New federal funding will help a team of researchers probe the mysteries of an aggressive form of brain cancer that claimed the life of Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie.
The team is led by University of Windsor biologist Dr Lisa Porter who helped found the Windsor Cancer Research Group, and the $1 million over five years comes from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The group is looking for new therapies to treat glioblastoma multiforme. The money will support seven researchers working in Porter's lab.
In addition to Downie who died in October 2017, Windsor grade four student Huntre Allard was diagnosed with the incurable cancer last summer. He recently returned to class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help after missing school for more than a year because of the disease.
The research is one of 370 health research projects across Canada that will receive a total of $275 million.
"These federally funded projects hold the potential for scientific advancements, new treatments, and improved quality of life for Canadians living with a variety of health conditions," said federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor in Quebec City last week.