The Quebec – Clinical Research Organization in Cancer (Q-CROC) and Oncopole are proud to announce the creation of a partnership to support clinical research in oncology. Over the next three years, the $1M contribution made by Oncopole will enhance the support being offered to the Quebec clinical research community and raise awareness among the population and health care professionals to the importance of clinical research when it comes to improving health care.

Over 50,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Quebec. Thanks to research, treatments have greatly improved over the past few decades, but much remains to be done. Tomorrow’s treatments will offer patients even more specific options that are better adapted to the various types of cancer. In order to achieve that, clinical research teams in Quebec must be supported in their efforts to develop and integrate these new treatments.

“Our partnership with Q-CROC results in meeting needs expressed by the research community that had not yet been addressed. By focusing on both the patient and clinician components, we feel that this project will have a positive impact on Quebec’s clinical oncology research ecosystem and, ultimately, on current and future patients”, points out Maxime Dumais, Interim Executive Director of Oncopole.

More specifically, the partnership will involve three main components, namely developing communities of practice organized by tumor site, technical support and assistance to investigators undertaking their own research projects, as well as implementing an awareness program with respect to the importance of the role played by clinical research in improving care.

“Clinical research is misunderstood and several myths still exist concerning the way in which it is carried out. The awareness aspect of the project will result in demystifying drug development and the steps that experimental treatments must go through before becoming approved new treatments”, adds Lucie D’Amours, Interim Executive Director of Q-CROC.

Over time, the partnership will result in optimizing shared knowledge and communication between clinical research in oncology stakeholders, which will make it easier to refer Quebec patients to ongoing clinical studies. It will also result in supporting investigators initiating their own clinical studies by providing them with access to a personalized program dedicated to improving quality and compliance.