Running to fight breast cancer

Tens of thousands of people from coast to coast will participate in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual CIBC Run for the Cure on Oct.4.

And many of those runners will be on the St. George campus and at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Since the first edition in 1992, the run has become an inspiring tradition for people touched by the disease – and an important fundraising event.

Some of the money raised will support U of T scholars who have been identified as “local heroes” by the foundation. One is Professor Patrick Gunning of the University of Toronto Mississauga. His work focuses on designing and synthesizing molecules that can kill tumours.

“Seeing breast cancer cells die as a result of treatment with our molecules was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” he says. “It was at that moment I decided to pursue a career in academia, targeting the proteins that drive the most aggressive of breast cancers.”

Professor Kelly Metcalfe of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing has devoted her clinical and research career to the study of breast cancer genetics.

“I am committed to translating my research findings into clinical practice so that, ultimately, it is the women who benefit,” Metcalfe says. “I believe my research is saving lives, and this keeps me motivated on a daily basis.”

Helping breast cancer patients also drives the work of Dr. John Semple, chief of surgery at Women’s College Hospital, a fully affiliated U of T institution.

“They say it takes a whole village to raise a child, but in our world I believe it takes a whole team to care for a patient with breast cancer,” Semple reasons. “A major point of inspiration for me is to work alongside the committed nurses, doctors and other members of the circle of care who work at Women’s College Hospital.”

Professor Raymond Reilly, director of the centre for pharmaceutical oncology at the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, is researching molecular imaging and targeted radiotherapy. Not all research, he admits, produces the expected results.

“But occasionally, we find that our ideas work,” he says. “Then the future looks so bright. It reenergizes us and redoubles our efforts to make a difference in the future of women with breast cancer. Those days provide all the motivation we need.”

To find out more about these local heroes and many more engaged in the fight against breast cancer, visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s website.