is made possible thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors and partners who co-fund certain grants, including Ovarian Cancer Canada, the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.  

Furthermore, CRS continues to fund grants and scholarships from previous years, as well as some research projects aimed at various types of cancer in partnership with other organizations.  

Here is the list of all the researchers selected. 

Causes and prevention - the most effective approach to reducing the risk of developing the disease

Christina Addison

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Identification of pathways driving metastasis of invasive lobular breast cancer

Fawzi Aoudjit

Université Laval – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Uncovering the mechanisms of cell adhesion-induced chemoresistance in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Eric Campos

The Hospital for Sick Children

ATRX-mediated chromatin compaction and the alternative lengthening of telomeres

Johnathan Canton

University of Calgary

The role of phosphoinositides in the generation of anti-cancer cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses by dendritic cells

Edmond Chan

Queen's University

Mechanisms of mitochondrial fusion during tumour progression and metastasis

Daniel De Carvalho

University Health Network

Premalignancy as an opportunity for therapeutic interception of ovarian cancer

Caroline Diorio

CHU de Québec - Université Laval – funded in partnership with "Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation"

The effect of cannabinoid receptors on breast cancer survival

Sean Egan

The Hospital for Sick Children

APOBEC3, an endogenous mutagen driving breast cancer progression

Shokrollah Elahi

University of Alberta – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

IL-16 as a novel therapeutic target in hematological cancers

Federico Gaiti

University Health Network – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Defining the determinants of IDH-mutant gliomas evolution from indolent to aggressive disease phase

Casimiro Gerarduzzi

Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

A novel pathway of VEGF-C/FLT4 signalling for renal cell carcinoma development

Pauline Johnson

University of British Columbia

Regulation and function of CD44 in tumour metastasis to the lung

Lisa Julian

Simon Fraser University – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Defining ER stress profiles as determinants of cell identity and therapeutic vulnerability in mTORC1-driven brain tumours

David Knapp

Université de Montréal

Modelling the progression from clonal hematopoiesis to leukemia

Robert Kridel

University Health Network – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Elucidation of the immune contexture and gene regulatory basis underlying post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders

Sylvie Mader

Université de Montréal

Roles of the transcription factor FOXA1 in breast tumorigenesis

Frederick A. Mallette

Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – funded in partnership with "Herbert James Davies Memorial Fund"

Novel function of DEPTOR in regulating the formation of spliceosomes in multiple myeloma

Chantal Matar

University of Ottawa

Role of the gut microbiome in epigenetic alterations at puberty and breast cancer in adulthood

Kirk McManus

University of Manitoba

Exploring and targeting reduced FBXO5 expression in colorectal cancer

Lisa Munter

McGill University

Investigating the role of RHBDL4 in HER2-driven mammary tumorigenesis

Yoshiaki Tanaka

Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Investigating the roles of primate-specific retrotransposon-derived transcripts in glioblastoma

Ivan Topisirovic

Jewish General Hospital

The role of electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) in cancer

Michel Tremblay

McGill University – funded in partnership with "Cancer Research Society Michael O’Gallagher Memorial Fund"

PTP-PRL2 (PTP4A2) in lymphoangiogenesis and metastasis: a novel target in cancer

Eva Turley

London Health Sciences Centre Research – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis"

Roles of microenvironment hyaluronan in preventing skin cancer initiation

Yojiro Yamanaka

McGill University

Investigating ovarian cancer susceptibility of FANCI L604F in mouse ovarian cancer models

Detection – early detection is critical to improving patient outcomes

Cathie Garnis

BC Cancer

A blood-based biomarker for the early detection of oropharyngeal cancer

David Juncker

McGill University

Live imaging of individual extracellular vesicles from single breast cancer cells

Jacques Lapointe

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre – funded in partnership with "Suzanne and Louis Daubois Fund"

Exploring the role of exomeres and supermeres in prostate cancer

Chun Peng

York University– funded in partnership with "Ovarian Cancer Canada"

Role of circSKA3 in ovarian cancer development

Lynne Postovit

Queen's University

Proteomics-based biomarker discovery in human ovarian cancer extracellular vesicles

Carlos Rossa

Carleton University – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Sensorized needles for prostate cancer localization in mpMRI/US targeted biopsy

Karla Williams

University of British Columbia – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Development of a liquid biopsy for early breast cancer detection

Zhaolei Zhang

University of Toronto – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Single-cell proteogenomics integrating mutation profiles with protein signatures to identify relapse-fated leukemic clones in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia

Treatment – the development of new treatments, including targeted or personalized therapies

Costin Antonescu

Toronto Metropolitan University

Metabolic control of glycogen synthase kinase 3ß nuclear translocation by lysosomal signals drives breast cancer cell proliferation and survival

Michele Ardolino

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute – funded in partnership with "Suzanne and Louis Daubois Fund"

PD-L1 metabolically imprints cancer cells to be more responsive to oncolytic virotherapy

Christian Beausejour

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine

New senolytic approaches for the elimination of senescent cells

Andrew Beharry

University of Toronto

A fluorescent chemosensor for the DNA repair protein, O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase, to guide clinician decision-making in glioblastoma

Yannick Benoit

University of Ottawa – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Pre-clinical development of an extended-release nanosphere formulation to deliver a novel colorectal cancer stem cell-targeting agent

Nicolas Bertrand

Université Laval – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Anti-PEG antibodies and adverse reactions to PEGylated drugs: effect of mRNA vaccination and novel mitigation strategies

Shawn Beug

CHEO Research Institute

Evaluating the role of extracellular vesicles in response to Interferons and IAP antagonists

Jean-Philippe Brosseau

Université de Sherbrooke – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis"

Development of NF1 gene therapy

Frédéric Charron

Montreal Clinical Research Institute

Chemoprevention of medulloblastoma

Jacques Côté

Université Laval

Understanding the molecular determinants of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas

Kyle Cowan

CHEO Research Institute – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Pannexin 1 in rhabdomyosarcoma: role in pathogenesis and progression & mechanisms of action

Andrew Craig

Queen's University

Impact of chromosome 19 miRNA cluster oncomiRs on melanoma progression and metastasis

Shoukat Dedhar

BC Cancer – funded in partnership with "Rob Lutterman Memorial Fund"

Pancreatic cancer progression: Targeting NET-DNA-induced ILK activation

Fred Dick

University of Western Ontario

Investigating Hoxa9 as a novel therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer

Susan Done

University Health Network

Impact of the microenvironment on triple-negative breast cancer progression

Nicoletta Eliopoulos

Jewish General Hospital – funded in partnership with "Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation"

Gene-Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Delivery Vehicles for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Aravindhan Ganesan

University of Waterloo – funded in partnership with "Charlotte Légaré Memorial Fund"

Developing novel small molecule inhibitors of VISTA for cancer immunotherapy

Alina Gerrie

BC Cancer

Integrative genomic analysis of Hodgkin variant Richter transformation in CLL

Ing Swie Goping

University of Alberta – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Investigating breast cancer organoids

Jean-Philippe Gratton

Université de Montréal

Role of ZO-1 in endothelial cell stress responses and in tumour angiogenesis

Patrick Gunning

University of Toronto

Development of selective allosteric inhibitors of JPRK for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

Kevin Hay

BC Cancer – funded in partnership with "Herbert James Davies Memorial Fund"

A proteomics-guided approach to multi-antigen targeted (CAR)-T cells for myeloma

Matthew Hebb

University of Western Ontario – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Novel electrotherapy for enhanced drug delivery and control of brain-seeking breast cancer metastases

Ryan Hili

York University

Development of selective inhibitors of human m6A demethylases

Kristin Hope

University Health Network – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Targeting the epigenetic reader MBD1 as a novel strategy to intercept acute myeloid leukemia

Sung Kim

University of Western Ontario

Reprogramming the tumour-associated macrophages and microenvironment by PU.1 inhibition

Madhuri Koti

Queen's University

Investigating the role of age-associated B cells in response to BCG immunotherapy in bladder cancer.

Anand Krishnan

The University of Saskatchewan – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Potential therapies for cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer

Jean-Philippe Lambert

Université Laval

Structural characterization of full-length BET proteins and their functional implications to cancer

Scot Leary

The University of Saskatchewan – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Targeting mitochondrial fission machinery in tumour-initiating cells

Chinten James Lim

University of British Columbia – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Paracrine and autocrine IL-6 as drivers of treatment resistance in medulloblastoma

Luke McCaffrey

McGill University

Identifying tamoxifen-persistent cells to predict ER+ breast cancer outcomes

Francois Mercier

Jewish General Hospital – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Deciphering the role of the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC1 in the chemotherapy response of acute myeloid leukemia

Wilson Miller

Jewish General Hospital

Using MNK1/2 inhibitors to target CDK4/6 resistance in breast cancer

Torsten Nielsen

University of British Columbia – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Optimizing triple-negative breast cancer therapy based on immune cell morphology

Armen Parsyan

University of Western Ontario – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Studies of anticancer effects of radiation therapy and polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) inhibitor CFI-400945 in triple-negative breast cancer

Lisa Porter

University of Windsor

Dissecting the progression to treatment-resistant neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Moutih Rafei

Université de Montréal – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Optimizing the anti-tumour potency of the MSC-TPr vaccine

Kirill Rosen

Dalhousie University

The cell death-regulating protein MLKL as a novel target for colorectal cancer treatment

Derek Rosenzweig

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Targeting senescent cells to subdue breast-to-bone metastasis

Anthony Rullo

McMaster University – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Tumour targeting of universal T cells using covalent adapter molecules

Luc Sabourin

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

The role of Sox7 in phenotype switching of BRAF melanomas

Andreea Schmitzer

Université de Montréal – funded in partnership with "Charlotte Légaré Memorial Fund"

MitoCure: a program for the development of biguanides targeting mitochondria

David Spaner

Sunnybrook Research Institute

Targeting interferon to improve leukemia therapy

Jonathan Spicer

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Disentangling radiation-resistant lung cancer by targeting neutrophil extracellular traps

Woong-Kyung Suh

Montreal Clinical Research Institute – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Epigenetic driving forces of angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL)

Anastasia Tikhonova

University Health Network – funded in partnership with "Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada"

Targeting the molecular interaction of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the bone marrow microenvironment

Sue Tsai

University of Alberta – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Regulation of CD8+ T cell-mediated anti-tumour immunity by insulin signalling

Jonathan Wasserman

The Hospital for Sick Children

Transcriptome-based risk stratification of pediatric thyroid neoplasms

Nadine Wiper-Bergeron

University of Ottawa

Suppression of cancer stem cells and cancer cachexia by candidate C/EBPß reducing drugs

Simon Wisnovsky

University of British Columbia

Defining new glyco-immune checkpoint ligands as next-generation targets for leukemia immunotherapy

Michael Witcher

Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital

Targeting aberrant transcriptional processes in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Sarah Wootton

University of Guelph – funded in partnership with "Ovarian Cancer Canada"

Preclinical translation of oncolytic Orf virus as a potent inducer of anti-tumour immunity in an orthotopic model of late-stage epithelial ovarian cancer

Samuel Workenhe

University of Guelph

Igniting pyroptotic fire to boost anticancer immunity

Xiaolong Yang

Queen's University – funded in partnership with "Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research"

Characterization of PTPN12 as a novel regulator of the Hippo pathway in breast cancer metastasis

Jonathan Yeung

University Health Network – funded in partnership with "Aristotle Fund"

Prediction of drug response in esophageal adenocarcinoma patients using organoids

Gelareh Zadeh

University Health Network

Proteomic markers of treatment-induced adaptation to hypoxia in glioblastoma