Eight years ago, the McPeak-Sirois Group for clinical research in breast cancer launched its operations and it has since become one of the largest breast cancer clinical research consortia in Canada.
This group, unique in the country, brings together the strengths, expertise and experience of 12 Quebec hospital centers dedicated to Research that cares.
Since April 2016, the Consortium led by Dr. Dominique Johnson has been pursuing its mission to fight breast cancer more effectively by increasing patients’ access and participation to clinical trials. Its action plan has paid off:
- Our Group has positioned itself with clinical research sponsors to be THE gateway to all breast cancer clinical trials in Quebec. With 12 members including several regional centers, it provides access to a vast network of hospitals and clinical researchers as well as to a larger pool of patients, which leads to an increase in the number of clinical trials offered.
- To date, more than 870 patients have been included in over forty clinical trials selected by the Group’s scientific committee composed of world-renowned Quebec researchers and led by Dr. Jamil Asselah, medical oncologist at the McGill University Health Centre.
- Our Group collaborates with several public and private partners who contribute to the development and promotion of clinical research in Quebec. Since 2023, Breast Cancer Canada supports the deployment of the Programme Accès-recherche Dr André-Robidoux, which brings clinical research closer to patients in Quebec regions, thanks to a donation of $2.5 million over 5 years.
- Through the sharing of expertise and skills that it generates, our Group facilitates knowledge transfer and optimization of practices in the Quebec medical community, which can benefit the medical staff of the participating establishments.
As Dominique Johnson points out in the conclusion of her presentation at the Colloque sur la recherche qui soigne 2023, our consortium is possible thanks to the dedication and involvement of physicians and their teams who work tirelessly to offer the best possible care to their patients, especially Research that cares.