Research | Queen’s University Canada

Cancer Research Institute

Cancer Research Institute

Founded in 2001, the Queen's Cancer Research Institute (QCRI) has grown into the largest research concentration in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Research at the 60,000-square foot facility ranges from population studies of cancer etiology, through tumour biology and clinical trials, to outcomes, and health services research. The QCRI is committed to improving cancer control through research that spans disciplines and investigates connections among fundamental, clinical, and population research.

The QCRI is home to three divisions that conduct cancer research at different scales, ranging from single molecules to populations in Canada and across the globe:

  • The Cancer Biology and Genetics Division carries out molecular, cellular, genomic, and translational studies in cancer diagnostics, mechanisms of tumour progression, and in drug development, metabolism, and resistance.

  • The Cancer Care and Epidemiology Division (CCE) investigates the etiology of cancer as well as strategies to improve access to high-quality care for patients in Canada and beyond.

  • The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), the country’s premier cooperative oncology group, carries out investigator-initiated clinical trials featuring a diverse portfolio of therapeutic, supportive care, and prevention strategies in all age groups and all cancer types. The CCTG has two main areas of study: investigational new drugs and comparative randomized trials.

  • Partnerships
  • Student Opportunities

The QCRI engages with a variety of commercial and academic partners around the world. Within Canada, more than 80 institutions participate in the clinical trials run through the CCTG network, which also links to trial networks in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea.

CCE works extensively with Cancer Care Ontario and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences. Both CCTG and CBG have significant partnerships with the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, including two initiatives lead by Queen’s researchers: the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network and the Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network.

The QCRI offers opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral training in partnership with several departments at the university, including Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Community Health and Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics, Oncology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, and the Queen's School of Policy Studies.

QCRI also operates a training program in transdisciplinary cancer research that is tailored to meet the needs of graduate and post-doctoral trainees from a wide range of clinical and research disciplines.