Dr. Stuart Edmonds
EVP, Mission, Research, & Advocacy,
Canadian Cancer Society
Many problems in cancer need big-picture thinking. Disruptive innovation aims high to drive better cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and support.
Big problems need bold solutions.
That’s why impactful innovation is a vital part of cancer research. By looking at research problems in new ways and testing the limits of new technologies, we can gain a better understanding of tricky problems — and find solutions faster.
One way the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) supports impactful research is through its Disruptive Innovation Grants, co-created and co-funded with the Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation, which fuel the work of scientists focused on topics like artificial intelligence or personalized, tumour-targeting therapies. These projects allow us to understand how tumours grow and resist treatment, detect disease earlier and more reliably, and test new ideas that could increase survival and quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer.
For instance, treatments that boost the immune system’s anti-cancer response are highly effective against some types of cancer, but may not work against others. To make sure that people with cancer receive the best possible treatment, Dr. Jean-Simon Diallo and colleagues at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute are testing thousands of drugs using a lab test that lights up when anti-tumour immune responses are blocked. Drugs that make the test signal go down could help boost the body’s immune response against cancer – and could even be combined with cancer-killing viruses that help alert the immune system to the presence of cancer.
Disruptive innovation is changing the way we approach cancer science, introducing a new class of research that looks for ambitious solutions where they’re needed most.
Want to know more about what’s moving cancer research forward? Find out about the latest CCS Disruptive Innovation Grants at cancer.ca.
