Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network

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@dalhousieu.bsky.social @utoronto.ca
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Graphic featuring photos of participants and event details (see post).

🍁Join us for the next event in our MOHCCN Seminar Series🍁

This virtual event will feature short, plain-language presentations by recipients of our Health Informatics & Data Science Award!

📆: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025
⌚: 9am PT / 10am MT / 11am CT / 12pm ET / 1pm AT / 1:30pm NT

tinyurl.com/58ts23ba

🧬📰 Gold Cohort in the Media 🧬📰

Since its announcement in September, our Data Sharing and Use Pilot program has captured the attention of news outlets nationwide.

Explore the inspiring stories showcasing the Gold Cohort and our Data Sharing and Use Pilot projects ▶️ tinyurl.com/2ndvudf8

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Using funding from a 2025 MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science Award, Sasha and her team will generate new data, build computational tools, and use data that is part of the Network's Gold Cohort to advance this work.

Learn more about the 2025 HIDS projects : tinyurl.com/2v9k34v6

A graphic with a photo of Sasha Main and the title of her project, "Simultaneous cell-free whole genome and epigenome sequencing to advance precision medicine in breast cancer"

🌐🧬Personalizing metastatic breast cancer care with liquid biopsies🌐🧬

Sasha Main’s team will build data and tools to study circulating tumour DNA, aiming to replace risky and painful tissue biopsies with less invasive blood tests in metastatic breast cancer care.

Learn more: tinyurl.com/mtx6bz2

@terryfoxresearch.bsky.social @terryfoxfoundation.bsky.social

📬Our November newsletter is out and it's full of exciting news from across our Network!📬

🍁Dr. Andre Veillette shares updates on what's next for MOHCCN
🤝Perspectives from clinicians, researchers and patients
📆Details on upcoming and recent events
📰A media coverage round-up

tinyurl.com/y6nmfhmc

@cancercaremb.bsky.social @terryfoxresearch.bsky.social @terryfoxfoundation.bsky.social

Dr. Banerji and her lab team holding a banner that says, "Believe"

🍁Meet the Team Canada of Cancer Research: A Q&A with Dr. Versha Banerji🍁

After early setbacks, Dr. Banerji found her calling in hematology. Through MOHCCN, she and her team study immune dysfunction in chronic lymphocytic leukemia to develop more targeted cancer therapies.

tinyurl.com/bdf7w8cv

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With support from the MOHCCN Health Informatics and Data Science Award, Lombard and her team will map GBM cell subtypes by oxygen levels and test how changing oxygen availability alters tumour makeup.

Learn more about the 2025 HIDS projects : tinyurl.com/2v9k34v6

🌐🔬Mapping glioblastomas to better understand how oxygen levels impact tumours🌐🔬

Phoebe Lombard will explore how oxygen influences glioblastoma cell behaviour, driving them to become more invasive, more therapy-resistant, or better at evading the immune system.

Learn more▶️ tinyurl.com/7nb9cef3

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📽️Watch now!📽️

Missed our Atlantic Cancer Consortium - Network Seminar Series event? The full event video is now available for you to watch.

The event featured exciting research presentations by Drs. Robin Urquhart, Tony Reiman, and Dr. Hayley Alloway.

Watch the full event ▶️: tinyurl.com/3d87h2f2

@terryfoxresearch.bsky.social @terryfoxfoundation.bsky.social @uhnresearch.ca @uhn.ca @pmresearch-uhn.bsky.social

With the support of a MOHCCN Health Informatics and Data Science Award, Zhang is working to make liquid biopsies more effective, arming clinicians with more information to make better diagnoses and choose more effective therapies.

Learn more about the 2025 HIDS projects : tinyurl.com/2v9k34v6

Photo of Yahan Zhang with the title of her project "Gene expression prediction from cfMeDIP-seq data"

🌐🧪Using machine learning to improve liquid biopsies🌐🧪

Liquid biopsies are transforming cancer care, but can't yet accurately measure gene expression. Yahan Zhang is creating a machine learning tool that can predict gene expression activity from blood mRNA levels.

Learn more: tinyurl.com/4697997y

@terryfoxfoundation.bsky.social @terryfoxresearch.bsky.social @dalhousieu.bsky.social
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Featuring:
🍁Consortium Activities Update by Dr. Robin Urquhart

👨‍🔬Myeloma research in the Atlantic Cancer Consortium by Dr. Anthony Reiman

🧬Refined ChIP-seq protocol for high-quality chromatin profiling in solid tissues using the Complete Genomics/MGI sequencing platform by Dr. Hayley Alloway

Graphic featuring pictures of the researchers and the following details: Date: Nov. 20, 2025. Time: 3pm AT / 3:30pm NT / 2pm ET / 11am PT / 12pm MT / 1pm CT. With presentations by Drs. Robin Urquhart, Anthony Reiman, and Hayley Alloway. Co-chaired by Natalie A-K and Véronique LeBlanc.

📣Tomorrow!📣
Don’t miss the next event in our Network Seminar Series

Join us for our next Network Seminar Series event, an inside look at MOHCCN funded research, presented by the Atlantic Cancer Consortium @canceratlantic.bsky.social

Register now: tinyurl.com/4xx2r9k3

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🍁Bringing hope and discovery to communities across Canada🍁

Q&A with Dr. Lisa Porter, the MOHCCN Windsor lead, who is working to ensure that the genetics and experiences of Windsor-Essex families are represented in Canada’s national precision oncology efforts.

Learn more▶️ tinyurl.com/2v8ej36b

@terryfoxresearch.bsky.social @terryfoxfoundation.bsky.social @uwindsor.bsky.social

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As a MOHCCN Health Informatics and Data Science Award recipient, Chu applies deep learning to MOHCCN patient DNA, RNA, and protein data to uncover neoantigens from overlooked sources like alternative splicing and gene fusions.

Learn more about the 2025 HIDS projects : tinyurl.com/2v9k34v6

Photo of Vivian Chu with the title of her project, "Pan-cancer neoantigen discovery and functional immunogenicity prediction using integrative deep learning approaches"

🌐💉Using machine learning to unlock new targets for cancer vaccines 🌐💉

Cancer vaccines rely on neoantigens to guide immune attacks. Vivian Chu’s research finds new sources of these markers, opening doors to more precise, personalized cancer care.

Learn more▶️ tinyurl.com/tjdpa49h

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Drs. Cescon and Elliott’s research team is one of five groups selected to be part of MOHCCN’s Data Sharing and Use Pilot Program which grants researchers access to Gold Cohort data for the first time ever, a first step to unlocking its game-changing potential.

tinyurl.com/yws3srse

Graphic featuring the title and subtitle of this project: "Using Gold Cohort data to pinpoint weak spots in specific cancers: A Toronto-based team led by Drs. Dave Cescon and Mitchell Elliott will use Gold Cohort data and powerful bioinformatics tools to find new vulnerabilities in ecDNA-positive cancers that could be targeted by new or existing treatments."

🧬🌐Using Gold Cohort data to pinpoint weak spots in specific cancers 🧬🌐

A Toronto-based team led by Drs. Dave Cescon and Mitchell Elliott hope to find new vulnerabilities in ecDNA-positive cancers that could be targeted by new or existing treatments.

🔗Learn more: tinyurl.com/5n8k64p6