Message from the Executive Director

At ACCESS, everything we do is rooted in our commitment to being patient and community centred. Whether accelerating research, building networks and infrastructure to support discovery, or strengthening connections across Canada’s pediatric cancer community – our work is actively informed by those we serve.

This connection to community is beautifully illustrated in the moving dialogue between Thérèse Niquay and Michel Duval in this issue of our newsletter. Our thanks to Michel and Thérèse for their willingness to share their personal connection, and for showing us the relationships we can build, with or without words, when we seek to understand each other. Our engagement with Indigenous leaders continues to shape our understanding of how to conduct research ethically, respectfully, and collaboratively.

In this issue of the ACCESS Newsletter, you will also read about our partnership with the C17 Council to bolster the clinical trials ecosystem in Canada and abroad, the launch of the national Preclinical Modelling Program to accelerate precision medicine, and the Passport for Care project supporting childhood cancer survivors across Canada.

ACCESS connects people with different expertise to share their ideas, so we can all learn and build from each other. As part of this outreach, the ACCESS Presents talks feature national and international speakers discussing recent findings in pediatric cancer research and innovation. We encourage you to sign up for an upcoming talk and even suggest topics for future discussion.

We have grown our portfolio of ACCESS research projects spanning all phases of the cancer journey to 47 and are proud to be supporting investigator teams across Canada. Details of these projects can be found on our website. A few were featured at our May Town Hall, where we also shared the latest updates on the ongoing work and initiatives across the ACCESS network. Looking ahead, we’re excited to share our 2024-25 Impact Report in the fall. It will highlight the voices, milestones, and progress we’ve made toward our mission, together.

As the global pediatric cancer and research landscape continues to evolve, it is critical for Canada to invest in its own ecosystem. A few weeks ago, ACCESS convened the pediatric cancer community to discuss an evolving funding issue that poses a threat to internationally sponsored clinical trials in Canada.  Because of our national network, we are connecting and responding as a community to ensure we have an equitable, inclusive approach to research, innovation and care that benefits every child and family affected by cancer in Canada. As Michel writes, our relationships unite us.