Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Expands

The Ontario Institute of Cancer Research (OICR) is expanding over three floors in the South Tower at MaRS, building out its genomics, bioinformatics and medicinal chemistry programs.

With recruitment efforts in high gear at the not yet three-year-old institute – bioinformatics alone has attracted four principal investigators with another six positions slated for recruitment — OICR is well-positioned to tackle significant challenges in cancer research with multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional teams. (See story at right on Dr. Aled Edwards.)

“Everyone who has come is excited by the project,” said Bob Phillips, OICR’s deputy director. “In medical imaging, for example, excellent researchers are already here in Ontario. What we can do is get them together to explore new approaches, for example, creating functional imaging probes that combine chemistry with medical biophysics and biology to yield important information, such as how a tumour is responding to therapy.”

Other OICR programs include clinical trials, cancer prevention, early diagnosis and understanding cancer stem cells. And all are charged with ensuring strategies are in place to move discoveries out of the lab and into the clinic.

To learn more about OICR visit www.oicr.on.ca.

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