Dr. Stéphanie Michaud
President & CEO, BioCanRx
Despite medical advances in treating cancer through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, some patients are still not cured. But immunotherapy is offering hope in treating some cancers by using the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapies have helped many patients, but continued research is needed to make these treatments a reality for more patients.
“That’s where our network is making a difference,” says Dr. Stéphanie Michaud, President and CEO of BioCanRx — Canada’s Immunotherapy Network. “Our hope is to cure and enhance the quality of life of those living with cancer. BioCanRx brings together scientists, clinicians, cancer stakeholders, academic institutions, NGOs, and industry partners to accelerate the development of leading-edge, made-in-Canada immunotherapies for the benefit of patients as quickly and safely as possible, increasing the number of clinical trials available in Canada.”
Moving research from the lab to the clinic
BioCanRx funds research that will move these new treatments from the lab into early phase clinical trials. The network includes the patient voice in research projects and through its Cancer Stakeholder Alliance and the Learning Institute at the annual Summit for Cancer Immunotherapy. “We’re also training the next generation of cancer immunotherapy researchers and biotechnology workers,” says Dr. Michaud, “while BioCanRx core facilities are manufacturing the products needed to bring the latest immunotherapies to Canadian patients.”
