Introduction

The Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) is an alliance of organizations that collectively fund most of the cancer research conducted in Canada – research that will lead to:

  • better ways to prevent cancer
  • diagnose cancer
  • treat cancer and
  • improve patient and survivor outcomes.

Members include federal research funding programs/agencies, provincial research agencies, provincial cancer care agencies, cancer charities, and other voluntary associations. 

We are motivated by the belief that, through effective collaboration, Canadian cancer research funding organizations can maximize their collective impact on cancer control and accelerate discovery for the ultimate benefit of Canadians affected by cancer.

Our Executive Office is supported by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action on cancer control for all Canadians. For more information on the Partnership’s role, click here.

The CCRA is not a registered charity and cannot accept donations. If you wish to donate to a charity that funds cancer research, please check our Members page.

CCRA... 

  • has been publishing reports on the annual investment in cancer research in Canada since 2007 (to access, click here)
  • also publishes research investment reports on childhood and adolescent cancers, cancer risk and prevention, early translation, survivorship, and palliative and end-of-life care (to access, click here)
  • has developed two pan-Canadian cancer research strategies, which identify key priorities for cancer research funding collaboration (to access, click here)
  • has produced specific research frameworks for prevention, survivorship, and palliative and end-of-life care, as well as a report on the state of cancer clinical trials in Canada (to access, click here)
  • CCRA’s publications have been cited in more than 50 scientific papers (for a listing of these papers, click here)
  • has convened three scientific conferences, with the fourth scheduled for November 2017 in Vancouver (for more information, click here)
  • recognizes, on a biennial basis, the accomplishments of key leaders in cancer research (for more information, click here).

Dr. Cindy Bell is CCRA's New Chair

At the December 2018 CCRA Member Meeting, Dr. Cindy Bell, Genome Canada's Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, transitioned from Chair-elect to CCRA Chair. Dr. Bell was elected from among the organizational representatives and will serve a two-year term.

Members recognized the invaluable contributions of outgoing Chair, Dr. Stephen Robbins, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Cancer Research. Dr. Robbins will remain in the Past-Chair capacity until December 2019.

Hot off the press!

The recently released 2017-18 annual report of the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN) summarizes the accomplishments of the 3CTN cancer centres and represents the culmination of its initial four year strategic plan spanning 2014-2018. The report provides many examples of how 3CTN has established a sustained framework for supporting Canada’s academic cancer clinical trials environment, setting a foundation for the future.

New Scientific Partner of CPTP

The University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health will be the new scientific partner of Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project (CPTP), Canada’s largest-ever health research platform. The University of Toronto, working in partnership with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, will accelerate CPTP’s research potential and provide more opportunities for made-in-Canada discoveries. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health was selected for its strong track record of world class public health and extensive experience leading large-scale studies.

Coordinated nationally through the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and now the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, CPTP is the result of a decade of collaboration among scientific leaders across the country: BC Generations Project, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, Ontario Health Study, Quebec’s CARTaGENE project, Atlantic PATH, and CPTP’s newest emerging cohort, the Manitoba Tomorrow Project. The new leadership team, Dr. Philip Awadalla as National Scientific Director and John McLaughlin as Executive Director, is committed to continuing the unprecedented pan-Canadian collaboration among the regional cohorts.

With health and biological information from over 300,000 Canadians aged 30 to 74, CPTP will remain a valuable international and national research tool, allowing scientists to further explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour interact and contribute to the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. For more information, see http://www.partnershipfortomorrow.ca/. 

Cancer Research Investment in 2015

According to CCRA's latest report, $480M was invested in cancer research in 2015. The investment in operating grants accounted for a larger proportion of the investment than in previous years due to a decline in investment in equipment/infrastructure. There were significant increases from 2011 to 2015 in the investments made in research on prostate cancer, brain cancer, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia.

To access this report, detailed tables, and a companion slide deck, click here.

*Please note that a regrettable error was made on the initial PDF and the hard copy version of the English report. The Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) was omitted from the list of member organizations on the final page of the report. The PDF has been corrected and uploaded (Jan. 29/18). BCSC is a valued member and we apologize for this omission.

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Other News and Events...

Global Challenge to Prevent Breast Cancer

The Global Challenge to Prevent Breast Cancer, sponsored by the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP), is a competition designed to surface game-changing breast cancer primary prevention research ideas. By providing cash prizes, feedback from respected researchers, and the opportunity to present ideas to prominent leaders in the field, the challenge aims to cultivate breakthrough research that will help catalyze the field of breast cancer primary prevention. The most promising ideas will frame CBCRP’s future funding strategy and will be further developed in California with $15 million in grant funding from the program. 

The application window has been extended to January 31, 2019. For more information, see https://topreventbreastcancer.ideascale.com/.