Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, and rates are on the rise, particularly in younger populations. More than 40% of Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. However, new funding to support cancer prevention research provides hope that nearly half of cancer cases could be addressed through improvements in early detection and prevention approaches.
Last month, Canada’s Minister of Health, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, together with leaders from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and United Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, made a landmark announcement. Through the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Team Grants, six funding organizations, led by CIHR, have come together to invest over $41 million towards basic science cancer prevention research. This is the single largest CIHR-led investment in cancer prevention research to date.
Through this initiative, 19 research teams across the country were awarded funding that support ground-breaking projects related to cancer prevention. One such team is led by Dr. Gustavo Ybazeta, researcher at Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) in Sudbury. Dr. Ybazeta has been awarded $2 million over five years, representing nearly 1/20th of the total funding. This project will be supported equally by CIHR and the Cancer Research Society (CRS).
The funded project, titled CANCER-WISE (Cancer Associated Nucleic-acids in Community Environments: Risk detection through Wastewater-based Integrated Surveillance and Epidemiology), was the sole Northern Ontario project selected as part of this funding announcement.
Dr. Ybazeta’s previous research has focused largely on tracking infectious diseases including COVID-19, Influenza, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as human papillomavirus (HPV) through wastewater. Now, through CANCER-WISE, Dr. Ybazeta plans to use wastewater sampling to identify biological and environmental targets that will support more informed cancer prevention approaches, with the ultimate goal of reducing cancer burden in the region.
Epidemiology is the study of how disease spreads within a population and how we can prevent them. Information from wastewater sampling can help to paint a picture of what diseases are likely to be present in a certain population, said Dr. Ybazeta. For example, we know that HPV is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, and upwards of 60% of head and neck cancers. If we can spot it, track it, and prevent its spread in individual communities, we can drastically reduce the risk of these cancers.
Wastewater plants, along with being sites for water treatment, can provide invaluable information that can shape public health decisions, said Dr. Ybazeta. This includes information about environmental factors, such as the presence heavy metals or pollutants, which can help us understand what might predispose a population to specific kinds of cancer.
Through non-invasive wastewater sampling, the CANCER-WISE project will bridge environmental health, molecular biology, and public health monitoring to find patterns and detect early warning signals of cancer. There are three types of molecular targets outlined in this project. They are as follows:
1) Targeted identification of known cancer-causing viruses, such as HPV.
2) Mapping cancer-related genetic changes linked to different cancers, including mutations associated with colorectal cancer, such as APC and KRAS.
3) Determining whether microRNAs, shielded from the harsh wastewater environment within tiny lipid-coated transport vesicles, can be reliably detected and tracked. MicroRNAs help regulate gene activity in cells, and their patterns may provide clues about the presence of cancer and the type of tissue or organ involved.
The team will collect and analyze wastewater samples from hospital cancer centres and municipal water treatment facilities in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. This means that patients in Northern Ontario, who are often left out of broader provincial or national cancer research and face increased risk factors and barriers to accessing care, will be taken into account. It also means that the findings from this research can be used to make regionally specific, informed decisions about cancer prevention initiatives and strategies.
The interdisciplinary research team on this project includes co-investigators Dr. Luc Boudreau (Université de Moncton), Dr. Alain Simard (Laurentian University), Dr. Deborah Saunders (Health Sciences North), Dr. Hirji Mustafa (Sudbury and District Health Unit) and Dr. Chris Verschoor (Health Science North Research Institute), whose expertise spans cancer biology, environmental genomics, epidemiology, and public health systems.
“The idea for this project stemmed from the knowledge that cancer is a substantial problem impacting our northern communities, which have particular vulnerabilities influenced by long travel distances to access diagnosis and treatment compared to Southern Ontario populations. From our experience with infectious disease prevention, the question of non-infectious diseases, such as cancer, was a natural follow up. We hope that this work will open the door to new avenues for cancer prevention, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and a higher quality of life for patients in Northern Ontario.” -Dr. Gustavo Ybazeta
“Northern communities experience higher cancer risks but often have fewer opportunities for early detection. Research like this helps shift the focus from reacting to cancer to preventing it. This project highlights the kind of innovative research that is possible when national funding agencies invest in Northern institutions, with the potential to reduce cancer disparities and improve outcomes for communities across Northern Ontario.” – Dr. Robert Ohle, Vice President of Academic and Research Impact, HSNRI
Related links:
https://www.canada.ca/en/institutes-health-research/news/2026/02/government-of-canada-and-partners-invest-over-41m-to-advance-cancer-prevention-research-and-improve-early-detection.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/institutes-health-research/news/2026/02/government-of-canada-and-partners-invest-over-41m-to-advance-cancer-prevention-research-and-improve-early-detection.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/institutes-health-research/news/2026/02/team-grants-bringing-biology-to-cancer-prevention.html