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April 6, 2011
 Today,
the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation celebrates
Cancer Awareness Month with the announcement of the 2011
Northern Cancer Fund grants. A total of $890,057 has been
designated to cancer care here at the Health Sciences Centre
and throughout the region.
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Northern Cancer Fund grants are made possible by
generous donors and their continued support of the
Health Sciences Foundation. “We are so blessed
to have so much support from our community,”
says Glenn Craig. “It is because of the generosity
of the people of Northwestern Ontario that these
grants were approved for funding.”
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“Through the Northern
Cancer Fund, the tradition of advancing world-class
cancer care and research in Northwestern Ontario continues,”
says Andrée Robichaud, Health Sciences Centre
President & CEO. “The programs and equipment
funded by these Northern Cancer Fund grants help to
further our standing as an academic health sciences
centre with a focus on patient and family centred
care, as well as improve our overall standing as a
premier cancer care facility.”
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A $500,000 grant will support cancer-focused
research at the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute
(TBRRI). In the near future people with cancer will experience
safer, more effective removal of tumours - without surgery.
The science and techniques are being perfected right here,
right now. And the people of Northwestern Ontario will be
the first to benefit. Dr. Laura Curiel and Dr. Ingeborg
Zehbe are brilliant, distinguished scientists who work at
TBRRI. Along with principle investigators Dr. Neety Panu
and Dr. Siren, they focus on High Intensity Focused Ultrasound
(HIFU), which uses ultrasound waves to ‘cook’
tumours with heat from outside the body and without the
need for surgery.
“HIFU research is highly meaningful:
its impact will be felt by cancer care professionals, patients
and families across the globe,” says Glenn Craig,
President & CEO of the Health Sciences Foundation.
Additional Northern Cancer Fund grants support
the purchase of new equipment and programs for the diagnosis,
treatment, and recovery of cancer for the Thunder Bay Regional
Health Sciences Centre’s Regional Cancer Care Northwest.
One Northern Cancer Fund grant for $185,443 supported the
development of a Breast MRI Program Development in conjunction
with the Linda Buchan Centre.
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“It is an exciting
time at the Health Sciences Centre as clinical breast
MRI services are now being offered to patients,”
says Dr. Neety Panu, Lead Radiologist at the Regional
Health Sciences Centre. “With a dedicated breast
MRI and expert radiologists here, we can offer not
only convenience, but faster, more comprehensive investigations
in order to make the best recommendations for our
patients.”
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Other grants funded by the Northern
Cancer Fund include:
- Thunder Bay and District Breast Cancer Support
Group - $5,500
- Chemotherapy Fridge, Telemedicine Equipment, Triple Channel
Pump (Fort Frances – Riverside Healthcare Facilities)
- $24,989
- MR Guided Prostate Coil and Biopsy System - $111,450
- Chemotherapy Equipment – Biological Safety Cabinets
(Sioux Lookout – Meno Ya Win Health Centre - $18,675
- Prostate & Colorectal Awareness Campaigns and Northern
Cancer Question and Answer Series - $44,000
“Grants dedicated to cancer care help
us to stay ahead of the curve, which makes a big difference
in our ability to deliver world-class patient care,”
explains Joanne Lacourciere, Director of Diagnostic Programs.
“With the support of the Foundation, we continue to
bring new scientific knowledge into clinical practice.”
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