The James Fund is Canada’s leading neuroblastoma research initiative, with upwards of $2.6M raised since its founding in 2001 by the Birrell family and friends. Neuroblastoma is a rare but deadly childhood cancer, killing about one Canadian child a week. Through the Fund a number of significant research projects have been mounted, some of which are now moving through animal testing and towards clinical trial. As a result of The James Fund, Toronto has taken its place as one of the leaders in the global effort to find a cure for neuroblastoma.

In addition to fundraising for scientific research, The James Fund is actively involved in supporting and mentoring other neuroblastoma families as they look for ways to bring meaning and hope to their experiences. Find out more about The James Fund at www.jamesfund.ca.

“The James Fund has been crucial to advancing neuroblastoma research at SickKids. Eight exploratory grants have been funded to develop promising and novel therapies, and a new drug testing unit has been organized to test novel anti-cancer agents in animal models of neuroblastoma. This unit is presently testing a newly developed drug from a Canadian company, who has committed to entering the drug into a clinical trial if we obtain successful results. This would represent the first drug designed specifically to treat neuroblastoma to enter the clinic. The James Fund has had three major benefits for SickKids. It has provided funding to scientists and clinicians who "think outside of the box" by proposing new and innovative solutions to this devastating cancer. It has allowed SickKids to set up a drug development and testing unit that will discover drugs to treat not only neuroblastoma, but also all pediatric cancers. Finally, it has encouraged superb students and senior investigators working on adult cancers to now work in the children's cancer field. The result has been an influx of excellent scientists to SickKids to work on neuroblastoma and other children's tumors. We at Sick Kids are very grateful to The James Fund and its donors.”

Dr. David Kaplan
Senior Scientist and Head, Cancer Research Program
Hospital for Sick Children
Canada Research Chair in Cancer and Neuroscience
Scholar, McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine
Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics
University of Toronto