Members of the WICC Ontario Board of Directors were proud to host a large gathering of their valued corporate supporters at the 5th annual National Sponsor Appreciation Luncheon.
The invitation-only event took place in March at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus.Working closely with U of T and Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) representatives, WICC Ontario organized a unique, educational and interactive experience for its largest corporate donors.
This year, Dr. Warren Chan, a CCS grant recipient, opened his state-of-the-art facility to WICC, providing a memorable tour and talk for attendees of the 2019 event. National Sponsors were given an in-depth, behind-the-scenes peek at life in a working lab and stopped at several research stations to witness Dr. Chan’s team in action and learn more about the leading cancer research taking place in his laboratory. The team of doctors and researchers shared real progress they’ve made and the eye-opening discoveries that WICC’s research dollars are bringing to bear.
WICC Ontario is proud to have donated $10 million to the Canadian Cancer Society since its inception, part of the $16.5 million that WICC chapters nationwide have donated. The National Sponsorship program has been a sizeable and important contributor to this achievement.
Following the tour, attendees of the WICC National Sponsor Appreciation Luncheon were treated to lunch and a special presentation by Dr. Chan on the use of nanoparticles to deliver drugs to tumours, which is the focus of his work funded by a Canadian Cancer Society Innovation Grant.
Here’s some information about Dr. Chan’s current grant:
Using nanoparticles to deliver drugs to tumours
Tiny nanoparticles designed to carry cancer-fighting drugs to tumours have shown promising activity in the lab, but delivering enough of them to the tumour site remains a challenge. If nanoparticles are injected into the body, most of them get trapped and removed by cells in the liver. Dr. Chan will test a new way to improve nanoparticle delivery. It involves using a drug to partially block liver clearance, followed by the nanoparticles. This research will help Dr. Chan design new nanoparticles that will be more effective by increasing the number that reach the tumour site.
WICC sees tremendous value in its National Sponsor partnerships and aims to provide a unique and meaningful sponsorship fulfilment program. If you are interested in finding out more about WICC’s National Sponsor Program, please contact us at national@wicc.ca.