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Pfizer Global Research and Development joins forces with Ontario cancer researchers and contributes $6 million to combat colon cancer
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Toronto, July 17, 2009 - Pfizer Global Research and Development is joining forces with researchers in Ontario to discover and validate new targets for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. The announcement was made by Minister of Research and Innovation, John Milloy, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, David Caplan, Mr. Paul Lévesque, President of Pfizer Canada, Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and Dr. Ben Neel, Director of the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) located at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), the cancer research hospital at the University Health Network (UHN).
The program, entitled POP-CURE (an acronym for PMH-OICR-Pfizer-CURE), will be led by Dr. Bradly Wouters, Senior Scientist at the OCI and OICR Senior Investigator, Selective Therapies Program. Dr. Wouters and a team of scientists at OCI and OICR will use genomic and molecular pathology approaches and develop a large clinical biobank to identify molecular signatures in colorectal cancer. These molecular signatures will be used to accelerate the development of biomarkers for early detection, monitoring and treatment of cancer.
Colorectal cancer is currently evaluated using physical criteria and classified based on the stage of the cancer's development. However, patient prognosis and response to treatment varies widely at each stage, with some patients doing much better than others, suggesting there are a number of sub-types of colorectal cancer. Biomarkers identified by the POP-CURE study could be used to classify colorectal cancer by sub-type at the molecular level, providing doctors with powerful new tools for predicting patient prognosis and response to treatment. Identification of molecular signatures could also aid in the development of new therapeutics that target cancer cells selectively. Because such treatments will primarily target and destroy cancer cells, sparing normal cells, fewer side effects are expected compared to current cancer treatments.
Pfizer Global Research and Development will contribute $6 million over three years for the participating laboratories in Ontario. The OICR and OCI scientists will leverage existing Ontario Government support that has been provided to OICR and other organizations to build and utilize state-of-the-art research infrastructure such as equipment and tissue banks. The Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing an additional $900,000 in the POP-CURE project through its Biopharmaceutical Investment Program, part of the Government of Ontario's Next Generation Jobs Fund.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer (men and women combined) in the U.S. and Canada. In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. estimated that 73,997 men and 71,086 women were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 26,881 men and 26,699 women died of this disease. In Canada, an estimated 21,500 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008, and 8,900 will die of it.
"Pfizer's decision to advance their R&D through collaboration with Ontario researchers is a testament to the strength of our talent and our global leadership in cancer research. New breakthroughs will continue to be made, and we want these people, these ideas, and these high-value jobs right here in Ontario," said Milloy.
"I am very pleased with how the vision of Ontario and Pfizer scientists converged, and led to an exciting plan to use cutting-edge technologies and novel concepts about cancer cells, and transform these into new clinical strategies," said Dr. Hudson, who is serving as a principal investigator with the POP-CURE cancer genomics research group.
"This exciting collaboration will join the world class genomics and informatics programs at OICR, cutting edge research in cancer stem cell biology and functional genomics at OCI/PMH and the world's largest pharmaceutical company in a concerted effort to bring new therapies to colon cancer patients worldwide," said Dr. Neel, who is serving as a principal investigator with the POP-CURE project.
"Pfizer is proud to contribute to the research capacity in Ontario. The scientists from the Pfizer Oncology Research Unit are excited to be part of the POP-CURE initiative and to have the opportunity to collaborate and share expertise with these leading-edge Ontario scientists and clinicians," said Lévesque. "At Pfizer, we believe that to be truly healthy it takes more than medication and we share POP-CURE's goal: to develop personalized tools that could one day more effectively prevent, diagnose and treat patients suffering from colon cancer."
For More Information Contact :
Julie-Catherine Racine
Pfizer Canada Inc.
Corporate Communications
Telephone: (514) 693-4602
julie-catherine.racine@pfizer.com
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