The London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) announced a matching gift of $1.7 million in support of cancer research at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
The donation, announced on Wednesday, matches a gift from the Kirk Baines and the Gerald C. Baines Foundation and will go toward the London Regional Cancer Program’s (LRCP) Gerald C. Baines Centre for Translational Cancer Research at LHSC.
Established in 2010, the research centre provides a “physical space to enable translational cancer research in London,” according to health officials.
“The Baines Centre has created the opportunity to have the expertise of scientists and clinicians in one space with patients in close proximity,” LHSC wrote in a statement. “These factors have all contributed to the ability to conduct successful clinical trials and groundbreaking imaging research aimed at improving patient care.”
The hospital said the donation will not only allow the team at the Baines Centre to scale up existing resources, personnel and clinical trials, but also provide an opportunity for researchers to pursue a new area of cancer diagnosis and therapy known as computational theranostics.
“Theranostics involves the development of novel injectable substances like therapeutic isotopes or drugs, which are designed to target and treat cancer cells in the body but are also traceable using imaging,” said Dr. David Palma, radiation oncologist and clinician-scientist at LHSC.
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“This allows medical specialists to see and treat cancer at the same time.”
The donation will also go toward the development of an entirely new laboratory and research program within this research area.
Dr. Glenn Bauman, radiation oncologist at LHSC and director of the Centre for Translational Cancer Research, added that “the Baines Centre provides the opportunity to enhance the effectiveness of both disciplines and ultimately impact patient care.”
According to LHSC, Kirk Baines and the Baines family have been “steadfast supporters of the community in which they live and call home.”
“We want to give physicians and scientists the tools that they need to develop new cancer treatments that can help save lives,” Kirk Baines said in a statement. “My hope is that we can eventually make cancer a treatable disease and not a fatal one.”
“The ability to perform groundbreaking research and transform patient care is only made possible through the support of our generous donors,” added John MacFarlane, president and CEO of LHSF.
“This transformational gift is a launching pad for a match campaign to help close the gap in the $5.6 million vision for the Baines Centre,” he said.
LHSC said in a statement that additional funds will go toward providing sustainability, improving next-generation computing and data storage, as well as “upgrading radiochemistry instrumentation and the advancement of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence tools aimed at enhancing physicians’ capabilities in diagnosing and treating cancer.”
Donations will also be allocated toward the expansion of innovative clinical trials and health research initiatives.
More information about the Gerald C. Baines Centre for Translational Cancer Research can be found on the LHSF website.
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