The GS Orbitrap Exploris Fund
Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, and unfortunately patients are often diagnosed at a later stage once they have already developed symptoms. There is an urgent need to advance the early detection of lung cancer, when it is a highly treatable stage. We know this reality all too well, as Scott’s sister is currently facing an aggressive form of lung cancer.
Led by Dr. Stephen Lam and Dr. Renelle Myers (pictured above), BC Cancer’s lung cancer research team are globally recognized for their work to and innovative research projects in screening and early detection of this disease.
In 2020, they established BC Cancer’s first-in-Canada Clinical Breath Lab, and they are working to develop and validate a breath test to detect early lung cancer, which will be of great benefit for people who do not meet the current criteria for lung cancer screening. For example, never-smokers currently account for 25% of lung cancer diagnoses.
However, they require an essential piece of equipment to take their work to the next level. The GS Orbitrap Exploris is a mass spectrometer that will enable the team to look at thousands of breath samples to help develop a breath test to identify chemical signatures in breath to help detect early lung cancer and understand how changes in the lung microbiome may indicate lung cancer development in never smokers.
The cost of the equipment is $500,000 and we are committed to help bring this to the lab. We will match donations, up to $250,000, for this technology and invite you to give generously here to help make this a reality.
Thank you for your support,
Marion Man and Scott Shaw