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Defying cancer with opera

Published: 2 November 2005

Cancer researchers and opera singers may seem like an unlikely combination. However, these individuals are uniting this week for one shared vision — to raise funds to battle cancer. This unprecedented event, to be held Thursday evening, aims to provide enough resources to put a dent in the overwhelming rise in cancer rates across the country.

"Cancer is becoming a greater threat to us all," says Dr. Michel Tremblay, director of the McGill Cancer Centre. "We need to accelerate our research in order to effectively combat it. All the proceeds from the opera evening will go to the Innovative Research Award Programs at both the McGill Cancer Centre and Université de Montréal's Institut du Cancer. The goal of these programs is to expedite the generation of ideas and to bring novel treatments to the bedside."

The Innovative Research Award Programs provide the initial funds for researchers to generate the preliminary data required by large granting agencies in Quebec, Canada and elsewhere. Thanks to proceeds generated by other fundraising events, McGill University has funded 15 such awards since 1992. Over 95 percent of these projects have received further funding from outside agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA.

Dr. Nicole Beauchemin, from the McGill Cancer Centre, received an Innovative Research Award in 2004. Based on her findings, she recently received additional funding from both the CIHR and the NCIC for her project "CECAM1: A link between cancer and obesity," which questions the relationship between obesity and the development of colon cancer.

"Successes such as Nicole's are dependent on the support we can obtain from our partners and from our communities and are vital to winning the cancer battle," concludes Tremblay.

Media who wish to attend the event, please contact Melanie Lane, 514-398-6268.