Calgary’s Riddell family makes $25M donation to advance cancer research

Family makes $25M donation to cancer research A Calgary family hopes a large donation will help reduce the burden of cancer for Albertans. Mark Villani reports.

Calgary’s Riddell family gifted $25 million Thursday to an ongoing campaign aimed at advancing groundbreaking cancer research and providing world class care to Albertans.

The philanthropic investment will support new immunotherapy research and treatment development through the creation of the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Cumming School of Medicine, the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Alberta Children's Hospital.

"Our family is so pleased to be able to support this ground-breaking work happening in our own backyard," said Sue Riddell Rose, a Calgary philanthropist and CEO of Perpetual Energy and Rubellite Energy.

"Alberta has become a world-recognized hub for research in immunotherapy cancer treatment and it is now time to take this research and its clinical application to a whole new level."

These funds will go towards the OWN.CANCER campaign, an ongoing mission to raise $250 million in support of improved research, treatment and care at Calgary’s new cancer centre.

As of November, the fund has raised $173 million and Ridell Rose says this recent donation will help reduce the burden of cancer in children, adolescents and adults.

"Our hope is that the discoveries that come from the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy will quickly take immunotherapy to a mainstream treatment protocol and very directly improve care and outcomes for patients in Alberta and beyond."