C17 Research Grants
C17 Research Grant Competition Funding
⇒To learn more about the C17 Research Network, upcoming grant competitions, and to download application documents, please see the Research Network Committee page.
Over $6,500,000 has been awarded to outstanding C17 research grants since 2005. Congratulations to all of our awardees!
Research results and publication references are posted as they become available.
Results from the 100% Fund Grant Awards 2023/2024
2022 Research Grants
Round 24
Dr. Jason Berman of CHEO was awarded $45,000 for his grant entitled "Deciphering the functions of KMT2C in normal hematopoiesis and rapid onset infant leukemia using zebrafish". A 100% Fund seed grant funded in partnership with Phoebe Rose Rocks, Mélia’s Memory, and Great Cycle Challenge. This is Dr. Berman's 5th grant with the C17 Research Network!
2021 Research Grants
Round 23
Dr. Rebecca Gladdy of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute was awarded $45,000 for her grant entitled "Hunting for therapeutic targets in Rhabdomyosarcoma: Comparative proteomics in cross-species model systems for precision diagnostics and rapid drug testing". A 100% Fund seed grant funded in partnership with Fight Like Mason, Childhood Cancer Canada, and Great Cycle Challenge.
Dr. Jonathan Avery of the University of British Columbia was awarded $35,000 for his grant entitled "Developing an Approach to Supportive Care for Adolescent and Young Adults with Advanced/Incurable Cancer". A Canadian AYA Oncology grant funded in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network and Michael Kamin Hart Research Fund (AYA Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Center).
Dr. Uri Tabori of The Hospital for Sick Children as awarded $95,000 for his grant entitled "Molecular classification of primary CNS tumours in adolescents and young adults". A Canadian AYA Oncology grant funded in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network, Kindred Foundation, and Michael Kamin Hart Research Fund (AYA Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Center).
2019 Research Grants
Round 22
Dr. Rebecca Gladdy of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute was awarded $120,000 for her grant entitled "Epigenetic Chemical Screens Identify Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Rhabdomyosarcoma". A 100% Fund grant funded in partnership with Fight Like Mason, Team Naomi, Team Finn and Coast to Coast Against Cancer.
Dr. Jason Berman of the CHEO Research Institute was awarded $120,000 for his grant entitled "Developing an MLL-rearranged infant leukemia model for the screening of novel therapeutics and investigating the role of KMT2C in the rapid onset of infant leukemia using zebrafish". A 100% Fund grant funded in partnership with Phoebe Rose Rocks, Mélia's Memory and Coast to Coast Against Cancer.
Dr. Lesleigh Abbott of CHEO as awarded $119,868 for her grant entitled "Impact of Phase I Study Enrollment for Pediatric Oncology Patients on Symptom Burden and Quality of Life". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada.
2018 Research Grants
Round 21
Dr. Sumit Gupta of the Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $92,535 for his grant entitled "The characterization of previously undetected MLL gene abnormalities in infant ALL". A 100% Fund grant funded in partnership with Phoebe Rose Rocks and Coast to Coast Against Cancer.
Dr. Justin T Gerstle of the SickKids Research Institute was awarded $113,737 for his grant entitled "MRI-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound-controlled hyperthermia to activate thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin to treat rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in a mouse model". A 100% Fund grant funded in partnership with Fight Like Mason, Team Naomi, Team Finn and Coast to Coast Against Cancer.
Dr. Shane Sinclair of the University of Calgary as awarded $108,992 for his grant entitled "Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Compassion in Pediatric Oncology: The Development of a Patient, Family Member and Healthcare Provider Informed Theoretical Model". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada.
Click here to watch six illustrated short videos on pediatric compassion.
Dr. Jason Berman of the IWK Health Centre as awarded $1120,000 for his grant entitled "The Microenvironment as a Therapeutic Target in High Risk Neuroblastoma". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society and Childhood Cancer Canada.
2017 Research Grants
Round 20
Dr. Livia Garzia of McGill University was awarded $99,894 for her grant entitled "Functional genomics of metastatic Ewing sarcoma". Funded in partnership with the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Sumit Gupta of the Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $120,000 for his grant entitled "Healthcare utilization and costs associated with current and future treatment strategies for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Building a policy model for clinicians and funders". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society and Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Anthony Chan of McMaster University was awarded $118,763 for his grant entitled "Understanding involvement in obstetric and neonatal decision making: a qualitative study to explore the experience, preferences and needs of parents of infants at risk or affected by moderate or severe hemophilia A or B". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2016 Research Grants
Round 18
Dr. Henrique Bittencourt of CHU Ste Justine was awarded $120,000 for his grant entitled "Third-party Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular (HUCPVC)-derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSC) to Treat Refractory or Steroid-dependent Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children, TUMS Phase I-II trial". Funded in partnership with Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Jason Berman from IWK was awarded $99,930 for his grant entitled "Stromal Antigen 2 (STAG2): A novel metastatic pathway in Ewing sarcoma". Funded in partnership with the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2015 Research Grants
Round 17
Dr. William Foulkes of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center was awarded $119,890 for his research project "Towards a pan-Canadian DICER1 clinical and research network". Funded in partnership with Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Faisal M. Khan of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute was awarded $115,000 for his research project "Genetic Profiling of Killer Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors (KIRs) of Natural Killer Cells as Predictors of ATG-Conditioned HLA-matched Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) Outcomes". Funded in partnership with the Kids With Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Tal Schechter of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $107,125 for her research project "A population-based study of long-term outcomes in survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during childhood, adolescence or young adulthood". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation. This was Dr. Schechter's second C17 grant.
2014 Research Grants
Round 16
Dr. Jonathan Wasserman of the Sick Kids Research was awarded $149,518 for his research project "Genetic Characterization of Pediatric Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma". Funded in partnership with the Kids With Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Anne Klassen of McMaster University was awarded $149,554 for her research project "Development and Validation of Distress Screening Tools for use by Canadian Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Patients & Survivors". Funded in partnership with the Kids With Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation. This was Dr. Klassen's third C17 grant.
Dr. Adam Shlien and Dr. David Malkin of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $100,000 for their research project "The Transcriptional Consequences of Somatic Mutation in Ewing’s Sarcoma". Funded in partnership with the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Yigal Dror of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $90,000 for his research project "Canadian Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Study(CAMS)-Opening a registry and initiating the first study to apply next generation sequencing to identify genetic predispositions that affect treatment decisions in aplastic anemia". Funded in partnership with the Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplasia Association of Canada and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation. This is Dr. Dror's fourth C17 grant.
2013 Research Grants
Round 15
Dr. Nancy Baxter of St. Michael’s Hospital and Dr. Paul Nathan of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $179,676 for their research project "Initiative to Maximize Progress in Adolescent Cancer Therapy (IMPACT)". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Sylvain Baruchel and Dr. Arif Manji of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $149,066 for their research project "A Phase I study of Oral Metronomic Topotecan and Pazopanib in Pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory solid tumours (TOPAZ)". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation. This is Dr. Baruchel's third C17 grant.
Dr. Rosanna Weksberg and Dr. Armando Lorenzo of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $150,000 for their research project "Determination of molecular signatures that allow differentiation between unilateral and bilateral Wilms' tumours using genome-wide arrays and whole-exome sequencing". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation.
DVL (Developmental Therapeutics) Round 2
Dr. Michel Duval of Hôpital Ste. Justine was awarded $81,000 for his DVL research project "Pre-clinical models of natural killer cell-based immunotherapy to cure refractory childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2012 Research Grants
Round 14
Dr. Armando Lorenzo and Dr. Abha Gupta of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $79,054 for their research project "Parent, provider, and survivor perspectives of investigational fertility preservation interventions for pre-pubertal boys with cancer: Exploring the factors influencing decisions and measuring preferences". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society, the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Paula James of Queen's University and Dr Margaret Rand of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $186,500 for their research project "Generation and Validation of the Self-PBQ (Self Administered Pediatric Bleeding Questionnaire)". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Yigal Dror of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $200,000 for his research project "Bone marrow failure-causing alleles in Canada and genotype phenotype correlation". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation. This is Dr. Dror's third C17 grant.
Dr. Jason Berman of IWK Health Centre and Dr. Poul Sorensen of the University of British Columbia were awarded $100,000 for their research project "Elucidation of YB-1 as a metastasis driver through angiogenic mechanisms in Ewing family tumours using zebrafish and mouse models". Funded in partnership with the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada, Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
DVL (Developmental Therapeutics) Round 1
Dr. Richard Kim of the London Health Sciences Centre and Dr. Alexandra Zorzi of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $25,830 for their DVL research project "Pharmacogenetic analysis of cyclophosphamide metabolism in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Sylvain Baruchel of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $45,000 for his DVL research project "In vivo anti-tumour and anti-metastatic activity and functional imaging of Palifosfamide in preclinical neuroblastoma models". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
2011 Research Grants
Round 13
Dr. Maru Barrera of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $197,684 for her research project "Assessing the Efficacy of a Psychosocial Intervention Program for Siblings of Children with Cancer". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/ St Baldricks Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Donna Johnston of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) was awarded $190,926 for her research project "Phase I Dose Finding Study for Melatonin in Pediatric Oncology Patients with Relapsed Solid Tumours". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Anne Klassen and Dr. Samantha Anthony of McMaster University were awarded $156,093 for their research project "What Factors do Children with Cancer and Childhood Cancer Survivors Say Are Important to Understanding their Quality of Life? A Qualitative Study". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society, the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation. This was Dr. Klassen's second C17 grant.
Round 12
Dr. Lucie Lafay-Cousin of Alberta Children's Hospital was awarded $201,658 for her research project "Identification of Prognostic Factors and Therapeutic Tragets in Childhood CNS Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors (ATRT)". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society, the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
DVL (Developmental Therapeutics) Round 0
Dr. Sandi Dunn of the University of British Columbia was awarded $30,000 for her DVL research project "Potential for PLK inhibitors in CNS tumours". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Sylvain Baruchel of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $10,000 for his related DVL research project "Potential for PLK inhibitor in Neuroblastoma and sarcomas". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Aru Narendran of Alberta Children’s Hospital was awarded $30,000 for his DVL research project "Potential for PLK inhibitors in leukemia". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
2010 Research Grants
Round 11
Dr. Jennifer Stinson of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $199,929 for her research project "Development and Testing of a Multidimensional Electronic Pain Diary for Youths with Cancer". Funded in partnership with the Kids with Cancer Society, the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Ms. Lee Dupuis and Dr. Tal Schechter-Finkelstein of The Hospital for Sick Children were awarded $199,840 for their research project "Pharmacological Predictors of Successful Cyclosporine Acute Graft versus Host Disease Prophylaxis in Children Undergoing Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/St. Baldricks Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Round 10
Dr. Uma Athale of McMaster University was awarded $198,400 for her research project "Central Venous Line Dysfunction as a Predictor of Thromboembolism in Children with Cancer". Funded in partnership with Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation/St. Baldricks Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
2009 Research Projects
Round 9
Dr. Yigal Dror of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $120,300 for his second C17 research project "Characterization of Myelodysplastic Syndrome Secondary to Inherited Marrow Failure Registry (CIMFR)". Funded in partnership with both Childhood Cancer Canada and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Ute Bartels of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $119,997 for her research project "A randomized controlled multicenter non-inferiority trial of twice daily low dose dexamethasone versus high dose dexamethasone for symptom control in children after complete or near complete (≥95%) resection of a brain tumour undergoing cranial or craniospinal radiation". Funded in partnership with both the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Round 8
Dr. Shayna Zelcer and Dr. Danielle Cataudella of the London Health Sciences Centre were awarded $113,393 for their research project "Development of the P-SCS: The Pediatric Supportive Care Scale". Funded in partnership with both the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Dr. Paul Steinbok of BC Children’s Hospital was awarded $117,785 for his research project "Thalamic Brain Tumours in Canada in the MRI Era". Funded in partnership with both Childhood Cancer Canada and the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
2008 Research Grants
Round 7
Dr. Evan Shereck of BC Children's Hospital was awarded $111,930 for his research project "ADP Signaling Defect as a Potential Cause for Aplastic Anemia". Funded in partnership with both the Aplastic Anemia Association of Canada and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation. This study is now being completed by Dr. Kirk Schultz of BC Children's Hospital.
Ms. Lesley Mitchell of the Stollery Children's Hospital was awarded $120,000 for her research project "Relationship of Prothrombotic Markers to Thrombosis in Survivors of Childhood Cancer". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. David Malkin of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $59,484 for his research project "The Estrogen Receptor Pathway as a Therapeutic Target in Rhabdomyosarcoma". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation - Sandra Sharpe Rhabdomyosarcoma Fund.
Round 6
Dr. Jacqueline Halton of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) was awarded $133,591 for her research project "Osteonecrosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia". Funded in partnership with both the Kids with Cancer Society and the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2007 Research Grants
Round 5
Dr. Juliette Hukin of BC Children’s Hospital was awarded $120,000 for her research project "Evaluation of Biomarkers in Relation to Recurrence Rate in Childhood Ependymoma". Funded in partnership with both the Kids with Cancer Society and Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Andrea Downie of the Children’s Hospital in London, Dr. Sharon Guger of The Hospital For Sick Children, and Dr. Isabelle Montour-Proulx of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) were awarded $111,740 for their research project "The Role of Intrathecal Methotrexate, Triple Intrathecal Therapy, and High Dose Intravenous Methotrexate in Predicting Neurocognitive Outcome in Survivors of Childhood Leukemia". The funding partner of this study was the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Round 4
Dr. Don Mabbott of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $95,000 for his research project "Neuro-imaging of white matter and neuro-cognitive outcome following cranial radiation for pediatric brain tumors". Funded in partnership with both the Kids with Cancer Society and Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Anne Klassen of McMaster University was awarded $92,715 for her research project "Immigrant Families’ Experiences of Care for their Child with Cancer". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2006 Research Grants
Round 3
Dr. Rod Rassekh of BC Children’s Hospital was awarded $72,548 for his research project "Genotype-Specific Approaches to Therapy in Children with Cancer (GATC Cancer)". Funded in partnership with the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Round 2
Dr. Michel Duval of Hôpital Sainte-Justine was awarded $50,000 for his research project "The Effect of Maintaining a Higher Hemoglobin Level on Neutropenia Duration after Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children: A Pan-Canadian Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial". The funding partner for this study was the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
2005 Research Grants
Round 1
Dr. Lillian Sung of The Hospital for Sick Children, was awarded $17,000 for her research project "Prospective Cohort Study of Genetic Variation and Risk of Infection in Canadian Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia". The funding partner for this study was the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.
Dr. Yigal Dror of The Hospital for Sick Children was awarded $83,000 for his research project "Defining the Clinical Phenotype of Inherited Marrow Failure Syndromes and the Risk Factors for Severe Hematological Complications and Cancer by the Canadian Inherited Marrow Failure Registry (CIMFR)". The funding partner for this study was the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation.