CCS Breakthrough Grant awarded for The Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy

CAN-PACT - Building a Research, Practice and Policy Foundation

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

A new national initiative as been funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, through their Breakthrough Team Grant competition. The Canadian Network for Psychedelic-Assisted Cancer Therapy (CAN-PACT), is bringing together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and people living with advanced cancer to explore the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy as a transformative approach to cancer care.

"I applaud the Canadian Cancer Society and its donors for today's announcement that enables the creation of CAN-PACT. The nationwide collaboration will be transformative, providing us with an opportunity to better understand the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted cancer therapy and establish research evidence that has nationwide reach," says Dr. Linda Carlson, PhD, University of Calgary researcher and co-principal investigator of the CAN-PACT study.

People with advanced cancer often experience profound emotional distress, including anxiety about end of life, fear of death, demoralization, and loss of hope. Emerging research suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapy, including psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms), may offer fast-acting and long-lasting relief from these symptoms.

"This grant gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a meaningful psychedelic cancer research collaborative," says Dr. Richardson. "It will help pave the way for evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapy to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for people with advanced cancer," says Dr Harriet Richardson CAN-PACT Senior Investigator and Associate Professor, Public Health Sciences, Queen's University.

Although promising results have been seen in small U.S. studies, Canada currently lacks the research infrastructure, trained clinicians, and policy framework necessary to make this therapy accessible in public cancer care. CAN-PACT aims to fill this gap through a nationwide collaboration that will:

Establish a Cross-Canada network of experts and stakeholders dedicated to psychedelic-assisted cancer therapy .
Define key research priorities to advance the field.
Build capacity for safe and effective delivery of this therapy in public cancer centers.
Conduct pilot studies and a large multi-site clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of PACT for people with advanced cancer.

Work to inform healthcare policies that could support the responsible integration of this therapy into Canadian cancer care. By addressing research, training, and policy needs, CAN-PACT is laying the groundwork for a future where people with advanced cancer may have access to evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapy to relieve suffering and improve quality of life.

"This is a very exciting partnership that includes researchers, institutions, patients, and decision-makers from across Canada," says Dr. Shore. "It is going to live in perpetuity and will influence the whole evolution of psychedelic research in Canada, by far," says Dr Ronald Shore CAN-PACT Co-principal Investigator Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University.