The Fondation Charles-Bruneau announces an historic commitment

$50 million to transform research and care in pediatric hematology and oncology

MONTREAL, Sept. 30, 2025 /CNW/ - A child is diagnosed with cancer almost every day in Quebec. On behalf of these children and their families, the Fondation Charles-Bruneau is making an ambitious commitment: to invest $50 million over the next five years to support research and improve care in pediatric hematology and oncology in Quebec.

This announcement holds special significance, as this is the year Charles Bruneau would have celebrated his 50th birthday. His legacy continues to inspire generations of children, families, researchers and caregivers. With this major investment, the Fondation is acting as a catalyst for a unique collaboration between the four Quebec-based university hospital centres specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology. By pooling their expertise, these establishments are aligning their efforts and their hopes to give each child a true chance of recovery.

The funds will be distributed between:

• The Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine
• The Charles-Bruneau Hematology-Oncology Day Treatment Centre at the Montreal Children's Hospital
• The Unité d'hémato-oncologie pédiatrique Charles-Bruneau at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval
• The Unité d'oncologie pédiatrique Charles-Bruneau at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie – CHUS

What $50 million makes possible, in concrete terms

This ambitious financing package will go toward supporting several flagship research projects and creating an awards program aimed at training emerging scientists. These projects meet the following priorities, which are shared by the four Quebec-based Charles Bruneau care units and centres:

• Finance research on all cancer phases among children, from prevention to survival, and from diagnosis to treatment.
• Promote innovation by financing emerging initiatives with the idea that the State will then institutionalize those that prove to be effective and legitimate.
• Promote regional equality of access to improved care and services.
• Help share knowledge and train the next generation of researchers in pediatric hematology and oncology.
• Support the collaborative and consensus-building work undertaken by a diversity of actors.

Flagship projects financed under this new commitment

Signature Quebec
By earmarking more than half of the allocated funds to the Signature Project, the Fondation Charles-Bruneau wishes to build upon the major advances achieved by researchers in recent years. These results, which have already improved care outcomes for many children, have also paved the way for further breakthroughs.

This new commitment aims to:

• Offer more timely and comprehensive diagnostics.
• Target recurrent/refractory cancers.
• Prevent certain cancers linked to genetic predispositions.
• Identify more personalized and less invasive treatments.
• Promote earlier screening for toxic effects associated with therapies.

This forward-looking project will revolve around complementary and closely harmonized work led by teams at the four pediatric oncology centers across the province, thereby strengthening scientific collaboration throughout Quebec.

It bears recalling that Signature Quebec aims to establish a genetic profile for each pediatric cancer through exome and transcriptome sequencing.

Quebec platform in psychosocial oncology 
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it sends shock waves through an entire family, with difficult treatments, changes in daily function and uncertainty as to the cancer prognosis giving rise to significant levels of stress. Coordinated by the CHU Sainte-Justine, this platform aims to reduce the adverse effects of cancer on the mental health of families. It will support research and multidisciplinary professional training as well as the development of a joint response strategy. The following measures are being implemented:

• The creation of a Quebec-wide database for assessing the impact on the parents of children with cancer throughout the care trajectory.
• The systematic evaluation of the quality of life for purposes of improving interventions.
• The development of competencies among caregivers at Charles-Bruneau care units and centres.
• Support for the transition from pediatric to adult care.

The Fondation Charles-Bruneau will support the deployment of this platform at the four university hospital centres specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology.

Charles-Bruneau Awards Program – Training the next generation, and promoting excellence
By structuring an awards program, the Fondation Charles-Bruneau affirms its commitment to training the next generation of scientists and promoting long-term excellence in pediatric hematology and oncology in Quebec. By working to strengthen the province's research ecosystem, it contributes to a lasting impact, whereby each research fellow becomes a vector for scientific and medical progress. A sum of $6.3 million will be earmarked for Charles-Bruneau awards over the next five years.

• Charles-Bruneau Emerging Scientist Awards are geared to master level, doctoral and postdoctoral students with the objective of helping train the next generation of exceptional researchers and promoting the sharing and advancement of knowledge.
• Charles-Bruneau Clinical Excellence Awards aim to support the advanced specialization of residents, clinical fellows, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals, thereby strengthening the competencies of care teams and promoting international recognition.

Finally, this commitment will also help finance several innovative research projects and actions undertaken at the CHU de Québec – Université Laval. These include a study on the immune environment of pediatric tumours, the establishment of a provincial taskforce on proteomics, as well as early screening for thromboembolism among children in treatment. In addition, a flexible envelope will be made available to the four Quebec-based establishments in order to fill in the missing links and strengthen synergy between research teams.

This commitment of $50 million over five years will see the Fondation allocate the following sums to the four Quebec-based university hospital centres specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology:  

• CHU Sainte-Justine: $21,310,776
• Montreal Children's Hospital: $17,237,335
• CHU de Québec-Université Laval: $5,337,413
• CIUSS de l'Estrie-CHUS: $4,763,832
• Flexible envelope to respond to opportunities or meet the requirements of emerging projects: $1,350,644

Quotes

"What we're announcing today is so much more than just a figure: It's a heartfelt commitment, made by thousands of people who share the same conviction that I have held for 35 years. Thanks to the confidence shown by our partners and the generosity of Quebecers, we can set our sights higher and get there faster. The Fondation Charles-Bruneau is moving forward with renewed strength, and that's what allows us to set ambitious goals: not only to cure more children, but to offer an improved cure."

-  Pierre Bruneau, founder of and spokesperson for the Fondation Charles-Bruneau

"This major commitment marks a new milestone in our efforts to transform the future for children with cancer. Not only will it accelerate the pace of discovery in research, but it will also help better support children and their families, at each stage of the disease. Thanks to the exceptional expertise of teams at the Charles-Bruneau care centres and units, recognized both here and internationally, each dollar invested becomes a true source of hope for hundreds of families all across Quebec."

-  Rébecca Dumont, Chief Executive of the Fondation Charles-Bruneau

"By supporting our research project, which is changing the way we study and treat pediatric cancers, the Fondation Charles-Bruneau is bringing us closer to our ultimate objective: a world where no child has to fight cancer. The Fondation Charles-Bruneau's commitment is not limited to advancing our knowledge of pediatric cancers: It allows us to go even further, to develop targeted therapies for children deprived of options, to offer hope for a cure to those whose disease is resistant to treatment, and to improve the quality of life of young survivors as well as their sisters and brother at risk. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to pool the expertise of the top researchers in Quebec under this unique initiative. Thanks to this unprecedented collaboration, together we're advancing by leaps and bounds toward the eradication of pediatric cancers."

-  Dr. Nada Jabado, Senior Scientist in pediatric hematology and oncology at the MUHC's Montreal Children's Hospital.

"Thanks to significant support from the Fondation Charles-Bruneau, every child with cancer in Quebec benefits from excellent care, while having access to the best research protocols available through the province's four pediatric oncology centres."

-  Dr. Josée Brossard, pediatric hematologist-oncologist, Head of hematology-oncology at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie – CHUS

"The Fondation Charles-Bruneau's contribution has transformed the way we deliver care and conduct research in pediatric oncology and hematology all across Quebec.  But its impact is also reflected in training the next generation: Thanks to the awards offered, we can attract and retain promising young researchers, thereby ensuring a brighter future for pediatric oncology in Quebec."

-- Dr. Bruno Michon, pediatric hematologist-oncologist, CHU de Québec–Université Laval

About the Fondation Charles-Bruneau

The Fondation Charles-Bruneau's mission is to give children with cancer the best chances of recovery by financing research and supporting the development of projects in the area of pediatric hematology and oncology. A twofold objective guides the Fondation Charles-Bruneau: to cure the 20 percent of children whose cancer is resistant to treatment and improve the quality of life of children in remission so that they can enjoy a true recovery, free of after-effects or complications. 

Since its creation in 1990, the Fondation Charles-Bruneau has allocated more than $100 million to the four Quebec-based university hospital centres that provide care to children with cancer (CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal Children's Hospital, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS, CHU de Québec-Université Laval) for purposes of creating Charles-Bruneau care units and centres and funding research on pediatric cancers. With this new commitment of $50 million (2025-2030), the Fondation Charles-Bruneau has now invested more than $150 million in the fight against cancer among children, thereby confirming its status as the leading funder of research in pediatric hematology and oncology in Quebec. 

All Quebec children diagnosed with cancer are treated at one of the Charles-Bruneau care centres or units in the province.

SOURCE Fondation Charles-Bruneau

For further information: Jessica Rousseau, TACT,514-467-2893, [email protected]; Catherine Desforges, Director of Communications and Marketing, Fondation Charles-Bruneau, 514-817-2789, [email protected]