science

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ontario Institute for Cancer Research rather than just read about it. In short: The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that focuses on research into the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. OICR intends to make Ontario more effective in knowledge transfer and commercialization while maximizing the health and economic benefits of research findings for the people of Ontario.

Key takeaways

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ontario Institute for Cancer Research to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ontario Institute for Cancer Research from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that focuses on research into the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. OICR intends to make Ontario more effective in knowledge transfer and commercialization while maximizing the health and economic benefits of research findings for the people of Ontario. OICR was launched in 2005 by the Government of Ontario, which provides funding through the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. The Institute employs more than 300 people at its research hub at the MaRS Centre in downtown Toronto and funds more than 1,900 scientific staff at hospital-based research institutes and universities around the province. In 2018 it was the highest funder of cancer research in Canada.

History

Ontario Cancer Research Network OICR’s predecessor organization was the Ontario Cancer Research Network (OCRN), a not-for-profit corporation established by the Government of Ontario in November 2001 to increase translational research related to the development of new cancer therapies. OCRN’s four main program areas were: the Ontario Tumour Bank, Clinical Trials Programs, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board and the Cancer Research Fund. The organization was headed by Robert A. Phillips.

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research In May 2005 the Government of Ontario announced its intent to launch a new cancer research institute in the province. OCRN was asked to evolve into the new institute, which would later be named OICR. OICR was formally launched by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in December 2005. OICR was designed to continue OCRN’s translational research programs while building new research capacity in the province. Thomas J. Hudson was appointed President and Scientific Director of OICR in June 2006 and Robert A. Phillips was appointed Deputy Director. Hudson consulted with the Ontario cancer research community and external experts to develop a strategic research plan for the Institute in 2006. In February 2007 the completed strategic plan was approved by the Ministry of Research and Innovation. Laszlo Radvanyi served as President and Scientific Director of OICR from May 2018 until October, 2024. Longtime OICR Executives Christine Williams and Lincoln Stein were appointed the Institute’s Acting President and Acting Scientific Director in October 2024. The 2021-2026 strategic plan commits to integrating patient perspective and insight via patient partnership in cancer research. OICR is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.

Cancer Research

Resources OICR hosts a number of cancer research resources, including the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB); the Ontario Tumour Bank (OTB); the Ontario Health Study, the Ontario arm of the CanPath longitudinal study - the largest such study in Canada; and the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN).

Commercialization As part of its mandate to bring economic benefit to Ontario through cancer research, OICR has a partner organization that focuses on commercialization, FACIT. FACIT provides seed funding to Ontario-based cancer research companies and helps them attract other investors and bring products to market. It claims to have attracted $1.6 billion in investment from $50 million in funding. Notable investments includes Fusion Pharmaceuticals, which was purchased by AstraZeneca for up to $2.4 billion in 2024, and Turnstone Biologics, which is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It hosts an annual pitch competition called Falcons' Fortunes, in the style of the Dragons' Den television series.

Notable people John Edgar Dick - Cancer stem cell researcher Lincoln Stein - Bioinformatics and Computational biology researcher

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ontario Institute for Cancer Research claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ontario Institute for Cancer Research before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ontario Institute for Cancer Research ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

In research: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2005 establishments in Ontario, Cancer organizations based in Canada, Cancer research organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ontario Institute for Cancer Research outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ontario Institute for Cancer Research means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ontario Institute for Cancer Research out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in simple terms?

Why does Ontario Institute for Cancer Research matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ontario Institute for Cancer Research?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.