IRICoR and Ovarian Cancer Canada announce $2.3M for development of new treatments for ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer among women, as well as one of the most fatal. It is estimated that 3,100 Canadian women will be diagnosed each year, and 55 per cent of them will not live beyond five years from their diagnosis.*

To address these alarming statistics, IRICoR and Ovarian Cancer Canada joined forces for the launch of the pan-Canadian LeadAction Ovarian Cancer Competition.

*Source: Canadian Cancer Society, 2020

Today, IRICoR and Ovarian Cancer Canada are proud to announce the three winners of this competition, which aims to support research efforts related to the discovery of new treatments for women with ovarian cancer. A total $2.3M will be invested over the next two (2) years, namely $1.15M from IRICoR and $1.15M from Ovarian Cancer Canada’s OvCAN initiative, largely funded by Health Canada.

“The LeadAction Ovarian Cancer Competition is a powerful example of collaboration at its best. Together with IRICoR, a leader in the field of drug discovery, we invited two women with lived experience of ovarian cancer to the decision table to contribute firsthand insights,” says Elisabeth Baugh, Chief Executive Officer, Ovarian Cancer Canada. “Given the high caliber of these projects, we look forward to seeing results that help women with ovarian cancer live fuller, better and longer lives.”

“We are delighted to have partnered with Ovarian Cancer Canada for this third edition in the LeadAction series. Their broad expertise and network in the ovarian cancer field, along with inclusion of their patient perspective, were key to the success of our joint LeadAction Ovarian Cancer Competition,” comments Dr. Nadine Beauger, President and Chief Executive Officer, IRICoR. “This initiative led by our two pan-Canadian organizations highlighted the depth of Canadian scientific expertise in the field”.

Awardees of the LeadAction Ovarian Cancer Competition

An independent international peer review committee led the competitive process, which included a thorough evaluation of applications coming from various institutions from across Canada. The following three (3) projects were selected: