Over the past 5 years, the way we approach ovarian cancer research at Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC) has undergone a massive transformation. We talk a lot about advancing progress faster than ever before, but what does that mean?
The catalyst for this change was the unprecedented $10M investment by Health Canada in 2019, following 4 years of tireless advocacy by Canadian patients, researchers, and OCC staff. Out of it, we built the OvCAN research initiative, that would eventually grow to close to an incredible $15M in funding through investments by extremely motivated partners determined to see change in this cause.
My name is Alicia Tone, and I am the Director of Research at OCC. I like to say that I ‘grew up’ in the field of ovarian cancer, because I’ve been living and breathing this work since 2003 when I started as a summer research student at the University of Toronto. In my free time, I fundraise for ovarian cancer research through Run for Her, my 31km trail event in Collingwood, Ontario, where I live with my husband, Carl, son, Finnegan, and two cats. I have dedicated my career and many years of my life to scientific advancement in this field. Today I want to celebrate everything we have achieved through OvCAN and how it has sparked an unstoppable ‘leveling up’ of research at OCC.
Alicia Tone, Director, Research
The launching pad: celebrating OvCAN
The goal of OCC’s OvCAN research initiative – designed in close collaboration with Canadian researchers, clinicians, and patients – was to discover and test new treatments for ovarian cancer. Three interconnected research priorities were put in place to achieve this: 1) identifying and/or developing the best ovarian cancer research models; 2) testing novel treatments in pre-clinical studies; 3) early-phase clinical trials using a personalized medicine approach. Underpinning these priorities was a need to keep the patient experience and voice at the forefront, to ensure that every dollar spent had the potential to improve patient-centred research or care.
I am happy to say that we have been wildly successful at achieving our goals; in fact, we surpassed many of them. A few highlights of specific activities and achievements over the past 5 years are summarized below. The breadth and quality of the science that we have funded through this program is so exciting. And to me, the big picture impacts are just as exciting and will continue to propel us to the next level:
- We have established a national infrastructure – I like to call it our “pipeline of progress” – to move the most promising projects from discovery (bench) to patients (bedside). This now well-oiled machine can easily be expanded and adapted to drive impact beyond treatment, such as in prevention, early detection, and survivorship.
- We listened to the patient community and have invested heavily in projects dedicated to the less common types of ovarian cancer. This includes (but is not limited to) development of critical scientific tools that will enable discoveries and precision oncology advancements for these typically under-studied cancers, for decades to come.
- We have created a mighty team of educated and passionate Patient Partners in Research from across Canada who are helping shape research priorities and bridge the gap between the research and patient communities. I feel strongly that we are on the cusp of a culture shift, with researchers more readily understanding the value, importance, and impact of engaging with people with lived experience throughout all stages of their research.
"We are expanding our scope to invest in research along the full continuum of ovarian cancer care."
So where are we going now that OvCAN has wrapped up?
To sum up, we are not only continuing what we started – we are going bigger.
Recognizing the need to improve patient outcomes, experiences, and inequities beyond treatment, we are expanding our scope to invest in research along the full continuum of ovarian cancer care from prevention through to survivorship. We will also continue – and expand – our investments in the people and tools needed to sustain national research progress, including more support for early career researchers and new national scientific resources.
When people hear “research at OCC,” they typically think of the (incredible) research that we fund. However, the definition is much wider than that. Because of our unique position in the ovarian cancer “ecosystem”, we drive research in different ways:
- By convening the necessary experts (scientists, clinicians, patients, and others) to spark research collaborations and set national and global priorities for patient-centered research and care.
- By funding the most promising independent research projects led by Canadian scientists and clinicians aligned with these priorities.
- By collaborating on research projects led by Canadian scientists and clinicians, bringing the patient perspective to the table.
- By conducting our own research initiatives to ensure that our advocacy and knowledge mobilization activities are informed by and address the most urgent priorities of the community we serve.
All of this has culminated in a new, more comprehensive research model and approach that will allow us – hand-in-hand with patients, researchers, clinicians and other partners – to make a significant impact on individuals with and at risk for ovarian cancer in the years to come.