Driving for a Cure – Bunzl Raises Over $1.9M for Pediatric Brain Tumour Research
July 16 2024 - 8:41AM
Bunzl Canada announced it has hosted its 24th annual Ripple of Hope
golf tournament in support of the Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain
Tumour Research Centre at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
On July 9th, Bunzl Canada, its vendor partners, and its cleaning
and hygiene, safety, industrial, grocery/retail/processor business
customers gathered at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario.
Participants enjoyed a day of fiesta-themed golf as they fundraised
and increased awareness for Toronto SickKids’ advanced pediatric
brain tumour research initiatives.
Over the last two decades, Bunzl Canada and its supporters have
raised over $1.81 million to fund the revolutionary work at
SickKids Hospital to combat life-threatening pediatric
neurosurgical conditions. This year’s 24th annual tournament
surpassed over $100,000 in donations alone.
Distinguished as the world’s largest research centre for brain
tumour research, the team at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, led by
Dr. James Rutka, has led to the discovery and development of
MRI-guided focused ultrasound technology to treat children with
brain tumours. This revolutionary breakthrough offers a less
intrusive way to deliver targeted chemotherapy to aggressive and
terminal Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) pediatric brain
tumour.
Since the last annual fundraising event, Dr. Rutka and his team,
in partnership with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, received
approval for and began a world-first clinical trial with the newly
developed MRI-guided technology. They’ve recently opened the trial
to their colleagues in the United States.
“All centres are now entering patients into this study. Four
patients have been treated, and each patient has gone through their
therapies without any issues, side effects, challenges, and
complications,” said Dr. Rutka. “As this is a safety and
feasibility study, which means we’re determining whether opening
the blood-brain barrier with MRI-guided focused ultrasound is safe,
we’ve proven already that it is.”
Video: Bunzl Canada | SickKids proving
MRgFUS safe in treatment of brain tumours
MRI-guided focused ultrasound technology allows doctors to
bypass the blood-brain barrier and directly target aggressive
tumours within the brain stem. Dr. Rutka and the research team at
Toronto’s SickKids Hospital plan to use immune-based therapy to
achieve longer impacts of the therapy.
“We know that the impact of those agents [through immune-based
therapy] will be longer after each drug administration than a
single chemotherapeutic can be,” said Dr. Rutka.
“Canadians should be proud that we’re offering this for the
first time in the world for children who have this devastating
disease,” said Dr. Rutka. “The technology was funded through the
Bunzl Golf Tournament, and we’re seeing a tangible impact now of
how we can approach this devastating disease.”
“We want to thank all our valued customers and vendors for their
contributions towards this life-saving research,” said John
Howlett, Bunzl Canada’s President. “Dr. Rutka and his team at
SickKids Hospital continue to pioneer groundbreaking treatments for
children battling this devastating disease, and we’re excited to
continue to support them in such important work.”
About Bunzl Canada
Bunzl Canada Inc. (bunzlcanada.ca) provides the cleaning and
hygiene products and equipment, food and retail packaging, safety
products and industrial packaging supplies which keep over 45,000
Canadian businesses running optimally, every day. The company
brings its customers the advantage of global sourcing, product
innovation and national scale combined with responsive local
service and deep category expertise. Bunzl Canada Inc. is a
division of Bunzl Distribution USA, LLC.
About Bunzl Distribution
Bunzl Distribution USA, LLC (bunzldistribution.com),
headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., is the largest division of
London-based Bunzl plc, an international distribution and
outsourcing group. With more than 100 distribution centres
throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, Bunzl
supplies a wide range of products to food processors, supermarkets,
retailers, convenience stores and other users.
Media Inquiries
Margo HunnisettVice President, Marketing &
CommunicationsBunzl Canada Inc.margo.hunnisett@bunzlcanada.ca(905)
630-3749
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