London cancer research center receives $1.7M donation to expand offerings

The London Health Sciences Centre’s Gerald C. Baines Center for cancer research received a $1.7-million donation Wednesday, the first contribution to a $5.6 million vision for the Baines Centre.

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Made possible by the Centre’s namesake’s son, philanthropist Kirk Baines, the funds will be directed toward developing computational theranostics capabilities, a new area of ​​cancer diagnosis and therapy that combines imaging and therapy.

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The greater vision also calls for upgrades and enhancements to data storage and computing, radiochemistry instruments, and AI diagnostic tools.

As part of efforts to achieve the $5.6 million goal, following Baines’ $1.7 million donation, the London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF), the charitable wing of the London Health Sciences Centre, has also begun a fundraising effort to match.

John MacFarlane, the president and chief executive of the foundation, said it is delighted to have received the donation. He said donations are critical to supporting health care in the city.

“Without leadership like this, from donors like Kirk and his family, we simply are not going to be able to have the kind of research and clinical care that we enjoy in London,” MacFarlane said. “We know we enjoy a pretty special place in terms of LHSC and the London Regional Cancer Program, and that’s thanks to our donors.”

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The Gerald C. Baines Center for Translational Cancer Research was established in 2010, and has been a repeated recipient of donations from the Baines family.

MacFarlane details that over the years, they have contributed $5 million to cancer research, and as such the LHSF, the Baines Centre, and the Baines family enjoy a close and collaborative relationship.

Those collaborations focus on the targets of funding and what kind of funding they will require, and MacFarlane said Baines was committed from the beginning.

“I think one of the important things for Kirk and the family was that concept of translational research, in other words, bringing from the bench to the bedside, because that’s what we do well in London,” he said.

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Kirk Baines, who lost both his father Gerald and his mother to cancer, continues to be passionate about cancer research. He explains this donation was meant to invest in the people behind the center in order to enhance the standard of care.

Speaking on Wednesday’s donation, he said the dollar amount was recommended by the center itself.

“We said, ‘Go find out what you want to do in the next 10 years, and we’ll do our best to make sure that we can get you there,’” Baines said.

Speaking to the audience at Wednesday’s announcement, Jackie Schleifer Taylor, president and chief executive of London Health Science Centre, called the donation a “significant step forward” in reducing the impact of cancer.

“A donation of this magnitude is more than simply numbers on a check. . . it’s about lifetimes extended, families kept intact, and communities made stronger,” she said.

The donation announcement was followed by a discussion panel on cancer research led by staff at the Baines Centre, and the recognition of Jessica Wright, a patient of the centre.

Both Baines and MacFarlane encourage all Londoners to contribute what they can to the matching campaign, which can be found online.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/jackmoulton65

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