Robert & Maggie Bras and Family New Drug Development Program
The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
The Bras Family Foundation

"HELPING HAND" - Fall 2008 Issue Preview

 -Click here to view/download entire issue (approx. 5MB)

WE THANK YOU

August 2008

Welcome to our fifth edition of ‘Helping Hand’.  We are The Robert & Maggie Bras and Family New Drug Development Program at The Princess Margaret, a hospital and research centre which has earned an international reputation for excellence in both patient care and cancer research.  We are recognized as one of the top five cancer facilities in the world.

Maggie and Robert Bras had a desire to ‘give back’.  We wished to ‘give back’ to an institution – the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, that gave such excellent care to Robert during his battle with the disease we call cancer. We asked the question of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation – “where would a Bras endowment give the most impact in the fight to conquer cancer”.  The answer – in new drug development.

In January of 2001, Dr. Malcolm Moore, head of the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology became the director of the program, along with co-directors, Drs. Amit Oza and Lillian Siu.  As I type these three doctor’s names, it is with awe and admiration, as each has garnered world attention as top researchers, scientists and oncologists in their chosen field.  The program was to be comprised of a multi-disciplinary team devoted to researching and developing new agents and therapies to eradicate cancer, primarily through early phase clinical trials.  The Bras Family Drug Development Program would also work in concert with the OCI’s drug discovery program to uncover biomarkers that will enable more targeted and effective drugs.

 By the end of 2001, we not only had one director and two co-directors but a staff consisting of 1 program manager, 3 study coordinators, 4 nurses, 1 lab technician, 1 administrative coordinator, 1 clinical fellow and 1 biostatistician.  In 2003, we had 11 study coordinators, 6 nurses, 2 administrative coordinators and 4 fellows!

We were growing in leaps and bounds and had to find a home within Princess Margaret Hospital to house our program.  With the importance being placed on new drug development by The University Health Network, The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), and it’s research arm, the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), we were awarded 5,000 square feet of space on the 5th floor of PMH where a state of the art centre, with the vision created and donated by Brian Gluckstein of Gluckstein Design, was officially opened in the Autumn of 2005. 

Today, we have outgrown our centre on the fifth floor, and have spilled over to a rented house, and into MaRS.  As of July 1st, 2008 we consist of:  1 director; 2 co-directors; 1 staff physician; 2 program managers; 1 administrative coordinator; 1 reception/assistant; 3 assistants to the doctors; 28 clinical study coordinators; 12 nurses; 2 research assistants; 1 correlative studies coordinator; 1 manager of correlative studies and OTRN program; 1 lab technician; 1 pharmacist; 1 biostatistician; 6 Fellows; 1 clinical associate and 5 summer students!

After years of hard work, the program has garnered the credibility and international reputation needed to be chosen by pharmaceutical companies and large government agencies for testing the most promising new cancer drugs.  Recently, three pharmaceutical companies have named us the best in the world!  This is obviously a wonderful opportunity for patients as well as an endorsement of the people who run the program.

The Bras Drug Program conducts Phase I and II Clinical Trials, introducing new agents into the clinical arena which starts with first-in-man studies of new drugs or combinations of drugs (Phase I).  These are highly specialized studies that need to be conducted very carefully, looking for safety, tolerability, toxicity and perhaps early hints of activity.  Phase II studies take doses and schedules established in Phase I, and formally evaluate them in specific cancers for their effectiveness.  We currently have 18 open Consortium NCI trials and approximately 48 open industry-related NCIC and In-House Trials.  Our large portfolio of Phase I and II studies are gaining our centre both national and international recognition. 

The PMH Phase I consortium (led by the Bras Family DDP, with Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton as a sub site), received an official award in April 2008 of a 5-year Phase I grant from the U.S. National  Cancer Institute, totaling about $3 million USD.  The funding will ensure patients have access to the most novel anticancer agents while continuing to bolster clinical and translational research at PMH/OCI.  The application was one of only two new applications awarded in this cycle and the only non-U.S. site to receive a U.S. National Cancer Institute Phase I grant!

The backbone of the Phase II program is our contract with the U.S. National Cancer Institute.  We successfully re-competed for a new contract worth $7.5 million USD for another five years, starting in January 2006, in a very competitive selection process.  We remain one of only nine such contract holders in North America, and the only site outside of the U.S. 

We are proud to lead a consortium of 16 other cancer sites, two of which are in the U.S., allowing several novel anticancer drugs to be used in Canada, many for the first time.

Translating the results of early phase clinical trials into treatments that change the standard of care is the ultimate validation of a new drug.  The Bras Family DDP continues to work closely with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute (NCIC) Clinical Trials Group, which has led many Phase III trials that have established new and improved treatments for many cancers.  These studies continue to have major impact on countless patients around the world.  The Bras Family DDP also collaborates with site groups throughout PMH/OCI.  Principal investigators from PMH with some recent studies that have changed the standard of care for different cancers include:

  • Malcolm Moore – Erlotinib in Pancreatic Cancer
  • Frances Shepherd – Erlotinib in Lung Cancer
  • Warren Mason – Temozolomide and Radiation in Brain Tumours.

In sum, the Bras Family Drug Development Program has grown since it began in 2001, allowing patients to have increased access to innovative investigational trials.  Patient accrual has also been growing every year with strong physician leadership as the key to the success of the program.  Another critical factor in the success of the DDP is the comprehensive and talented team that work behind the scenes to make sure trials are available for patients. 

Our challenge is to continue to improve treatment for cancer. Our success is measured not only by the quality and rigor of our work, but also the impact we have on patients and their families.  The program continues to succeed because of the dedication and enthusiasm of our entire team toward the goal of providing longer and better lives for cancer patients.

Sadly, Robert lost his battle with cancer on September 4, 2002.  As I had said in my last newsletter and I will say it again, I cannot thank him enough for inspiring me daily, and giving me the courage to carry on the battle he waged so valiantly with grace, dignity and hope. I am inspired also by the dedication of our staff and the staff within PMH who tirelessly work toward our goal, and I challenge you to work toward the goal with them and me – to conquer cancer – IN OUR LIFETIME. 

Thank you to our donors.  Your contribution to our program are used for the highest priorities – fellowship assistance, equipment, new facilities and technical support of clinical trials – that lead to new and improved treatments.  We thank you!

Sincerely,

Maggie Bras

Maggie Bras

President, Advisory Committee

www.brasfamily.com

“If you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms – one for helping yourself and one for helping others.”   -  Anonymous

Home PageSearchPrinter-friendly version
 2008 Robert & Maggie Bras and Family New Drug Development Program