BC Cancer Foundation receives historic $18 million from anonymous donor
The BC Cancer Foundation has received a historic $18.346 million philanthropic grant thanks to an anonymous donor.
The money will go towards developing cutting-edge radiopharmaceuticals through to clinical trials at the world-leading Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics program at BC Cancer.
“Today marks an important moment in cancer research and care in Canada with one of the largest donations ever made to bring new treatment solutions to patients. The $18.346 million is grounded in hope and science with an opportunity to save lives here in BC, across the country and globe,” says Sarah Roth, president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation, in a release.
The donation will also establish BC Cancer’s Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics program under the leadership of Dr. François Bénard.
The first treatment trials will be used for radioligand therapy (RLT) for men with incurable, metastatic prostate cancer.
Results from those trials will be extremely important for treating other common cancers, including metastatic melanoma, breast, ovarian, pancreatic and blood cancers
“We’ve been effectively using medical isotopes in cancer imaging for decades and to treat thyroid cancer. We have recently developed probes that bind specifically to cancer cells enabling us to apply this technology to treat many more cancers, notably prostate,” said Bénard.
“With these game-changing funds, our team at BC Cancer can address the urgent need to improve outcomes for thousands of people in our province who are diagnosed with incurable cancer each year.”
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