News & Events

News

• Ontario Tumour Bank samples contributed to international kidney cancer genomics project (May 1, 2024)
  • The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization (WHO), sequenced 962 kidney tumours from 11 countries. This study revealed unique genetic patterns based on geography, offering new insights into what might cause cancer in different regions.
• Ask a Cancer Researcher: What happens to samples donated to tumour banks? (July 19, 2023)
• Article archive

Events & Conference Presentations

• “Ontario Tumour Bank: Accelerating commercial oncology research and development with quality samples and data” presented at American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting (San Diego, CA; April 17-22, 2026).
• “Patient engagement in the Ontario Tumour Bank: Towards more patient-focused biobanking province-wide” (3rd place winner poster award) presented at OICR Research Innovation Conference (Toronto, ON; March 23, 2026).
• “Driving Innovation in Oncology: St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and the Ontario Tumour Bank Partnership” presented at the St. Joe’s Healthcare Hamilton Education & Research Week (Hamilton, ON; November 3-8, 2025).
• “Custom Prospective Fresh Tumour and Blood Procurement from the Ontario Tumour Bank (OTB): Supporting the Next Generation of Precision Medicine Initiatives” and “Facilitating Research Access and Biobank Sustainability: Creation of a Collaborative Network of Independent Oncology Biobanks” and “Evolving Biobank Database Architecture: Supporting Growth and Adaptation Over 20 Years of Operation” presented at the ISBER Annual Meeting (Montreal, QC; May 12-16, 2025).

Outreach to Biobank & Research Communities

• MaRS Impact Health (Toronto, ON; April 23, 2026)
• Unity Health Toronto Cancer Research Symposium (Toronto, ON; November 27, 2025)
• St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton Learning Pillar Week (Hamilton, ON; November 4-8, 2024)
• Canadian Cancer Research Conference (Calgary, AB; November 2-4, 2025)
• Lab2Market Summit (Toronto, ON; October 30-31, 2024)
• Ontario Biobanks, formerly known as Association of Ontario Tumour Biobanks (AOTB) workshops (Toronto, ON; 2022-2026)

Training & Student Engagement

• Curriculum Coordinator (DC) LMP2208, The Science of Biobanking, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON; 2020-2026)
• Guest lecture (DC) LMP2001, Biomedical Research Methods, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON; 2022-2026)
• Soaring: Indigenous Youth Empowerment Gathering (Ottawa, ON; April 16 & 17, 2024)