Four hospitals across three provinces will receive a total of $14.8-million for cancer research from the Terry Fox Foundation.
"Terry believed that research would be the key to overcoming cancer and that's why we're here today," said Dr. Victor Ling, scientific director for the foundation.
The funding was announced Thursday at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, which will be receiving $2.7-million over three years. At Sunnybrook, the research money will go towards the "Ultrasound for Cancer Therapy Project," which will use ultrasound imaging to get faster updates on chemotherapy progress.
"We want to know as soon as possible whether the treatment we're giving is working so if it's not, we can change it," said Dr. Rebecca Dent, a medical oncologist and chair of the locally advanced breast cancer program.
Patient Lisa Klapstock, 46, was diagnosed with breast cancer in June and will be participating in the study.
"It will result in more tailored treatment, which is so important," she said. "Chemo is just so toxic."
Dr. Dent said using ultrasound technology may also allow for therapeutic treatment because the imaging could show which specific areas need to be targeted.
The funding is going to "outstanding scientists" who are the key players in the field, Dr. Ling said. The funding is a partnership between the foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which identified the best projects to fund.
Also in Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital will receive more than $6.9-million over five years to study how blood vessels supply blood to tumours and how to stop it. They'll also look at how blood vessels are formed and how cells communicate.
The University of British Columbia will receive more than $3.1-million over three years to study the genetics of rare cancers.
Quebec's Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in Montreal will have about $2-million over three years to research the genetic causes of the most common cancer in children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.