Vancouver Island

Transforming research and care, from Victoria to Nanaimo and beyond.

Help transform the future of cancer care for patients and their families.

Current Priorities

Expand Immunotherapy Research

BC Cancer’s provincial immunotherapy program, with its flagship lab at BC Cancer – Victoria’s Deeley Research Centre, is dedicated to developing the next generation of CAR-T immunotherapies. The program uses genetically engineered T-cells from a patient’s own body to attack and destroy cancer cells.

BC Cancer is at the forefront of this groundbreaking field, advancing research through:

Participation in a Phase I/II trial using made-in-Canada CAR-T cells for relapsed leukemia and lymphoma
Preparing to launch a Phase I trial of CAR-T cell therapy for pancreatic cancer
Development of new CAR-T cell therapies for leukemia, lymphoma and gynecologic cancers
Collaboration with national and international partners to expand CAR-T research and enhance treatment delivery for children and adults

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New BC Cancer Centre in Nanaimo

A new BC Cancer centre is under development in Nanaimo, expanding access to cancer care on Vancouver Island. The BC Cancer Foundation will be fundraising to bring state-of-the-art equipment to the new centre.

The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo will:

Include radiation therapy, PET/CT, CT simulator, exam rooms and an ambulatory care unit
Complete 20,000 radiation treatment visits per year, diverting local patients from needing to travel to Victoria to access care
Bring life-saving care closer to home for patients north of the Malahat

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BC Cancer – Victoria Ernie & Yvonne Yakimovich Integrated Care and Research Pavilion

BC Cancer – Victoria is expanding its campus, a 12,000 square foot building just 250 metres from the existing facilities. The purchase and renovation of the building will be fully donor-funded – a first in BC Cancer Foundation history.

The new building will create a standalone space for the centre’s Supportive Care services – programs that help patients manage the adverse physical and psychological side effects of cancer.

The BC Cancer – Victoria Ernie & Yvonne Yakimovich Integrated Care and Research Pavilion will:

Enhance and expand the centre’s Supportive Care programs to meet the needs of patients and families
Create a healing environment for cancer patients and families while accessing Supportive Care services
Establish BC Cancer – Victoria as model for holistic cancer care, leading to improved outcomes and quality of life for people across the Island

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Launch Cutting-Edge Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial

BC Cancer – Victoria researchers are launching ADAPT-25 – a cutting-edge prostate cancer clinical trial harnessing the power of AI and SABR (a high-precision radiation therapy).

This trial builds on the centre’s leadership in prostate cancer research, with recently published research reducing treatments from six to eight weeks of daily radiation to five doses of SABR.

This cutting-edge clinical trial is seeking to:

Reduce the number of SABR treatments from five to just two doses, with the help of AI, while maintaining highly effective disease control and fewer side effects
Improve quality of life for patients, particularly those outside Victoria, by reducing the physical, emotional and financial burden of travelling for care
Help expand BC Cancer’s capacity to deliver timely radiation treatments for all patients

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To learn more about how you can support priorities on Vancouver Island, please contact William Litchfield at william.litchfield@bccancer.bc.ca or 250.667.8690.

Thank You to Our Donors

Andrew Beckerman

Motivated by the financial support he received while at graduate school, Andrew Beckerman, wanted to create an opportunity for graduate students to work in a world-class research lab alongside distinguished scientists. He provided a matching gift, establishing two graduate stipends at the Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer – Victoria that will support the next generation of research scientists.

Dr. Brad Nelson at work inside the Deeley Research Centre’s Conconi Family Immunotherapy Lab.

Deeley Research Centre Donors

Made possible through two decades of donor support, BC Cancer – Victoria’s Deeley Research Centre is bringing hope to Vancouver Island patients like Noel Schacter – and beyond – who have exhausted other treatment options through cutting-edge immunotherapy clinical trials.

Kim Pirie

Kim Pirie has donated $50,000 towards the development of a new cancer centre in Nanaimo to bring care closer to the place his wife Brenda loved most: home. It’s a venture that Brenda would have jumped in with both feet, he says. “And, of course, I’d have followed.”

The Abreast of Life Dragon boat team

Comprised of extraordinary women who have survived breast cancer and have first hand knowledge of the critical need for a cancer centre in Nanaimo. The team stepped forward to direct the proceeds of their annual golf tournament to the Mid Island Co-op match for this project.

Keira Lu and William Tran, students from Mount Douglas Secondary School

Hoops for Hope

Keira and a friend, fellow Mount Douglas Secondary School student William Tran, who also lost a loved one to cancer, hoped to raise $1,000 through the Hoops for Hope Charity Classic. Not only did the basketball fundraiser acquire them the necessary credits to graduate, it also raised more $4,300 for the BC Cancer Foundation.

Dance to Cure Cancer

Haimavathy (Haima), a grade 12 student in Victoria, hosted a fundraiser called “Dance to Cure Cancer." After seeing relatives and community members affected by cancer, she used her passion for dance to support the Foundation and raised $7,659 for BC Cancer – Victoria.

Dr. Brad Nelson at the Deeley Research Centre

Bringing Game-Changing Innovation to Vancouver Island

“This campaign will enable us to develop a world class immunotherapy clinic right here on the island, ensuring BC Cancer patients have access to the latest game-changing cancer treatments developed locally and around the world.”

Dr. Brad Nelson
Director & Distinguished Scientist
BC Cancer — Victoria