• The CANSEARCH Foundation presents its research projects throughout the year to members of its Scientific Committee who bring their expertise and comments in an objective manner. Once a year, a meeting with researchers from the laboratory of the Foundation is organized to validate the research.The Scientific Committee is composed of international professors and renowned doctors each exerting different specializations bringing the maximum expertise on current research. It is bound to evolve according to its projects. It also has the power to call on, if necessary, international experts.  
  • President 
  • Professor Jakob Passweg Haematologist, Basel, Switzerland. Head of Haematology at the University Hospital Basel
  • Pr Jakob Passweg “The Cansearch Foundation, thanks to the generosity of its donors, has experienced a great deal of success in terms of fundraising for research. It is equally successful in the selection of scientific projects it can support. Cancer diseases in children are certainly more rare, but a tragedy much more intense than in adults. Accordingly, since the beginning of cancer research, this has encouraged top researchers to find solutions and these strategies have already known a great success. Research on childhood cancer mobilized the greatest experts and the knowledge gained has also benefitted adult medicine. The two flagship projects of the paediatric haematology oncology platform in the Geneva University Hospital are: The cancer genetics project on the genetics of a particularly vicious tumour, neuroblastoma, where researchers are trying to find the driver of abnormal growth. The pharmacogenomics project that will contribute to a better understanding of the fate of anticancer drugs in children’s bodies with the aim to better target the disease by reducing the toxicity and side effects. To this end, the Scientific Committee must vouch for the quality of research in order to ensure to all those who contribute so generously that their donations are put to the best use.”

Members

  • Professor Sylvain Baruchel Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. Professor of pediatric hematology oncology, Chief of the pediatric hematology and oncology department. As the director of the angiogenesis laboratory of Sick Kids (The Hospital for Sick Children) and the Children Oncology Group (reference laboratory for angiogenesis studies on children), Sylvain Baruchel has conducted 5 phase I correlative biological studies over the last 7 years leading to the largest plasma and circulating endothelial cells databank known in pediatric oncology.  
  • Professor Marina Cavazzana-Calvo Necker Hospital – Sick Children, Paris, France. Professor of hematology, Head of the department of biotherapy. Marina Cavazzana-Calvo is dedicated to improving gene therapy, to extending it to other diseases of the hematopoietic system, as well as developing new approaches which would allow the performing of allografts from uncompatible donors’ stem-cells, whilst pursuing the identification of new genes causing immune deficiencies. 
  • Professor Martin Champagne St-Justine Hospital ; Montreal, Canada. Professor in Oncology, hematology and pediatrician. Martin Champagne is a specialist in hematology and medical oncology, his interests are in the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells, particularly the clinical use of cord blood in unrelated transplantation.Professor Urs A. Meyer Biozentrum Pharmazentrum ; Basel, Switzerland. Professor Emeritus in Pharmacology. Urs A. Meyer is best known for his research in the field of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. He investigated the influence of environmental and genetic factors on drug action.

    Doctor Jean Michon Institute Curie ; Paris, France. Medical oncologist, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology. President of the French Society of pediatric oncology. Jean Michon, pediatrician, children cancer specialist, is particularly interested in the normal and pathological functioning of the immune system.

    Professor Paolo Mignatti New York University, School of Medicine ; New York, United States of America. Associate Professor, Department of medicine and cell biology. Paolo Mignatti is an associate professor in the departments of medicine and cell biology at the New York University School of Medicine. Physician by training, he was a full-time scientific in the field of cellular biology for over thirty years. He currently supervises one of the scientific labs of the Medical Faculty of New York University.