From left to right : Brian Ostroski, District VP, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island - TD, Dr. Rodney Ouellette, President and Scientific Director – ACRI, Matthew Lynn, Manager Cash Management - TD
TD supports students from Atlantic Canadian universities who are pursuing studies in cancer research.
(Moncton, NB) – July 9th, 2013 – The Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) is pleased to announce that it has received a $25,000 donation from TD Commercial Bank to support students from Atlantic Canadian universities who are pursing studies in cancer research.
"This generous financial commitment from TD Commercial Bank will assist ACRI in the important task of training the next generation of cancer researchers, and will allow us to recruit the best and brightest students to an exciting experience in cancer research," says Sophie Thériault, Director of Business Development and Communications at ACRI.
The $25,000 donation will be awarded on a competitive basis to three students: two undergraduate students who will be supported at $6,500 each to undertake cancer research for 16 weeks during their summer break, and one graduate student who will be partially supported by a $10,000 salary stipend for 1 year. The remaining $2,000 will be available to the support the graduate student to travel to, and participate in, a national or international scientific research conference.
"The successful undergraduate students will participate in the core cancer research projects underway at ACRI, while the successful graduate student will be involved in any number of investigator-initiated projects at ACRI," says Dr. Stephen Lewis, Assistant Scientific Director of ACRI. "With the leadership and guidance of ACRI scientists, and this generous donation from TD, Atlantic Canadian students will receive training to be the next generation of cancer researchers, while at the same time contributing to ACRI's mission to better understand cancer."
The undergraduate student projects will be a part of an ACRI initiative that recently received significant support from the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF). This AIF-funded project seeks to identify the "Achilles' heel" of cancer cells by identifying genes whose presence is absolutely required for cancer cell survival, but is not important for the survival of normal, healthy cells.
The graduate student will work with ACRI scientists who are currently researching the mechanisms that underlie the development of several types of cancer, including lymphoma, breast, colon, kidney, and prostate cancer. They are also investigating the changes in cancers that allow them to metastasize, in order to gain a better understanding of how metastatic cancer may be halted and/or treated. Graduate students at ACRI typically undertake a portion of an ACRI research scientist's project, which allows the student to gain significant experience in cancer research, while simultaneously contributing to ACRI's overall goal of better diagnostics and treatments for cancer.
