Partnership to develop new colon cancer drugs

Ontario joins top researchers, Pfizer, to develop new colon cancer drugs by Amy Fuller, Canadian Press (via Winnipeg Free Press), July 15, 2009. (See also the same news release, via Yahoo News). First two paragraphs:

The fight against colon cancer got an infusion of funds Wednesday as the Ontario government and leading medical research centres joined with the world's largest pharmaceutical research company to develop new drugs.

Pfizer, a New York-based company with 1,400 employees across Canada, is partnering with the Ontario Cancer Institute and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in a $6.9-million collaboration over three years.

See also: Pfizer Gives $5.4M for Ontario Cancer Research Project, GenomeWeb Daily News, July 16, 2009. [Free registration required][Twitter entry]. Excerpts:

Pfizer Global Research and Development will collaborate with two Ontario institutes to discover and validate targets that could be used to diagnose, predict, or treat colorectal cancer.

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Ben Neel, who is director of OCI and is serving as a principal investigator on the project, said in a statement that the collaboration will "join the world class genomics and informatics programs at OICR, cutting edge research in cancer stem cell biology and functional genomics at OCI/PMH and the world's largest pharmaceutical company in a concerted effort to bring new therapies to colon cancer patients worldwide."

Ontario Research Fund competition includes support for SC research

From the Programs & Funding page of the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation: Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences (GL2) Competition Overview. Excerpts:

The Ontario Research Fund - Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences (GL2) promotes research excellence in Ontario by supporting transformative, internationally significant research in genomics and gene-related areas of research. International collaboration is strongly encouraged for projects submitted to this competition.

The competition provides an opportunity for the province to fund truly transformative research and build on an area where Ontario researchers have demonstrated world-leading strength.

The Ontario Research Fund - Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences competition focuses on scientific excellence and strategic value to Ontario, and targets leading-edge, large-scale research initiatives.

The minimum support provided by the GL2 to a project is $3.5 million.

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What’s eligible for funding?

The Ministry encourages collaborative, transformational projects across institutions from the following areas:

* Genomics and Genomics-related research (human health, plants and animals)
* Stem cell research
* Proteomics research

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When is the deadline for proposals?

The deadline for Notices of Intent is June 15, 2009.
The deadline for proposals is August 31, 2009.