The Université de Montréal and the Teaching Hospital of Université de Montréal today announced $2.5 million in funding for breast cancer research. The funding includes an endowment of $1 million with the creation of the Scotiabank Chair in Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer at the CHUM. In addition, Eli Lilly Canada has generously provided $1 million for the creation of the Lilly Research Fund on Breast Cancer at the Université de Montréal. A further investment of $500,000 by the CHUM Foundation has also been allotted to the Chair.

The breast cancer research centre, created with this $2.5 million investment, will develop new methods for the detection and treatment of this disease, which will affect one in nine women in Canada during her lifetime.

"There is still much to be learned about breast cancer. The Chair and the Research Fund afford us a unique opportunity to form a permanent interdisciplinary group of international calibre to conduct research that will make it possible to improve the survival rate and quality of life of women afflicted with this terrible disease," noted Dr. André Robidoux.

The complexity of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer requires an increasingly multidisciplinary, global approach. The Chair and Research Fund's objectives are to provide women with access to the best possible care for the treatment and detection of breast cancer; to contribute to the development of scientific research by facilitating interaction between clinicians and researchers; to promote and harmonize the partnership between research teams; and, to contribute actively to training of doctors.

"As a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Lilly has long recognized the importance of women's health," said Dr. Joerg Rustige, Vice President of Research and Development of Eli Lilly Canada Inc." We are committed to helping women live longer, healthier, more active lives," he added.

"The Scotiabank Group has a long history of providing financial support to the communities where it is present, and this initiative constitutes an expression of its sense of civic and social duty, as well as, above all, an investment in health care.", said Pasquale Minicucci, Senior Vice President, Quebec and East Ontario Region, Scotiabank.

The Chair and Research Fund, to be established at the CHUM, will promote a global approach and become a key resource in the fight against breast cancer. The incumbent, Dr. André Robidoux, Professor of Surgery at UdeM and Director of the CHUM Comprehensive Breast Cancer Centre, is one of the most active researchers in this field in Canada. His studies focus on innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, including the impact of pre-or post-operative chemotherapy, detection of micro-metastases, and ways to prevent the disease.

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For information
Judith Laurier
Attachée de presse
CHUM
(514) 843-2611, extension 4342

Sophie Langlois
Direction des communications
Université de Montréal
(514) 343-7704

Laurel Swartz
Manager, Corporate Communications
Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
(416) 699-7299

Stéphane Moissan
Director, Public Affairs and Communications
Scotiabank
(514) 499-5301