The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre has unveiled a new facility, the Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU) Convergence Centre. With a soft opening on June 12, 2023, the state-of-the-art facility, which was funded in part by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, provides key resources to advance translational medicine initiatives and clinical research at UHN.
“By bringing together cutting-edge resources and patient-centered care, this space will enable us to explore translational research, elevate the patient experience and inspire collaboration through our shared commitment to Conquer Cancer Together,” says Dr. Amit Oza, Co-Chair of the Clinical Research Collaborative Centre and Medical Director of CCRU.
The space was designed to support research that addresses key challenges posed by cancer. The facilities enable researchers to gather comprehensive data on the heterologous nature of cancers within each individual patient—information that is key for customizing treatments and overcoming cancer recurrence.
Researchers will be able to monitor physiological and correlative parameters of research subjects and accurately collect biospecimens (e.g., tumour and liquid biopsies) at multiple and specific timepoints—providing a more comprehensive understanding of therapy response over time.
A glimpse into the facilities at the Convergence Centre—the patient nutrition lounge.
The centre spans approximately 5,700 square feet on the 7th floor of Princess Margaret at 610 University Avenue. It comprises a patient lounge, eight blood collection bays and eight exam rooms. In addition to facilitating blood collection, the centre is equipped to support the collection of non-image guided biopsies (e.g., punch biopsies and aspirates). Private patient rooms are also available for post-treatment monitoring, blood sample collection and obtaining patient consent.
The unit also has direct access to the CCRU Correlative Studies Laboratory, which enables the rapid collection and processing of correlative research samples—maximizing sample quality and collection efficiency.
The patient bay area in the newly opened centre.
The space is currently available to clinical investigators and their research teams for assessment and monitoring of patients participating in clinical research studies within the oncology program. Expansion is expected for clinical investigators outside of the CCRU. For more information on how to secure and book space at the centre, see the Convergence Centre Services resource [PDF file hosted on OneDrive; internal connection required].
Construction of this facility was made possible through funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Ministry for Colleges and Universities, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. The lead sponsors from the Cancer Clinical Research Unit were Dr. Amit Oza and Susanna Sellmann. Renovations and purchasing of equipment and furniture were supported by Peter Ashton, Project Manager and Carolyn McGinley, Junior Project Manager from Research Facilities: Planning & Implementation in collaboration with the Princess Margaret Facilities, Research Laboratory Services and UHN Safety Services departments. Thank you to Marcia Flynn-Post, Cassandra Mayor, Vanessa Speers, Heather Cole, Katherine Karakasis and Pam Degendorfer for helping to bring the centre from concept to reality.
The launch of the centre would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of facility and safety staff, members of the CCRU and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.