Listen to what the Foundation CEO has to say about the campaign.

As The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation continues to raise funds for one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world, we’re asked often:  Why is The Princess Margaret a world leader? There are many reasons the centre has achieved a world-class reputation, but this spring, in our communications with donors and the public, we are focusing on one reason—our scientists and researchers never stop asking why…  

Why is the body’s immune system not able to fight off all cancers?
Why does cancer return in some patients?
Why did a particular cancer drug work for one patient but not any of the others?
Why did one patient’s tumour shrink dramatically with radiation, but another’s barely at all?

Starting in May, you’ll see on banners outside the cancer centre, the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower and in various media:  WHY is in our DNA.
This ‘Why gene’ that our team possesses in abundance has already helped to build The Princess Margaret’s rich history of discovery and innovation, including:
 

• The discovery of stem cells by Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch
• The discovery of the T-cell receptor, considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of immunology, by Dr. Tak Mak
• World-leading work in the study of stem cells in cancer led by Dr. John Dick
• Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (bone marrow stem cells from another person)
• Pioneering the integration of cone-beam CT imaging into radiation treatment
• Developing Canada’s most comprehensive immunotherapy program

 

Our researchers possess highly curious minds, but their success requires more than just curiosity. Asking precisely the right question is an art, and requires a special type of creativity. And our research ‘rock stars’ are the first to point out that they do not work alone.  Collaborative and complementary team members fuel one another by refining the questions and pursuing different strategies in search of the answers.

Over the next few months, you’ll be introduced to a number of our researchers and hear about the questions they are asking and why the funds raised and contributed by our donor community are so crucial to their ability to find answers and deliver on the promise of personalized cancer medicine.