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$800,000 grant helps researchers find bone marrow cancer’s weak spots


January 20, 2016


T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare, aggressive bone marrow cancer with a survival rate of 35 percent in adults and 70 percent in children. Currently the only treatment is intense and debilitating chemotherapy, with no other option if the cancer resists or returns. Dr. Marjorie Brand and her team have been awarded a grant worth $800,000 from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) to do basic research that may lead to more targeted, efficient and less harmful treatments for this disease. Her team will look at how three major subtypes of the disease work at a molecular level, identifying their weaknesses and which drugs they are vulnerable to before testing them in laboratory models. This CIHR grant is one of 22 recently awarded to researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Co-Investigators: Jeffrey Dilworth, Theodore Perkins.

About The Ottawa Hospital


The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care.

For further information, please contact


Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca