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09/12: BC Cancer Agency enters new era of cancer research
Milestone 1,000th tissue donor to Tumour Tissue Repository pushes discovery forward
From the start, Michael Wainwright was determined to turn his cancer diagnosis into a positive experience. Through radiation therapy and chemotherapy that left him exhausted, he continued to ponder some way to make the experience better for others through volunteering.
And then, he got his answer. While scheduling a date for his August procedure, Wainwright noticed a pamphlet for the BC Cancer Agency’s Tumour Tissue Repository (TTR) in his surgeon’s appointment book. He decided immediately to donate tumour tissue from his surgery to the research program.
“This was a chance for me to give back,” Wainwright explains. “I liked the idea that the Tumour Tissue Repository will share information about cancer with people around the world.”
And by doing so, Wainwright helped the TTR reach its milestone of gathering 1,000 tumour samples from Vancouver Island patients, being celebrated today. Established in 2002, the TTR – housed in the research centre of the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver Island Centre – is a unique resource that provides researchers with not only tumour samples, but highly-detailed anonymous lifestyle information from tissue volunteers.
It’s a significant achievement, says TTR director Dr. Peter Watson, because collecting samples in the thousands enables researchers to have enough data and tissue to select the right materials to answer clinically relevant questions.
This tissue and data – available to qualified researchers around the world – is helping to push forward not only cancer research, but our understanding of other chronic disease and its relationship to cancer.
“We’re building case studies, and they gain in value as they mature,” Watson explains. “As the program grows and develops, we’ll not only gain very good tissue samples and clinical data, but we’ll be able to provide information on outcomes.”
What’s been a challenge, says Watson, is educating people that the TTR is not a private collection, nor is it a facility that operates on government funds. In reality, the program is a communal resource whose start up and operations are funded through the generosity of individuals and businesses making charitable donations to the BC Cancer Foundation on Vancouver Island.
“Vancouver Island donors to the BC Cancer Foundation were instrumental in providing the funds for the facility where the BC Cancer Agency’s Tumour Tissue Repository is located,” said Mary McNeil, President and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation. “We are very grateful to our donors, as they continue to provide the much-needed on-going support for the work of the Tumour Tissue Repository. This research would not be possible without them.”
Wainwright is hopeful that potential donors – both tissue and financial – will see the benefit of this Victoria-based but global resource. For him, it was an opportunity to become part of an organization working to improve the health outcomes of others.
“These donations are going to help benefit untold others around the world. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t contribute.”
The BC Cancer Agency, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer. It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care. The BC Cancer Foundation raises funds to support research and enhancements to patient care at the BC Cancer Agency.
For more information, please contact:
Jinny Wu
Communications Specialist
BC Cancer Agency
604.877.6272
Toll-free: 1.800.663.3333, ex 6272
jwu2@bccancer.bc.ca |
Penny Noble
Director, Communications
BC Cancer Foundation
604.707.5902
pnoble@bccancer.bc.ca |
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