Sharing the work being done by MOHCCN researchers across Canada

MOHCCN Seminar Series

This seminar series features virtual talks from MOHCCN research partner investigators and trainees, providing a platform for MOHCCN members to share their ongoing work in precision oncology with the wider Network. These seminars will be of interest primarily to cancer researchers, clinicians, trainees, and members of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group across the country.

Upcoming seminars

Next: Thursday, September 18th 2025 - Marathon of Hope - Québec (MOH-Q) consortium

10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET / 2pm AT / 2:30pm NT

REGISTER NOW!

 

Agenda

Consortium Activities Update

Anne-Marie Mes-Masson, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS - Professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal; Associate Scientific Director, Basic and Translational Research, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CR-CHUM); MOHCCN consortium lead (MOH-Q)

Morag Park, CQ, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS - Distinguished James McGill Professor, Departments of Oncology, Biochemistry, and Medicine, McGill University; Diane and Sal Guerrera Chair in Cancer Genetics; Director, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University; MOHCCN consortium lead (MOH-Q)

Research Presentations

Precision Oncology at CR-CHUM and the Guy-Lafleur Program

Antoine Desilets, MD, MSc - Hematologist-oncologist, Department of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM); Assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal; MOHCCN Clinician-Scientist Awardee

 

    Deciphering tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic vulnerabilities in rare metaplastic breast carcinoma: insights from the Gold Cohort

    Hellen Kuasne, PhD - Research associate, Morag Park lab, McGill University

     

    This event will co-chaired by Louise Bird, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, and by Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

     

      Previous seminars

      2025

      BC Cancer Consortium (BC2C)

      Thursday, June 19 2025

       

       
      Consortium Activities Update

      Daniel Renouf, MD, MPH FRCPC - Medical oncologist, BC Cancer; Assistant professor, Medical Oncology, University of British Columbia; MOHCCN consortium lead

      Research Presentations

      Mechanisms of therapy resistance and relapse in AML

      Aly Karsan, MD - Professor, Department of Pathology of Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia; Distinguished scientist, Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer; MOHCCN consortium lead

      Tracking clonal structure from AML diagnosis to relapse using mitochondrial variants

      Derek Tam, MSc - Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia; BC Cancer Research Institute

       

      This event was co-chaired by Dan Murphy, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, and by Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

      Princess Margaret Cancer Consortium (PM2C)

      Thursday, March 20 2025

       

       
      Consortium Activities Update

      Lillian Siu, MD, FRCPC - Medical oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network; MOHCCN consortium lead


      Research Presentations

      Bringing whole genome transcriptome sequencing (WGTS) to patient care and clinicians: the prospective MOHCCN-O study and Molecular Tumor Board at PM2C.

      Enrique Sanz-Garcia, MD, PhD - Medical oncologist and clinician-investigator, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network; MOHCCN consortium lead

      Evaluating shallow Whole Genome Sequencing (sWGS) Prior to deep-WGS Assays to Estimate Tumor Purity in Oncology 

      Carlos Diego Holanda Lopes, MD - Clinical research fellow, supervised by Jeffrey Bruce, PhD and Philippe Bedard, MD, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network

      This event was co-chaired by James Pereira, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, and by Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

       

      2024

      Pan-Canadian projects

      Thursday, October 24 2024


      Pan-Canadian Projects Overview

      Véronique LeBlanc, PhD - Network Program Manager and Scientific Writer, TFRI


      CAN-PREDICT-IT and CAN-PIVOT Projects

      CCTG PM.2: Canadian initiative to measure, predict and assess cancer treatment outcomes in patients treated with immune-oncotherapeutics (CAN-IMPACT-IO)

      Dr. Philippe Bedard - Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; MOHCCN project lead

      Dr. Anna Spreafico - Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; MOHCCN project lead


      Enabling precision oncology in rare types of gynecologic cancer project

      The long and winding road to better outcomes in rare gynecological cancers: Striding towards Terry Fox's vision

      Dr. Mark Carey - Gynecologic Oncologist, Vancouver Coastal Health; Clinical professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of British Columbia; MOHCCN project lead

      Identifying markers of immunotherapy response in ovarian clear cell carcinoma

      Dr. Melica Brodeur - Gynecologic oncologist, Jewish General Hospital; Principal investigator, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research; Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Department of Oncology, McGill University

      Dr. Susie Lau - Gynecologic oncologist, Jewish General Hospital; Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Department of Oncology, McGill University

      Diagnostic accuracy of pre-operative circulating tumour DNA in mucinous ovarian cancers

      Dr. Elizabeth Tremblay - Gynecologic oncologist, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM); Clinical investigator, Centre de recherche du CHUM (CR-CHUM)

       

      This event was co-chaired by Denis Petitclerc, PhD, MBA, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, and Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

      Atlantic Cancer Consortium (ACC)

      Thursday, October 24 2024

       
      PR2C consortium activities update

      Dr. Sherri Christian - Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland; MOHCCN consortium lead (PR2C)

      Biobank update

      Biobank NL overview

      Daniel Loos - Coordinator, Biobank NL

      Research presentations

      THSD4: a novel mediator of immune exclusion and pembrolizumab response in breast cancer

      Olivia Walker - PhD candidate, Marcato lab, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University

        This event was co-chaired by Christine Wu, a member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group, and Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

        Prairie Cancer Consortium (PR2C)

        Thursday, September 26 2024

        PR2C consortium activities update

        Dr. Jennifer Chan - Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary; Director, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute; MOHCCN consortium lead (PR2C)

        Research presentations

        Precision Choice at the Point of Care

        Dr. Laura Hopkins - Professor, Department of Oncology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan; Gynecologic oncologist, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency; MOHCCN cohort lead

        Predicting response to immune checkpoint blockades in sarcoma

        Dr. Hyojin Song - Postdoctoral associate, Morrissy lab, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

         

        This event was co-chaired by Debbie Duclos, a Registered Nurse and member of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group from Campbellville, ON, and Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

        BC Cancer Consortium (BC2C)

        Thursday, June 27 2024

         

        BC2C CONSORTIUM ACTIVITIES UPDATE

        Dr. Daniel Renouf - Medical Oncologist and Executive Medical Director, BC Cancer - Vancouver; Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; MOHCCN consortium lead (BC2C)

        RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

        Multimode whole genome approaches to plasma-based disease monitoring in triple-negative breast cancer

        Dr. Samuel Aparicio - Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC; Head, Department of Breast and Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute; MOHCCN cohort lead

        View abstract

        Synovial sarcoma chromatin dynamics reveal a continuum in SS18::SSX reprogramming

        Kiera Lee - MD/PhD Candidate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC

        View abstracts

         

        This event was co-chaired by Rosilene Kraft, PhD, PEng, MOHCCN Patient Working Group member, and Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

        Marathon of Hope - Québec (MOH-Q)

        Thursday, April 25 2024

         

        MOH-Q CONSORTIUM ACTIVITIES UPDATE

        Anne-Marie Mes-Masson, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS - Professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal; Associate Scientific Director, Basic and Translational Research, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CR-CHUM); MOHCCN consortium lead (MOH-Q)

        Morag Park, CQ, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS - Distinguished James McGill Professor, Departments of Oncology, Biochemistry, and Medicine, McGill University; Diane and Sal Guerrera Chair in Cancer Genetics; Director, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University; MOHCCN consortium lead (MOH-Q)

         
        RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

        Role of gut and intratumoral microbiota on response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer and melanoma

        Arielle Elkrief, MD, FRCPC - Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology-Oncology, Université de Montréal; Medical Director, CHUM Microbiome Centre; MOHCCN cohort lead

        View abstract and plain language summary

         

        Using unsupervised clustering of multiomic data to define molecular and transcriptional subtypes of rare pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

        Joan Miguel Romero, MSc - MD-PhD Candidate, Division of Experimental Medicine, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), McGill University

        View abstract and plain language summary

         

        This event was co-chaired by Natalie A-K, BSc, MBA, CPA-CMA, de novo stage 4 breast cancer patient, MOHCCN Patient Working Group and Network Council member, and Véronique LeBlanc, PhD, Program Manager and Scientific Writer, MOHCCN.

         

         

        Princess Margaret Cancer Consortium (PM2C)

        Thursday, February 29 2024

         

        PM2C CONSORTIUM ACTIVITIES UPDATE

        Dr. Lillian Siu - Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC), University Health Network (UHN); MOHCCN consortium lead (PM2C)

        Dr. Amber Simpson - Associate Professor, Queen's University; Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Computing and Informatics; MOHCCN Kingston / Queen's University institutional lead

        RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

        Identification and clinical implications of circular RNA in cancer

        Dr. Hansen He - Senior Scientist, PMCC, UHN; Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto; MOHCCN cohort lead

        View abstract and plain language summary

        Shedding light on the surge: Investigating the etiology of young onset colorectal cancer

        Dr. Kevin Wang - Medical Oncology Fellow, Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program, PMCC, UHN

        View abstract and plain language summary

         

         

        2022

        MOHCCN Seminar Series: Atlantic Cancer Consortium

        Monday, June 6 2022

        Presenters

        • “Transforming the data ecosystem for precision oncology research and care” Dr. Robin Urquhart, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University Nova Scotia Lead/PI for the Atlantic Cancer Consortium
        • “Clinical and social patient outcomes and their predictors” Dr. Sevtap Savas, PhD. Professor, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
        • “Small RNA in extracellular vesicles (EVs) of GBM, grade 4 astrocytoma recurrence” Dr. Jeremy Roy, PhD. Scientist, Atlantic Cancer Research Institute. Adjunct (Scholar) Professor, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University Associate Member, Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute and Dr. Adrienne Weeks, MD PhD. Assistant Professor, Division of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University Atlantic Canada Research Institute and Dalhousie University
        • “Applying omics and bioinformatics to investigate novel mediators of breast cancer progression” Marie-Claire Wasson. PhD Candidate, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University Trainee, Cancer Research Training Program, Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute

        MOHCCN Seminar Series: Marathon of Hope - Québec

        Monday, February 7 2022


        Presenters

        • Natasha Szuber, MD M.Sc. FRCPC “Advances in myeloproliferative neoplasms”
        • Sonia del Rincón, PhD “Targeting MNK1/2 in cancer: What have we learned and where are we going?”
        • Yacine Bareche, PhD “Leveraging big data of immune checkpoint blockade response identifies novel potential targets”
        • Ian Watson, PhD “The spatial immune landscape of melanoma”

         

        2021

        MOHCCN Seminar Series: Precision Medicine Initiatives at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Consortium

        Monday, December 6 2021

         

        Presenters

        • Dr. Lillian Siu
        • Dr. Phillippe Bedard
        • Dr. Alberto Hernando Calvo

        MOHCCN Seminar Series: TFRI's EPPIC Program

        Monday, October 4 2021

        Keynote

        • Dr. Daniel Renouf, MD, MPH, FRCPC, presenting Precision Medicine in Pancreatic Cancer: The TFRI EPPIC Program

        Presenters

        • Dr. Yifan Wang, MD, PhD (candidate), presenting Informing pancreatic cancer care through ambulatory oncology clinic-based germline testing models and precision medicine

        • James Topham (BC Genome Sciences Centre) and Erica Tsang (BC Cancer) presenting KRAS WT Pancreatic Cancer

        Moderator

        • Dr. George Zogopoulos, MD, PhD, FRCS(C), FACS. Associate Professor of Surgery and Oncology, McGill University and Scientist, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute