Dr. Marco Marra and the groundbreaking Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program have been prominently featured in The Globe and Mail following Dr. Marra’s recognition as a recipient of the 2025 Killam Research Prize in health sciences. This prestigious award highlights his contributions to Canadian research, particularly in the realm of genomics and precision cancer medicine.
As a distinguished scientist at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer and a professor with Michael Smith Laboratories and in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Marra has been at the forefront of advancing cancer genomics. His work has played a crucial role in the development of the POG program. For over 12 years, POG has transformed our understanding of cancer by identifying the genomic alterations that drive tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment responses, and offering invaluable real-time insights to provide precision medicine for cancer patients in BC.
The Globe and Mail’s feature underscores the impact of both Dr. Marra’s leadership and the POG program’s pioneering approach to cancer research. Dr. Marra, one of the world’s most cited scientists in molecular biology and genetics, has earned numerous accolades throughout his career. In addition to the Killam Research Prize, his recent honors include his appointment to the Order of Canada in December 2024 and his induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2020.
The Killam Prizes, among Canada’s most prestigious research awards, are awarded annually by the National Research Council to outstanding scholars across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering. Each prize carries a $100,000 award, supporting continued contributions to the Canadian research community.
BC Cancer Foundation and its donors have been instrumental in the success of both the Genome Sciences Centre and the POG program. Since its establishment in 1999, the Genome Sciences Centre has thrived with the Foundation’s support, while POG—launched in 2012—has been made possible through significant donor contributions. As genomic medicine continues to evolve, the POG program remains a beacon of innovation, demonstrating the power of precision oncology to improve patient outcomes.