Winnipeg police half-marathon on pace to cruise past fundraising milestone for brain cancer research

A Saskatchewan researcher says his team is on the brinkof"groundbreaking" treatment for brain cancer and runners in Winnipeg couldhelp them meet their goal.

At a launch event in Winnipeg Thursday, theWinnipeg Police Service said it is on pace to break a fundraising milestonewiththis year'shalf-marathon event money that will go towardthe fight against one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

Glioblastomais the aggressive brain cancerthat killed Tragically Hip frontmanGord Downieand Winnipeg woman Joanne Schiewea runner, Tragically Hip fanand cancer research advocate whose storytouched many Winnipeggers.

"Sadly, all of us know someone who has this diagnosis, and with the aging population we'll see an increase in cancer cases over the next 12 years by 40 per cent," DanHolinda, the Prairie regional directorfor the Canadian Cancer Society, said at the Thursday launch event.

"So it's more urgent now to start working and helping those hard to treat cancers."

The Foodfare-Winnipeg Police Service Half-Marathon takes place on May 5, starting at Assiniboine Park. Now in its 15th year, it's so far raised just shy of $2 milliona fundraising mark organizers expect to cruise past this year.

During its first 10 years, the event raised$1 millionfor cancer research.The focus shifted to raising funds specifically for brain cancer research four years ago, which came with apartnership with theCanadianCancer Society and Brain Canada that sees money raised by runners matched dollar-for-dollar.

'This is a huge accomplishment'

Researchers from Saskatchewan were in Winnipeg Thursday to help launch this year's half-marathon.

Dr. Ron Geyer is leading one of many brain cancer research groups which will benefit from this year's fundraiser.

He said his team of researchers at the Universityof Saskatchewan are working on treatment involving synthetic antibody-based imaging technology to help surgeons better detect cancer in the brain, and remove it.

"We have aPET [positron imaging tomography]imaging probe, or radioactive probe, that allows you to go and get a whole body, non-invasive image and detect the presence of the tumour," saidGeyer,who hopes to start clinical trials this summer after an application was recently approved by Health Canada.

Geyer said the antibody parts can be injected intothe patient just before the procedure, which emitslight and helps doctors distinguish the cancerous tissue from the healthy tissue.

"This is a huge accomplishment for our research group," Geyersaid.

Survival rates

Geyer said the goal of the research is to improve survival ratesfor glioblastoma. In most cases, people diagnosed with the disease live only 12 to 24 months, even with aggressive treatment, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

About 2,400 Canadians die from brain cancer every year.

"It has touched the lives of everyone here," said Winnipeg police Supt. Scot Halley.

"Over my 25 years as a member of the Winnipeg Police Service, I've seen far too many of our members forced to fight this disease," he said.

Registration for the half-marathon is nowopen to runners and walkers of all skill levels.

People can register online at the Winnipeg Police Service Half-Marathon website,or at the Canadian Cancer Society officelocated at 193 SherbrookSt.