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Home arrow News arrow BioTech arrow Cluster of investments bring focus and millions to cancer research in New Brunswick
Cluster of investments bring focus and millions to cancer research in New Brunswick PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 29 June 2009
There are a lot more than daffodils and tulips emerging on the grounds of the Moncton-based Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) and its partners this spring. Wednesday's announcements of two university research chairs established at UNB and Université de Moncton, in collaboration with the ACRI, is but one of a cluster of investments that has been announced this spring.
  • The latest announcement represents over $3 million in investment towards the establishment of the research chairs. Canadian Cancer Society New Brunswick (CCS-NB) president, Adelaïde LaPlante; and Executive Director, Anne McTiernan-Gamble were on hand to announce this landmark investment, in an event that included: a gripping story of medical triumph delivered by 14-year old cancer survivor Malcolm Elliot; as well as presentations on the collaboration by Yvon Fontaine, President and Vice-Chancellor, Université de Moncton, Dr. John McLaughlin, President of UNB, and Dr. Rodney Ouellette, CEO and Director of Discovery, ACRI. These Chairs in cancer research will be directed at cancer biology, including a spectrum of relevant areas that includes cancer bio-markers, cancer pathogenesis, molecular imaging and targeted therapeutic approaches. An increase in cancer research is particularly important to New Brunswick, given its status as the region with the lowest survival rate in Canada.
  • Earlier this week, a plan for a new $20 million integrated health and medical research centre was unveiled by Moncton's Georges-L. Dumont Regional Hospital. The 60,000 square-foot facility may also become the eventual new home of the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute.
  • Earlier this spring, the Province of New Brunswick made a historic investment in cancer research, committing $5 million over five years to the ACRI. The Province's investment will lever significant additional investments over that period of time, in view of accelerating cancer research in the region, and moving ACRI's findings into a clinical setting. Dr. Rodney Ouellette, CEO and Director of Discovery at the Institute, said the investments would help the establishment further develop its research, which focuses on early screening, enhanced diagnosis and targeted treatment.

The investments arrive just after the tenth year anniversary celebration of the Institute. During the associated celebrations, Dr. Rodney Ouellette, CEO and co-founder of the Institute, spoke of ACRI's emerging role in "translational research" where its findings are actually being used to help doctors understand cancer better and devise new treatment methods. The Institute enjoys a robust and mutually beneficial relationship with New Brunswick clinicians.

The Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 and housed at the Dr. Georges L. Dumont Regional Hospital in Moncton. It has become a true centre of excellence in cancer research. Scientists work with partners in Canada and around the world to discover the genetic origins of cancer and pursue three main areas of development: early detection, enhanced diagnosis, and targeted treatment. ACRI's multidisciplinary research team of approximately 35 people have expertise in genomics, proteomics, molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, bioinformatics, pathology, synthetic and organic chemistry, mass spectrometry as well as in vitro and in vivo testing.

In addition to its work in cancer, ACRI has established an important service platform in microarray for all of Atlantic Canada's genomics workers, in biological organisms as diverse as fish and plants, as well as ACRI's focused targets. Employees of the Institute have also worked in collaboration with other researchers in the region in the development of tools for data mining, and interpretation of the complex information emerging from micro-array studies.

Later this month, the Institute and its associated Atlantic Microarray Facility (AMF) is playing host to the Atlantic Omics Symposium and Expo 2009, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, at the Delta Beauséjour in Moncton, on June 18 and 19. The event attracts participants from all over the world to Moncton, as well as eminent researchers who wish to share their experiences and their knowledge of omics technologies. This symposium is intended for researchers and students in chemistry, biology, computer sciences and mathematics whose research activities are linked to human health, aquaculture, agriculture and forestry. Individuals from any of the disciplines described above who are interested in exposure to omics-related topics are encouraged to attend. You can learn more at: http://www.atlanticcancer.ca/aos/.

A recent study by BioAtlantech and its partners identified New Brunswick's most significant bio-medical research cluster in Moncton/Southeast NB, with economic activity and employment of $22 million, and 212, respectively, in 2007. These robust figures represent only discovery-based bioscience research in the public and private sector, and exclude health services and other health sectors, such as e-health. Southeastern New Brunswick is home to two significant universities.



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