Dr. André Veillette
Executive Director, Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network
Dan Murphy and Family
Dan Murphy is a Member of Patient Working Group, Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network
An evolution in cancer care; this Canadian research network increased collaboration to advance individualized treatment for cancer patients
Today we know cancer is many diseases, occurring when healthy cells develop mutations that allow them to grow unchecked. Being a disease of the genomes, cancers show unique characteristics at a molecular and cellular (DNA) level which can dictate how an individual case will progress and how it might respond to treatment.
Precision oncology aims to evaluate specific genomic abnormalities in cancerous tumours and use that information to deliver more personalized treatment to patients based on these individual characteristics. While some cancer patients in Canada are already benefitting from this approach, there’s still a lot of work to be done to better understand the genomic alterations that lead to cancer in each individual and how best to target them. Unlocking these discoveries relies heavily on the ability for researchers to have access to high-quality, well-annotated data—more than any one cancer centre in Canada generates.
In a Canadian first, researchers from across the country have partnered with the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation to establish the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN), a national collaboration that brings together patients, researchers, oncologists, administrators, and donors to support a unified cancer strategy and expand access to precision oncology for more Canadians.
Now comprising 54 cancer centres across all 10 provinces, the Network has created a national data resource called the Gold Cohort. This resource includes clinical and genomic data from 15,000 sequenced genomes from Canadian cancer patients, one of the world’s largest and most complete cancer care resources.
“This solution is a tremendous accomplishment for Canadians: it is the first time for us to work together at this scale to build a resource and national strategy to accelerate precision oncology for the benefit of all cancer patients,” said Dr. André Veillette, the Network’s Executive Director. “The Gold Cohort demonstrates the power of this collaboration to shape cancer research and care today and into the future.”
Building a National Cancer Resource
A comprehensive resource that includes genomic and clinical data from diverse cancer patients across Canada, the Gold Cohort has successfully captured genomic data from 15,000 patients in February 2026, a key milestone for the project, funded by Health Canada and other partners. It will be instrumental in the future of cancer care in Canada and is also one of the richest resources of its kind globally.
Husband and father of two daughters, Dan Murphy is a member of the Network’s Patient Working Group. The Stage IV pancreatic cancer patient, who lives in Toronto, has contributed his data to the cohort. “I am living proof of the benefit of precision oncology. The Gold Cohort is helping to give more patients being diagnosed with cancer reason to have hope.”
Through the MOHCCN Gold Cohort, Canadian cancer leaders are working to ensure that patient care is not only more personalized, but that each case has a higher chance of success. Understanding genomic differences will play a pivotal role in this evolution. The MOHCCN doesn’t plan to stop at 15,000 patients, and the hope is that the database can continue to grow, deepening clinical knowledge of cancer genomes and building a brighter future for cancer patients worldwide.
To learn more about the Network, our Gold Cohort and how we are transforming cancer research and care for patients, visit https://www.marathonofhopecancercentres.ca.
