Working to Make an Innovative Program at BC Children’s Hospital a Reality

Mining for Miracles, the B.C. mining industry charity of choice in support of BC Children’s Hospital, has launched its annual campaign to support sick and injured children across our province.

Between 2017 and 2018, Mining for Miracles aims to raise $2.9 million through the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation (BCCHF) to support the development of the TRAnsplantation & CEll Therapy Program (TRACE), the first of its kind in Canada.

TRACE will work towards providing children across British Columbia with personalized medicine using the patient’s own cells to monitor how well a patient who has had a transplant is doing and to prevent rejection of organ transplants, kill cancer cells and fight infection.

One of the many children who would benefit from TRACE is Nathan Dillabough, who was diagnosed with a rare disease called Prune Belly Syndrome before he was born. At just two years old, he received a kidney transplant. With TRACE, doctors would be able to monitor for signs of rejection with a simple urine test, rather than an invasive process that involves multiple biopsies, deep sedation and a hospital stay.

For more on the innovative program, BCCHF spoke with TRACE’s Program Lead, Dr. Megan Levings.

BCCHF: How would you describe TRACE?

Dr. Levings: TRACE is an initiative designed to expand our capacity to do cell therapy and transplantation research on the BC Children’s Hospital campus.

BCCHF: How does the program work?

Dr. Levings: It consists of two major components. One is focused around trying to develop better biomarkers—a measurable indicator of a disease or condition—for judging the outcome of transplant patients. This work will primarily be conducted at the research institute and will test the biomarkers we think are going to be able to tell us more about how transplant patients are doing. Ultimately we will apply this research to the clinical setting. The second part of TRACE, which will take place in the hospital, is about creating the infrastructure, skills and resources we need to treat children with cells as an alternative to drugs.

BCCHF: What is the biggest benefit of the program?

Dr. Levings: For patients, it’s all about bringing the latest cutting-edge technology to B.C. and making it more accessible to everyone. The new infrastructure and skilled personnel will also allow us to take new research directions and be leaders in this field.

BCCHF: What is the ultimate vision for TRACE?

Dr. Levings: Ultimately, for both parts—biomarkers and cell therapy—we want to be able to have the therapies and tools in place in the hospital. We want it to move out of the research space and into the reality of clinical care. This is why we are so grateful for Mining for Miracle’s fundraising efforts, enthusiasm and long-term dedication to making projects like this possible.
 


Mining for Miracles

Teck is a founding member of Mining for Miracles and a long-time supporter of the campaign.

Thanks to generous donations, our employees have helped Mining for Miracles raise more than $26 million since 1988.

For more information, or if you wish to donate to the campaign, visit: www.miningformiracles.ca

Thank you

Download Connect Volume 18

Many thanks to those who contributed to and participated in this issue of Connect:

Craig Bell, Buyer, Sparwood office; Barbara Brice, Senior Human Resources Generalist, Pend Oreille Mine; Pamela Chait, Manager, Corporate Affairs, Santiago office; Vesta Filipchuk, Manager, Community Relations, North American Exploration, Vancouver office; Norman Fraser, Lead, Aboriginal Initiatives, Sparwood office; Carly Hoogeveen, Coordinator, Community Relations, Calgary office; Bruce Howard, Environmental Superintendent, Pend Oreille Mine; Tony Kalma, Community Relations, Regional Leader, Exploration, Australia, West Perth office; Heather Lawrence, Manager, Indigenous Affairs, Vancouver office; José Luis González, Coordinator, Community Development, Quebrada Blanca Operations; Nicole McLaren, Coordinator, Indigenous Affairs, Vancouver office; Neil Rayner, Leader, Indigenous Affairs, Vancouver office; Sheila Ryles, Marketing Communications Specialist, Technical Services, Toronto office; Jason Smith, Superintendent, Human Resources, Greenhills Operations; Verna Westlake, Community Relations Coordinator, Red Dog Operations

On the Cover

Maggie Dunleavy, Warehouse Floor Person, Red Dog Operations

Click here to watch Maggie talk about her experience working at Red Dog.

Red Dog was developed under an innovative operating agreement between the landowner NANA, a Regional Alaska Native corporation, and Teck. For more than 25 years, Red Dog and the people of the Northwest Arctic region of Alaska have worked together to create jobs and opportunities in the region; in 2016, approximately 638 NANA shareholders (employees and contractors) worked at the mine.

 

Submissions

Have a story that you would like to share through Connect? Submit your article and high-quality photos to: connect@teck.com