BURLINGTON, Ontario, July 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 Hunnisett
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Bunzl Canada Inc.
margo.hunnisett@bunzlcanada.ca
(905) 630-3749
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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