Keeping hope alive, one step at a time

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/TerryFox2007.jpg” caption=”Last year’s Terry Fox Run at McMaster raised more than $34,000 for cancer research. Photo by Jeffrey Sher.”]Thousands of people across Canada will be following in Terry Fox's footsteps on Sunday, Sept. 16 as they participate in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research.

Fox started the Marathon of Hope in 1980 after losing his leg to cancer. The disease eventually claimed his life in 1981, but not before inspiring countless Canadians to keep his dream alive. The Terry Fox Foundation has since raised more than $400 million for cancer research.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, an estimated 159,900 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Canada this year and 72,700 people will die of the disease.

As cancer rates rise, so does the need for research to develop new treatments, but research costs money — that's where the Terry Fox Foundation comes in.

Funding is crucial for researchers like Jonathan Bramson, associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, whose research involves training a cancer patient's immune system to attack cancer tissues.

“Our ultimate goal is the creation of a vaccine, similar to the flu shot, that could be used to provide long-lasting immunity to an individual's cancer,” says Bramson. “Our vision is to use this vaccine approach in combination with conventional treatment options as a means of extending remissions and lengthening disease-free survival.”

This year, Bramson received $3.5 million from the Terry Fox Foundation to develop cancer vaccines. The funding will establish a nationwide consortium based at McMaster that will include research groups at University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto, McGill University and University of Montreal.

“Funding for this network could only be achieved through an organization such as the Terry Fox Foundation, and we are deeply grateful for their support,” says Bramson.

Although it takes years to develop new cancer-fighting drugs, much progress has been made since Terry Fox took his first steps in the Marathon of Hope. New drugs like Herceptin would not be available without research that has led to a better understanding of how cancer works on a molecular level, Bramson explained.

McMaster has participated in the Terry Fox Run since 1984. Last year, 500 participants raised more than $34,000 for cancer research.

This year's run will be held on Sunday, Sept. 16. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre and the run starts at 1 p.m. Participants can walk, run, rollerblade or bike around a five or 10 km route on campus.