Canadian cancer stem cell Dream Team announced

A headline in today's Globe and Mail: "Canadian ‘dream team’ to probe stem-cell link to brain cancer". The article, by Ivan Semeniuk (@ivansemeniuk), is available online here.

SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team Research Funding

Description (see: http://www.aacrcanada.ca/pages/stemcell.aspx)

The Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team Research Funding represents a new, focused effort to implement advances in Cancer Stem Cell research as rapidly as possible through the creation of a collaborative, translational cancer research "Dream Team." The most talented and promising researchers across Canadian institutions will be assembled into a pan-Canadian Dream Team, forming an optimal configuration of expertise needed to solve key problems in Cancer Stem Cells and positively impact patients in the near future. This Dream Team will span multiple disciplines and utilize the new tools of modern biology, with an emphasis on genomics, to attack research questions in a coordinated way. The Dream Team will have mechanisms for sharing of resources and platforms (knowledge, talent, tools, technologies, etc.) across the Team including existing platforms and resources as well as those to be developed, incorporating new methods and technologies into the research groups, and training and networking across the Dream Team. Mechanisms to foster collaborations within and among the Dream Teams will be employed, an approach that promotes the sharing of information and a goal-oriented focus on measurable milestones of progress.

There are currently $10.6 million CAD available for this SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team, with funds from the CSCC (through Genome Canada and CIHR) and SU2C Canada. The SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team will be funded for a four-year term.

In addition to the funds available from the CSCC (through Genome Canada and CIHR) and SU2C Canada, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) has made available up to $3 million of supplemental funds to support clinical trial activities should the successful proposal include clinical trial activities within the province of Ontario (please see "SU2C Canada-OICR Cancer Clinical Trials: Canadian Dream Team Supplementary Funding" document which can be downloaded from proposalCENTRAL). It should be noted that clinical trial activities in any region of the country can be supported by the $10.6 million available from Genome Canada, CIHR, and SU2C Canada. Continued efforts to partner and collaborate with other organizations to support the objectives of the SU2C Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team are ongoing. As other partnerships are confirmed the relevant information will be communicated to potential applicants. Applicants are also encouraged to explore potential partnering and collaboration opportunities.

The SU2C website is at: http://www.standup2cancer.org/

SU2C on Twitter is at: https://twitter.com/SU2C

Stand Up To Cancer Canada Dream Teams

This tweet was posted today:

Exciting news: #CanadaDreamTeams! Thx @CBCF_ @cibc #CSCC @GenomeCanada @CIHR_IRSC @OICR_news http://t.co/FNsluN1xmo @su2c_ca #cancerSC

— Jim Till (@jimtill) October 14, 2014

The link embedded in the tweet takes one to a press release entitled: "SU2C Canada Announces Up To $22.6 Million CAD Available for Stand Up To Cancer Canada Dream Teams". Two excerpts:

Two Dream Team funding opportunities are available, one for translational research focused on breast cancer and the other on cancer stem cells:

.......

The Stand Up To Cancer Canada Cancer Stem Cell Dream Team will provide approximately $10.6 million CAD over a four-year term, with funds from the CSCC (through Genome Canada and CIHR) and SU2C Canada. The Call for Ideas seeks to support a single, integrated, and cohesive pan-Canadian team bringing together key stakeholders – researchers, clinicians, industry, nongovernmental organizations, and funders – with the goal of improving the outcomes of hard-to-treat cancers by focusing on the role of cancer stem cells and stem cell programs on resistance and treatment failure in cancer. The team will employ new tools of modern biology, with an emphasis on genomics.

• Additionally, the two qualifying Dream Teams may each receive supplementary funds up to $3 million over four years from OICR, to support clinical trial activities in the province of Ontario.

International team submits IND application

On 18 June 2013, there was an announcement at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto. There was also a post on the California stem cell agency blog entitled: Clinical trial to thwart cancer stem cells may begin soon. An excerpt from the post:

The Prince Margaret Center announced the FDA filing, called an Investigational New Drug application (IND), at an event in Toronto recognizing the private donors. A press release about the announcement was picked up at this biotech news site.

The Principal Investigators present for the announcement were Dr. Tak Mak of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Dennis Slamon of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). What they have done is summarized in another excerpt from the blog post:

By working first to understand the various proteins that drive cells to divide, particularly in cancer, they were able to pinpoint an enzyme, that if blocked, could be the key to keeping cancer in check. They then discovered that this enzyme, called PLK4, can be derailed by a new drug they developed. In the lab, it has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast, ovarian, colorectal, lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer, as well as melanoma.

Information about the human PLK4 protein is available here.

Some background: In June 2008, it was announced that a partnership had been formed between Canada’s Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for international collaboration to advance cancer stem cell research. An excerpt from the CSCC's announcement:

It is proposed that one of the first initiatives to be launched by the CSCC will be a collaboration between Canadian and Californian scientists through CIRM's upcoming Disease Team Research Awards Competition, which will support multi-disciplinary teams of scientists in pursuit of therapies for specific diseases.The goal is to fund teams that will develop therapy or diagnostics for a particular disease or serious injury.Successful proposals will likely include a description of a path to an Investigational New Drug filing at the end of the four-to-five year grant.

Note the intent to file an IND by the end of the term of the grant.

The results of the Disease Team Research Awards Competition were announced on October 28, 2009. The award to Drs. Slamon and Mak is Grant number DR1-01477. See: Therapeutic Opportunities to Target Tumor Initiating Cells in Solid Tumors. As was stated in a page about Cancer Stem Cells on the website of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), this award was to one of two multi-disciplinary research teams co-led by Canadian and Californian scientists. The other team is co-led by Dr. John Dick of the University Health Network and Dr. Dennis Carson of the University of California, San Diego. My blog post (October 29, 2009) about the awards is entitled: Disease Team awards announced. The post ends with this Disclosure:

I'm a member of the Board of the CSCC, but also a staff member (emeritus) at the University Health Network. So, I was in conflict of interest, and was absent during all of the discussions, by the CSCC Board, about which Canadian applications should be considered for the Disease Team awards.

More about Funding for Personalized Medicine Research

A post entitled Funding for Personalized Medicine Research, dated January 31, 2012, provided information about the participation of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) in the Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition of Genome Canada, in collaboration with the first phase of the Personalized Medicine Signature Initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

On March 26, 2013, it was announced that 17 projects will be supported. A list of these project is available (PDF). One of the 17 projects is entitled "Innovative chemogenomic tools to improve outcome in acute myeloid leukemia". The Project leader is Guy Sauvageau of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Université de Montréal. The Project co-leader is Josée Hébert of the Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal. One of the aims of this project is to develop new models for tracking cancer stem cells that are left behind after a patient is treated.

Funding for Personalized Medicine Research

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) is a partner in the 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition of Genome Canada, in collaboration with the first phase of the Personalized Medicine Signature Initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Genome Canada is leading the research competition. An excerpt from Fact Sheet: The Potential of Personalized Medicine:

Funding of $67.5M will come from Genome Canada ($40 million), CIHR ($22.5 million) and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium ($5 million). Projects will be funded for a maximum of four years. To qualify for funding, researchers must obtain matching funding that at is least equal to that provided through the competition, which will bring the total investment in this research area to close to $140 million. Matching funding is typically derived from provincial, academic, private sector or international sources.

Details about the competition are available here.

Press releases, dated January 31, 2012, about the federal government's support for personalized medicine, are available here and here.

Two new initiatives from the CSCC

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) has announced the launch of two new initiatives for 2011-2012. Information about these initiatives is available via the websites of the CSCC and Genome Canada.

The two initiatives are:

1. C4Resource: The Canada-California Collaborative Cancer Stem Cell Resource and Technology Platform Network or C4Resource, which would coordinate cancer stem cell research resources and platform technologies more efficiently and effectively to advance research and discovery and accelerate clinical translation of new findings; and,

2. Partnership with CIRM: A second funding partnership with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) through the CIRM's Disease Team Therapy Development Research Awards.

Information about the CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Research Award RFA is available at: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/RFA_10-05

Partnership Pays Off

Northern Exposure by Emmet Pierce, San Diego Business Journal, August 16, 2010. Excerpt:

An example of San Diegans collaborating with Canadians is the work that has taken place at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center in cooperation with research at the University of Toronto. The partnership has enabled San Diego researchers to acquire a $20 million grant to develop drugs to be used against leukemia stem cells, Barr says.Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the stem cell research program at the Moores center, said scientists from Toronto and San Diego share "a deep and abiding interest in cancer stem cell biology." The Canadian consulate in San Diego was instrumental in helping to create a relationship in which both institutions would benefit, sharing information and applying for funds to support their research.

"The idea was to establish a Canada-California cancer stem cell initiative and obtain connections with Canadian funding agencies, particularly Genome Canada and the Ministry of Health," she said.

Jamieson added, "The most important thing is it allows people with disparate abilities and backgrounds to work together on the same problem."

Barr said the University of Toronto also was able to secure a $20 million research grant because of the collaboration, "so the team is greater than the sum of its parts."

CFI practices called “world’s best’’

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is one of the Canadian funding agencies that is a Member of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC). According to a news release from the CFI, dated March 24, 2010, CFI’s Funding Agreement with the Government of Canada required an overall performance evaluation and value-for-money audit (OPEA). Excerpt from the news release: "KPMG conducted an overall performance evaluation and value-for-money audit of the CFI and an international panel of seven experts in global research and research funding reviewed the findings and produced an independent report".

The news release is entitled: Canada Foundation for Innovation practices called “world’s best’’. The full OPEA, performed by KPMG in 2009, as well as the International Review Panel Report, are available via: OPEA Reports and Summary.

Disease Team awards announced

Novel funding mechanism speeds the path of research, News Release, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), October 28, 2009. Excerpt:

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency, and two international partners awarded more than $250 million to 14 multidisciplinary teams of researchers in California, the UK and Canada to develop stem cell-based therapies for 11 diseases. The Disease Team Research Awards include approximately $8 million from the Medical Research Council, UK, and approximately $35 million from the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, Canada, to fund the international portions of the collaborations.

See also:

• Two Research Teams Funded through the Innovative Partnership Program Between Canada and California to Advance Cancer Stem Cell Research, News Release, Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC), October 28, 2009. Excerpts:
  

  The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) is pleased to announce that two multi-disciplinary research teams co-led by Canadian and Californian scientists have been awarded funding through a Collaborative Partnership Program with The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The program supports research that will result in a cancer stem cell based therapy with the specific aim of improving cancer treatment.

  .....

  The first project is led by Dr. John Dick, University Health Network and Dr. Dennis Carson, University of California, San Diego. Their research will focus on the development of novel drugs to treat leukemia, which will address a compelling medical need as half of adults diagnosed with leukemia die of the disease. Substantial evidence supports the concept that recurrence and persistence of many leukemias stem from the relative resistance of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) to treatments currently in use, so the development of drugs that preferentially target LSCs may be particularly valuable in attacking both lymphoid and myeloid malignancies.

  The goal of the second project is to utilize a pipeline strategy to develop novel drugs targeting cancer-initiating cells in solid tumor cancers. This project is led by Dr. Tak Mak, University Health Network and Dr. Dennis Slamon, UCLA. The reviewers of this application determined that the proposed drugs would provide a significant clinical benefit to cancer patients and recognized the unique capabilities of the assembled team to successfully identify and develop new drugs.

  
  
• New Canadian-Californian investment in stem cell research aims to improve cancer treatments by Michael Rudnicki, Stem Cell Network Blog, October 28, 2009. First paragraph:
  

  I am excited to learn of today’s announcement that two large-scale projects to tackle stem cell therapies for cancer are to be funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC). This is most welcome news, not only because it demonstrates a continued investment in stem cell science but because both projects have a critical Canadian component – both projects will be co-led by Canadian investigators.

Comment: Instead of the eleven likely winners of Disease Team awards, 14 awards were announced. See the list of "Approved Disease Team projects" that's included in CIRM's news release. This list can be compared with the listing of all applications reviewed under RFA 09-01, posted previously by CIRM. The 3 additional awards (to bring the total to 14) were to application numbers DR1-01480, DR1-01485 and DR1-01421.

Disclosure: I'm a member of the Board of the CSCC, but also a staff member (emeritus) at the University Health Network. So, I was in conflict of interest, and was absent during all of the discussions, by the CSCC Board, about which Canadian applications should be considered for the Disease Team awards.

CSCC and CIRM announce a Collaborative Funding Partner Program

Collaborative Funding Partner Program announced by The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, CSCC News & Media, February 13, 2009. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5ebckolB9). Excerpt:

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is pleased to announce a Collaborative Funding Partner Program with Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) through CIRM's RFA 09-01 Disease Team Research Award. The purpose of this initiative is to support the research of multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, co-led by Canadian and Californian Principal Investigators that will result in a cancer stem cell based therapy or a therapy derived from cancer stem cell assays with the specific aim of improving cancer treatment.

For details of the CIRM Disease Team Research Award RFA 09-01 please go to (http://www.cirm.ca.gov/RFA/rfa_09-01/default.asp).

French version available in PDF format.

Under this RFA 09-01, the CSCC intends to commit up to CDN$40 million to support the Canadian component of up to two (2) projects funded through the Collaborative Funding Partner Program. Projects will be funded for up to four (4) years, with justifiable total Canadian project costs of up to CDN$20 million per project, conditional upon CIRM funding up to US$20 million per project to support the Californian component.

Teams of Canadian and Californian scientists submitting applications to CIRM's Disease Team Research Award RFA through the Collaborative Funding Partner Program must complete both the CIRM requirements and any additional requirements put forth by the CSCC.

This collaborative initiative with CIRM is the first opportunity for funding available to Canadian scientists through the CSCC. As the CSCC develops its research program it is guided by the CSCC Scientific Strategic Plan. The Canadian scientific community will be kept informed of additional opportunities for funding as they are developed.

For details of the CIRM Disease Team Research Award RFA 09-01 please go to (http://www.cirm.ca.gov/RFA/rfa_09-01/default.asp).

NOTE: Participation in this RFA is NOT limited to scientists who registered with the CSCC their intent to submit an application to the Disease Team Research Awards Competition.

For information about the CSCC-CIRM Collaborative Funding Partner Program contact:

Cindy L. Bell, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Director, CSCC
Email: cscc@genomecanada.ca
Phone: (613) 751-4460 ext 118

(RFA 09-01: CIRM Disease Team Research Awards archived in PDF format by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5ebdf0wi0).

(French version of news release archived in PDF format by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5ebeFwit5).

Scientific Strategic Plan for the CSCC

The Scientific Strategic Plan 2009-2014 for the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) is available, via the Strategic Plan section of CSCC website. The 26-page plan is dated October 9, 2008 [PDF].

Executive Summary

The discovery of a rare subpopulation of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), in many common malignancies has profound implications for treating cancer patients. Most current anticancer therapies were developed to kill the major tumor cell population that makes up the bulk tumor mass; however, these cells are not responsible for the growth and dissemination of tumors. CSCs are at the root of cancer and account for tumor growth and metastases. CSCs are resistant to the toxic effects of radiation therapy and current chemotherapies. Hence, it is not surprising that tumors often recur, leading to relapse of cancer patients treated with these agents. By developing new therapies that target CSC for eradication, long-lasting cures should be achieved.

According to a recent economic report, a 1% reduction in mortality from cancer would save nearly $500 billion to current and future Canadians and Americans. A “war on cancer,” which would cost an additional $500 million for CSC research and treatment over the next 5 years, would clearly yield an excellent return on investment.

Both Canadian and Californian researchers pioneered the discovery of CSCs giving them a powerful historical lead in this rapidly expanding field. Moreover, a significant percentage of the world’s CSC researchers are located in Canada and California. Thus, there is a natural alignment of research prowess and critical mass of researchers in both jurisdictions with which to surmount the challenges posed by CSCs.

The CSC Consortium’s research programs will focus on identifying CSC biomarkers and anti-CSC therapeutic agents. State-of-the-art infrastructure will provide live CSCs from various malignancies for study. This plan also envisions developing a number of novel high-throughput technologies. The scientific community believes that progress will occur more rapidly by supporting several large-scale efforts involving multiple Research Teams (see Figure 3), that will share cutting-edge core Technology Platforms and Facilities and common research goals to generate new knowledge. The CSC Consortium, a not-for-profit corporation with a strong governance and management structure, will provide funding and oversight of the research programs and supporting infrastructure.

This strategic plan recommends that the CSC Consortium invest significantly in translational activities that will accelerate the evaluation of CSC-specific biomarkers and the discovery of anti-CSC therapies. Both Canada and California host Comprehensive Cancer Centres that will provide the infrastructure necessary to validate CSC biomarkers and to clinically evaluate new anticancer therapies targeting CSCs including “First-in-Man” studies.

This plan describes strategically important CSC research and technology programs, and proposes CSC Consortium activities and an organizational structure to manage a budget of sustained and stable funding of $500 million (CDN) for an initial five-year period, which will be provided by a variety of agencies in Canada and California. Sustained funding is the key to the success of the CSC Consortium because of the unique nature of the expertise and technologies required for this research, and the imperative for rapidly moving discoveries to the clinic. CSC Consortium funding will be bolstered by world-leading business expertise and will lead an exciting wave of new biotechnology companies based on CSC discoveries.

Nothing for Genome Canada

Budget 2009: A very dark day for big science by Dale Kirby, Macleans OnCampus, January 29, 2009. News item about an article: Budget erases funding for key science agency by Carolyn Abraham, The Globe and Mail, January 29, 2009. Excerpts from the article:

For the first time in nine years, Genome Canada, a non-profit non-governmental funding organization, was not mentioned in the federal budget and saw its annual cash injection from Ottawa - $140-million last year - disappear.

"We got nothing, nothing, and we don't know why," said a stunned Martin Godbout, Genome Canada president and CEO. "We're devastated."

The news spread like a virus through the research community yesterday as the country's top scientists wondered whether the oversight was a mistake. ...

Genome Canada is a pivotal member of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC).

Monday Nov 17 deadline for Disease Team competition

Monday deadline for Canadians on CIRM's big Disease Team round by David Jensen, The California Stem Cell Report, November 12, 2008. Excerpt:

Canadian researchers have an urgent deadline to register for the competition for a piece of possibly as much as $210 million in team-funding in an international effort involving the California stem cell agency.

See also: CIRM/CSCC Joint Announcement: Disease Teams Awards, Cancer Stem Cell News, October 23, 2008.

The link to register for the Disease Team competition is: www.cancerstemcellconsortium.com/uploads/CSCC-CIRM-DTC-EN.doc

CIRM/CSCC Joint Announcement: Disease Teams Awards

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Announce Plans to Collaborate on Disease Team Awards, News & Media, Cancer Stem Cell Consortium.

At the BIO 2008 Conference in June, the Canadian Minister of Health, the Honourable Tony Clement, and the Governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a partnership between Canada's Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for international collaboration to advance cancer stem cell research.

It is proposed that one of the first initiatives to be launched by the CSCC will be a collaboration between Canadian and Californian scientists through CIRM's upcoming Disease Team Research Awards Competition, which will support multi-disciplinary teams of scientists in pursuit of therapies for specific diseases. The goal is to fund the work of Disease Teams that would result in a cell based therapy or a therapy derived from stem cell assays for a particular disease or serious injury. It is anticipated that the RFA for the Disease Team Research Awards will be issued by CIRM in February 2009 with funding announced before the end of the year. Successful proposals will include a description of milestones on a path to an Investigational New Drug filing at the end of the four-to-five year grant.

CIRM and the CSCC have been working to finalize the details of the collaboration, with approval to be requested later this year from their respective governing bodies. In advance of the formal approval and announcement, the organizations wish to alert the Canadian and Californian scientific communities of this potential opportunity and to encourage teams of Canadian and Californian scientists to initiate activities towards the development of Disease Teams focusing on cancer stem cells. Successful projects, co-led by Canadian and California scientists, will be co-funded by the CSCC and CIRM, with Canadian scientists funded by the CSCC and Californian scientists funded by CIRM. Support for Canadian scientists will primarily be for operating funds and will not include support for major infrastructure or facilities.

Canadian scientists proposing to collaborate with Californian colleagues in a joint Disease Team application must register with the CSCC as soon as possible and no later than November 17, 2008. Applications for funding will be reviewed by CIRM's Grants Working Group as part of the Disease Team Research Awards Competition.

To register to submit an application please contact:
Cindy L. Bell, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Director
Cancer Stem Cell Consortium
http://www.cancerstemcellconsortium.ca
Phone: 613-751-4460 ext 118
cbell@genomecanada.ca

Cancer Stem Cell Consortium Launched

See: Sweeping Cancer Fight Launched by CIRM and Canada,
David Jensen, California Stem Cell Report, June 18, 2008. Excerpts:

SAN DIEGO -- Backed by $100 million in Canadian cash, the Canadian government and the California stem cell agency today announced a three-year effort to probe the role of cancer stem cells in developing the disease.
.....

Canadian Minister of Health Tony Clement said his government will contribute more than $100 million to the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, which will work with CIRM on the effort.

..