The Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy is taking innovations from the lab to the clinic to benefit patients.
Established through a transformational $25 million gift from the Riddell Family Charitable Foundation to the Alberta Cancer Foundation through the OWN. CANCER campaign, the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy (Riddell Centre) is focused on researching and developing immunotherapies — a revolutionary treatment method that harnesses the power of a patient’s own immune system to target their cancer.
As a core research focus of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, the Riddell Centre brings together investigators from across multiple sites of activity, including the Cumming School of Medicine, the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, and the Alberta Children’s Hospital, to detect and eliminate cancer cells. “The science that we get to do here is just mind-blowing,” says Riddell Centre director Dr. Douglas Mahoney.
“There’s nothing more exciting than having the ability to follow an idea — especially when it could turn into something meaningful for people.”
The Riddell Centre team includes principal investigators, trainees, staff scientists and experts in biomanufacturing, pediatric oncology and other specialties. Projects range from fundamental research surrounding unexplored cell therapies to clinical trials that could save lives.
To call the Riddell Centre research innovative may be an understatement. Nubia Zepeda, associate director of business operations, says when she first heard about the Riddell Centre’s work, she likened it to science fiction. “It feels like something that should be very far off in the future. It’s incredible that it’s happening today.”
At the heart of the Riddell Centre’s success is a culture of collaboration and a shared determination to see research through to clinical application that improves the lives of Albertans facing cancer. Mahoney and Zepeda emphasize that none of this would be possible without the visionary generosity of donors.
