BC Cancer Agency Research Centre Makes Bold Strides
Since 2005, cancer researchers have gravitated to Vancouver and the BC Cancer Agency’s Cancer Research Centre, a major focal point for the exploration and treatment of the disease.
The centre is a part of the BC Cancer Agency, and at 231,000 square feet is one of the largest freestanding research facilities in Canada. It is home to eight research departments and the Rix Family Discovery Centre library. Both scientific and clinical research is done on site by more than 50 principal scientists, with departments constantly sharing discoveries and information. There’s also plenty of interaction between the nearly 600 scientific and medical personnel and cancer patients and their families, while information also is made available through the centre’s online portals for those who cannot travel to the physical site.
All told, the $95 million centre has been an ambitious project that has been accomplishing major goals since the day it opened, says Nicole Adams, director of communications for the BC Cancer Agency.
“The BC Cancer Agency’s Research Centre was the vision of the BC Cancer Foundation, the organization that raises and stewards donor funds to support research and enhancements to care at the BC Cancer Agency,” Adams says. “Wet lab research was previously housed in an old, two-story building, a former bakery next door to the current site, and did not have the capacity to continue to expand the research program at the BC Cancer Agency. The BC Cancer Foundation launched the Millennium Campaign to raise the money to build the new facility, securing funding from both the government and private donors.”
The centre advances the main agency’s goals, which include “reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer,” Adams says.
“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,” she says. “We have a number of care and research centres across the province in Abbotsford, Kelowna, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria and are currently planning a care centre in Prince George. We have a campus in Vancouver with a number of buildings that house treatment services, supportive care and research; the BC Cancer Agency’s Research Centre is one of these buildings.”
As the agency and the centre continue toward their strategic goal of translating new discoveries into clinical applications as quickly as possible, it’s likely that the complex also will have an effect on the local health-care industry, as well.
“We are involved in a number of research projects with industry, and several of our researchers have also formed spin-off companies from work initiated here,” Adams says.
