Context
Chordoma is a rare cancer of the spine and skull base, diagnosed roughly one person per million each year. There is no approved drug therapy for it anywhere in the world. The standard treatments are surgery and radiation, but more than half of patients eventually experience a recurrence, and many reach a point where surgery and radiation are no longer safe, effective, or possible. For those patients, drug therapy is the only remaining option, yet today only three drugs have been shown to provide meaningful benefit, and each benefit only some patients. The toolbox is far too small.
The reason it remains small is structural. Because chordoma is rare, the commercial market is too limited to attract the sustained investment that ordinarily drives drug development, and no single hospital sees enough patients to study new therapies efficiently. As a result, promising treatment ideas have historically gone untested.
Goals
This project seeks to develop better drug therapies for chordoma by (1) testing promising therapeutic concepts to determine which are most likely to benefit chordoma patients; (2) generating the preclinical data needed to advance the strongest candidates into clinical evaluation; and (3) building and applying the specialized laboratory capabilities required to drug brachyury, chordoma’s defining molecular target.
Activities
Activities of this project may include:
- Screening and prioritizing treatment candidates
- Generating data to move drugs toward clinical trials
- Building the capabilities to drug brachyury
Myriad Canada is working with the Chordoma Foundation on this project, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by Chordoma and advancing the search for a cure. Through its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, the Foundation aims to double the number of effective drug therapies available to patients.
To achieve this goal, the Foundation established Chordoma Foundation Labs (CF Labs) in Durham, North Carolina. The laboratory enables the Foundation to evaluate new treatment ideas, generate the preclinical evidence needed to justify clinical testing, and move the most promising drugs toward patients far faster and at lower cost than would otherwise be possible. It is the first and only laboratory in the world dedicated entirely to chordoma therapy development, and one of the first of its kind for any disease.
Myriad Canada’s role is to carry out charitable activities across the globe in accordance with its charitable purposes. We control and monitor the use of funds and the progress of charitable activities to ensure that donations made to Myriad Canada have the greatest impact. As a member of the Myriad Alliance with offices in Canada, the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, Myriad Canada has a vast international network and extensive practical expertise.
How to support this project?
By credit card: At the top right of this page, indicate the amount you wish to donate, and make the donation online by credit card. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes by e-mail just a few minutes after making the donation. It is simple and quick!
By cheque:
- Make your cheque out to Myriad Canada.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: We receive a lot of cheques! You must please indicate “Project G417 – Accelerating Drug Therapy Development for Chordoma” in the memo line of your cheque to ensure that it is allocated correctly.
- Mail your cheque to: Myriad Canada, 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 1670, Montreal, QC, H3B 2B6, Canada.
By Direct Deposit:
- For transfer instructions, please email or call Caroline Chaulet: caroline@myriadcanada.org or +1 438 300 8122.
For Donation of Securities:
- Please email or call Caroline Chaulet: caroline@myriadcanada.org or +1 438 300 8122.
For Monthly Donations:
- We use CanadaHelps. Please find the link here.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
All donations are eligible for a tax receipt in Canada.
The projects are managed with the greatest care and professionalism.