Northern Pass to Conquer Cancer

Each Northern Pass has the potential to help save a life.

Each Northern Pass helps transform the way we look at cancer here in Ontario, across Canada and around the world. In 2024, a record-breaking 462 participants, donors, sponsors and volunteers rallied together to raise $1.5 million towards life-saving cancer research, bringing Northern Pass’s grand fundraising total to $5.1 million since its inception.

The funds raised directly support over 1,600 researchers and research staff at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre who show up each day and push the boundaries of cancer care. Donations also support regional hospitals in our network, making it possible for us to bring life-saving resources to patients in need across Canada. In fact, The Princess Margaret is home to several hundred “world-firsts” in cancer research thanks to your hardworking fundraising dollars.  

2024 Impact Report

See the real impact of your fundraising dollars.

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We revolutionized the world’s understanding of cancer.
Princess Margaret scientists Till and McCulloch’s discovery of the stem cell in 1963 was a revolutionary moment in cancer research and care. The cell’s ability to renew and repair tissues in the human body laid the foundations for regenerative medicine around the world.
We pioneered immunotherapy, a less toxic alternative to chemotherapy.
Dr. Tak Mak cloned the T-Cell Receptor in 1983, a discovery that paved the way for more effective and less toxic cancer treatments through immunotherapy.
We developed a blood test with the potential to change how cancer is detected.
In 2018, Drs. Daniel De Carvalho and Scott Bratman developed a simple blood test to detect different kinds of cancer and their location in the body, potentially diminishing the need for biopsies and allowing doctors to detect cancer earlier, when it's more curable.
We are home to one of the world’s largest clinical trials programs.
We test more new therapies to benefit cancer patients around the world.
Hodgkin Lymphoma used to be a death sentence. Then we discovered it was curable.
In 1950, Dr. Vera Peters discovered Hodgkin lymphoma could be cured with extended field radiation.
We save lives by finding new connections.
In 2005, Dr. Norman Boyd found that breast density is a major risk factor for breast cancer — a connection that had never been made before.
We find what can’t be seen.
In 2014, Dr. John Dick discovered some patients are pre-disposed to leukemia and cardiovascular diseases, helping to identify patients at risk of cancer and heart disease before patients even show symptoms of these illnesses.
Cancer is relentless. So is our pursuit of a cure.
Dr. Donna Reece and her team have helped to develop not one, but seven, new drug treatments for multiple myeloma, conducting trials which have helped triple survival rates in the past 15 years.
We’re using A.I. to make real progress.
Medical physicist Dr. Tom Purdie and his colleagues were the first in the world to harness artificial intelligence to improve radiation cancer therapy treatment planning, improving accuracy and outcomes for patients.
We can predict who will respond to immunotherapy.
Which patients will respond to cancer treatment has long perplexed doctors, and with potentially devastating consequences for patients and their loved ones. Drs. Lillian Siu, Scott Bratman, and Trevor Pugh have demonstrated the ability of early "liquid biopsy" DNA blood testing to predict immunotherapy response across many cancer types.
We’ve helped people live longer – again and again and again.
Clinical trials on molecular targeted treatments for lung cancer conducted by Dr. Frances Shepherd have transformed care standards globally – not once, but multiple times – and have improved survival rates for lung cancer patients around the world.
We believed a pill could change breast cancer outcomes.
We worked with colleagues across Canada to conduct clinical trials which showed, for the first time, that the use of anti-estrogen hormonals, taken orally, could dramatically reduce the development or recurrence of certain breast cancers.
We use new tech to see cancer in a new light.
In 2014, Dr. Gang Zheng developed unique nanotechnology to make tumours glow, giving patients the potential to receive information in real-time on how their cancer is responding to treatment.
We have doubled some cancer survival rates.
In 2014, Drs. Marc de Perrot and John Cho discovered that radiation therapy prior to surgery doubled survival rates for patients with mesothelioma.
World-firsts are in our blood.
Dr. Hans Messner performed the first allogenic bone marrow transplant between unrelated donors in 1976.
We give more patients more hope.
We have performed over 3,000 stem cell transplants through the Hans Messner Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant program — the largest of its kind in Canada.
The world sends their best to learn from us.
We are training the next generation of global cancer leaders. Partnering with 500 leading cancer institutes in 107 countries, we are one of the world’s largest hubs of cancer knowledge and talent.
We are leading the world in caring for more than just the disease.
We pioneered an approach to ease the psychological stress and anxiety faced by cancer patients and their caregivers, and have since trained cancer leaders in over 20 countries on how to adopt it.

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Fundraising Dollars at Work

Each Northern Pass has the potential to help save a life.

2024 Impact Report

Here are some of The Princess Margaret’s greatest breakthroughs:

We revolutionized the world’s understanding of cancer.

We pioneered immunotherapy, a less toxic alternative to chemotherapy.

We developed a blood test with the potential to change how cancer is detected.

We are home to one of the world’s largest clinical trials programs.

Hodgkin Lymphoma used to be a death sentence. Then we discovered it was curable.

We save lives by finding new connections.

We find what can’t be seen.

Cancer is relentless. So is our pursuit of a cure.

We’re using A.I. to make real progress.

We can predict who will respond to immunotherapy.

We’ve helped people live longer – again and again and again.

We believed a pill could change breast cancer outcomes.

We use new tech to see cancer in a new light.

We have doubled some cancer survival rates.

World-firsts are in our blood.

We give more patients more hope.

The world sends their best to learn from us.

We are leading the world in caring for more than just the disease.

Cycle for cancer research.