What’s new at the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute?

On World Cancer Day, we reflect on how Jerry Pelletier’s lifetime of scientific discovery—and his final gift to research—continue to advance precision cancer care, particularly for rare and hard-to-treat cancers.

Acral melanoma—common in people with skin of color yet poorly understood—has long been overlooked in research. At McGill’s Goodman Cancer Institute, Dr. Simon Roy is combining cutting-edge epigenetics, spatial biology, and precision tumour models to rethink how this aggressive melanoma is studied, diagnosed, and treated.

A new study from the GCI describes an engineered system that delivers immunotherapy directly to metastatic lymph nodes. Published in PNAS, the approach aims to enhance anti-tumour immunity while limiting side effects.

For International Childhood Cancer Day, the Goodman Cancer Institute highlights research tackling rare childhood and adolescent cancers, including new work revealing a druggable vulnerability in the aggressive ovarian cancer SCCOHT and earlier studies on DICER1 syndrome.

Women scientists at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute are leading breakthroughs in tumour mapping, metastasis, and immunology—driving more than 70% of first-authored publications in 2025 and strengthening discovery from trainee to faculty levels.

In 2025, researchers at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute advanced discoveries tackling therapy resistance, metastasis, immunotherapy response, and rare cancers—translating fundamental molecular insight into new therapeutic directions.

In 2025, GCI trainees played a leading role in shaping outreach, inclusion, and community engagement—from Research Day and Science-meets-Art to major fundraising and public-facing initiatives. Together, these efforts extend the impact of cancer research far beyond the lab.

From the discovery of the world’s first cancer biomarker in 1965 to the recruitment of rising research leaders, the GCI marks 60 years of scientific excellence—while investing in the discoveries and people shaping the future of cancer care.

As we close 2025, we highlight two defining milestones for the GCI: a transformative $10 million gift from the Courtois Foundation and the appointment of Professor John Stagg, PhD., as Director. Together, these developments signal a new era of leadership, momentum, and impact for cancer research at McGill University and beyond.