The Owerko Family Centre for Clinical Trials in Calgary is one of the places that will share in a $35 million pledge the Alberta Cancer Foundation announced on July 6, 2026. The Foundation says the sum is among the largest it has directed to clinical trials over a five-year period.
The Owerko centre sits alongside Calgary’s Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy on the list of flagship research hubs the money will support. Both are due operating funds and expanded infrastructure. The release does not say how much each site will receive.
Beyond Calgary
Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute is also named. Its Clinical Trials Unit is working to accelerate CAR T-cell therapy and other emerging immunotherapies. In Lethbridge, the funding will help launch a trial using advanced MRI imaging, with a practical question behind it: can doctors safely reduce how many radiation sessions a prostate cancer patient has to go through?
For patients, fewer sessions would mean fewer trips to the clinic.
What the Foundation said
Wendy Beauchesne, the Foundation’s CEO, called trials “the backbone of progress in cancer care.” She said the investment is meant to “accelerate the journey from discovery to impact so promising new treatments reach Alberta patients faster.”
The funding covers new treatments and the day-to-day work of running trials, which the Foundation says makes existing therapies safer, faster and more effective.
It also ties into the provincial government’s 10-Year Cancer Care Strategy, announced in June. Brenda Hubley, Managing Director of Cancer Care Alberta, said that expanding trial capacity means “we are bringing more innovative treatment options to Albertans right now.”
The Foundation raises money for every cancer centre in the province, and says its support keeps more than 200 cancer trials open to Albertans on a typical day. Over the last 25 years, it says, Alberta has gone from one of Canada’s lowest cancer survival rates to one of the highest.
Consult your doctor for medical advice.
