Tuesday, September 29, 2026
More patients across Northeastern Ontario will benefit from cutting-edge research and be able to access clinical trials close to home thanks to donations to the Health Sciences North Foundation (HSN Foundation).
This year, donor support is funding six research projects at Health Sciences North (HSN) and the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI). The projects focus on challenges that directly affect Northern patients while expanding access to new cancer treatments and detecting cancer recurrence earlier, to improving therapies and reducing serious side effects.
Academic clinical trials play a vital role in improving cancer care by evaluating new treatment approaches and answering important questions about how to improve patient outcomes. While these studies are commonly available at larger academic hospitals, they are often inaccessible to patients living in Northern Ontario due to geography and the burden of travel.
By supporting this work, the Foundation is helping remove those barriers and ensuring more patients can access research-based care close to home.
One example is research led by Dr. Prashant Jani, a pathologist and associate professor at NOSM University, to bring more nationally led clinical trials to patients at the Shirley and Jim Fielding Northeast Cancer Centre. These trials can give eligible patients access to new drugs and therapies that would otherwise not be available to them locally.
For Northern patients and families, that means more opportunities to benefit from the latest advances in cancer care without having to travel hundreds of kilometres to larger centres.
“We are grateful for the Foundation's generosity in helping our Medical and Radiation Oncology Teams set up trials in Northeastern Ontario in order to improve healthcare equity in our province. This wouldn’t be possible with out the support of the HSN Foundation and donors in the community,” said Dr. Jani.
As Northeastern Ontario's regional academic health sciences centre, HSN has an important role not only in providing specialized care, but also in advancing research that responds to the needs of the people and communities it serves.
Through HSNRI, that means pursuing impactful research that can improve health outcomes across the region.
“Research in the North matters because our communities have unique needs and challenges,” said Dr. Rob Ohle, Vice President, Academic and Research Impact at HSN. “Donor support gives our researchers the opportunity to pursue the questions that matter to Northern patients, help address the health challenges we face, attract additional research investment and bring new treatments and opportunities closer to home. It helps us turn impactful research into better care for the communities we serve.”
The HSN Foundation is investing $250,000 in these six projects. Donor funding can also provide researchers with the early support needed to build evidence, strengthen partnerships and compete for additional research funding, extending the impact of the original investment.
Over the past 22 years, more than $10 million has been awarded to research projects through Foundation support, helping build research capacity in Northeastern Ontario and advance discoveries focused on improving patient care.
“Every breakthrough starts with someone willing to invest in an idea,” said Anthony Keating, President and CEO of the HSN Foundation. “Our donors are helping give researchers in the North the opportunity to pursue new ideas that can lead to better treatments and better care. Their generosity is helping build a stronger research community and a healthier future for patients and families across Northeastern Ontario.”
Six projects supported by donors
Dr. Amadeo Parissenti – $45,000
Investigating how chemotherapy affects tumour cells to identify earlier whether treatment is working and help patients move more quickly to effective therapies.
Dr. Sujeenthar Tharmalingam – $50,000
Building the foundation for a blood-based test that could detect the return of colorectal cancer earlier while potentially reducing the need for frequent imaging and long-distance travel.
Dr. Chris Verschoor – $50,000
Identifying biological markers that could predict serious side effects from immunotherapy, helping clinicians better tailor treatment for cancer patients.
Dr. Prashant Jani – $35,000
Expanding access to nationally led academic clinical trials at the Shirley and Jim Fielding Northeast Cancer Centre, giving eligible Northern patients access to new drugs and therapies closer to home.
Dr. T.C. Tai – $40,000
Studying why aggressive triple-negative breast cancer becomes resistant to treatment, with the goal of developing more effective therapies and reducing the risk of recurrence.
Dr. Gustavo Ybazeta – $30,000
Studying the earliest stages of HPV infection to help lay the groundwork for new approaches to preventing HPV-related cancers.