Pharmacy / en Meet U of T’s newest Canada Research Chairs /news/meet-u-t-newest-canada-research-chairs <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Meet U of T’s newest Canada Research Chairs</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-02-CRC%20Announcement-sidebar-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aoZb7BKW 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-12-02-CRC%20Announcement-sidebar-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9kdH1XHy 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-12-02-CRC%20Announcement-sidebar-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2oidQuFD 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-02-CRC%20Announcement-sidebar-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aoZb7BKW" alt="Photo of Science Minister Kirsty Duncan announcing chairs"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-02T12:33:09-05:00" title="Friday, December 2, 2016 - 12:33" class="datetime">Fri, 12/02/2016 - 12:33</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan announces the 25 new Canada Research Chairs at U of T (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canada-research-chairs" hreflang="en">Canada Research Chairs</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-social-work" hreflang="en">Faculty of Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/social-work" hreflang="en">Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dentistry" hreflang="en">Dentistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><u><strong>Dalla Lana School of Public Health</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2736 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-tricco.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Andrea Tricco</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis</p> <p>In the fast-paced world of health-care research, having the most up-to-date research at your fingertips is imperative for doctors, policymakers and patients to make the best, most informed decisions.</p> <p>But the sheer amount of complex research available –&nbsp;and the fact not all of it is consistent in findings and conclusions –&nbsp;means it’s impossible to read everything quickly and accurately. That’s where knowledge synthesis can make all the difference.</p> <p><strong>Andrea Tricco</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis, is leading research to advance the science of knowledge syntheses within health, including identifying and validating the best rapid review methods. She is also leading research to improve the reporting of scoping reviews and a type of systematic review that uses advanced statistical methods called network meta-analysis.</p> <p>In the field of knowledge syntheses, there are systematic reviews, rapid reviews and scoping reviews to summarize all pertinent studies on a question, improve the understanding of inconsistencies and define future research agendas.</p> <p>The results from knowledge synthesis can then be used to create policy briefs, clinical practice guidelines and patient decision aids.</p> <p>Systematic reviews, which are the gold standard in reviewing research, take thousands of hours to complete while rapid reviews, a type of knowledge synthesis, typically take just six to 12 weeks. But it’s unclear if rapid reviews are susceptible to biased results because of short-cuts in the process.&nbsp;What is clear is that decision-makers need and expect the information quickly – often&nbsp;in three months or less.</p> <p>The results of Tricco's research will be used to directly inform knowledge synthesis groups that exist in Canada, as well as internationally, on how to provide relevant, timely and high quality information to health decision-makers.</p> <h3><a href="http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/2016/12/professor-andrea-tricco-awarded-canada-research-chair-to-help-governments-health-care-providers-and-patients-make-health-related-decisions/">Read more about Tricco</a></h3> <hr> <p><u><strong>Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work&nbsp;</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2742 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-craig3_0.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Shelley Craig</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth</p> <p>We often think of the online world as one rife with abuse for teenagers. But for Canada’s sexual and gender minority youth communicating with others online about their struggles is often safer than meeting in person.</p> <p>That’s why information and communication technology like smartphones and their social media applications such as Facebook and Instagram hold such promise to reach Canada’s estimated half a million &nbsp;sexual and gender minority youth.</p> <p>Research has shown SGMY youth in crisis, who often experience an array of discrimination and stressors at home, at school and in their community, turn to their phones and social media for information and help instead of reaching out to social services. This makes technology an important avenue to create and provide new, innovative and widely available interventions to help them cope and thrive.</p> <p><strong>Shelley Craig</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, is seeking to improve the well-being of this vulnerable population through research, practice and education. For example, her research will digitize and pilot test smartphone-enabled coping skills training for sexual and gender minority youth.</p> <p>She will also improve on how social workers and other health professionals successfully intervene with SGMY youth by creating best practice guidelines and through simulation based learning exercises in graduate social work classes.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2743 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-fallon.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Barbara Fallon</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare</p> <p>Helping children survive and thrive after they have been abused or neglected is a pressing concern to Canadians.</p> <p>We now know instances of maltreatment can have a longstanding impact not only on children and their families but on communities as a whole. Studies have shown young people who have been abused or neglected can experience a host of physical, mental and behavioural challenges, as well as struggle to form bonds with others and are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs. Supporting children and families to achieve better outcomes through evidence-informed policy is the foundation for providing effective interventions.&nbsp;</p> <p>Although child welfare services are one of the fastest growing social service delivery sectors in Canada, we still suffer from a dearth of evidence about what works best to help children and families.</p> <p>For the past 20 years, <strong>Barbara Fallon</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare, has worked to bridge that knowledge gap by collecting reliable national and provincial child welfare data across Canada and mining it with innovative statistical techniques to help policymakers determine what works and is needed to best help children based on evidence, not perceptions.&nbsp;</p> <p>Already, her research has helped front-line child welfare workers and policymakers understand the use of risk assessments in child protection investigations and opportunities for early intervention and prevention for children at risk of maltreatment.</p> <hr> <p><u><strong>Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2758 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-gilbert.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Penney Gilbert</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Endogenous Repair</p> <p>Falling is the leading cause of injury among seniors. In fact, every two minutes, one Canadian over the age of 65 will experience a fall-related injury.</p> <p>When we are young, our bodies easily recover from a fall. As we age, not only do we fall more frequently, falls can result in long hospital stays, slow or limited mobility recovery and loss of independent living, which has a serious impact on our quality of life.</p> <p>There are many reasons why we fall but one biological risk factor is skeletal muscle strength.&nbsp;</p> <p>Recent work by <strong>Penney Gilber</strong>t, Canada Research Chair in Endogenous Repair and an internationally recognized expert in regenerative medicine and mechanobiology, suggests one of the reasons our muscles weaken with age is that our muscle stem cells lose their potency.</p> <p>Using a stem cell-targeted therapeutic approach, she’s working to identify and validate biomolecules that can rejuvenate muscle stem cells inside the body.</p> <p>She will also engineer a new human micro-tissue platform to test and create personalized medicine for skeletal muscles and uncover novel ways human stem cells are controlled in the body to reveal new therapeutic entry points.</p> <p>This work will contribute to the international reputation of the ؿζSM and Canada as a regenerative medicine leader&nbsp;while delivering strategies to maintain muscle strength throughout life.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2744 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-hatzapolou.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Marianne Hatzopoulou</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Air Quality</p> <p>Traffic-related air pollution has a large impact on public health&nbsp;from respiratory illnesses to cardiovascular health.&nbsp;</p> <p>There is no escape from air pollution in the city, but there are streets and neighbourhoods with cleaner air.</p> <p>Capturing these variations with environmental sensors and sharing them in real-time on GPS-enabled smartphones means individual citizens could soon decide what exposure to traffic-related air pollution they’re prepared to accept as they go about their travels on foot or cycle.</p> <p><strong>Marianne Hatzopoulou</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Air Quality, was the first in Canada to integrate transportation modelling with air pollution and population exposure to help active travellers (cyclists, pedestrians) avoid smoggy routes in Montreal and Toronto.</p> <p>Now, she’s expanding that work to collect air pollution data from pedestrians and cyclists kitted out with sensors fitted with GPS units as they move around the city. These mobile sensors will allow for unparalleled coverage, generating air pollution levels at every point they cross.</p> <p>Their data will automatically be transmitted to their smartphone via Bluetooth and transferred to a central server at the ؿζSM where air pollution levels are spatially interpolated to generate a time-varying map. &nbsp;</p> <p>This real-time air quality map will then be shared with the general public through a specially created smartphone app to see how the information affects their travel route decision to avoid higher pollution levels. It will also be used to study the influence of minimizing traffic congestion, queuing, and aggressive driving on air pollution. &nbsp;</p> <p>This five-year research project will enable Hatzopoulou to evaluate the potential of mobile apps to change behaviour, as well as provide essential information to policy makers to design better transportation infrastructure to minimize the impact of traffic on air quality.</p> <h3><a href="http://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/two-u-t-engineering-researchers-awarded-canada-research-chairs/?_ga=1.122225224.274916808.1470685210">Read more about Gilbert and Hatzopoulou</a></h3> <hr> <p><u><strong>Faculty of Arts and Science</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2745 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-barney.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Rachel Barney</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Ancient Philosophy</p> <p>Debate has long raged over the role of the sophists in the development of Western philosophy. Derided even in their own time in ancient Greece as tricksters and corruptors of youth, this group of learned men gave paid lessons to upwardly mobile Athenian men to teach them how to win political arguments, regardless of their virtue.</p> <p>Philosophers have commonly believed they had little influence over the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, who forcefully denounced their teachings in his influential dialogues such as the Protagoras and Gorgias more than 2,000 years ago.</p> <p><strong>Rachel Barney</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Ancient Philosophy, has offered another way of looking at Plato’s philosophy and the ancient debate to which it belongs. One that shows both Plato and his sophist contemporaries such as Protagoras made contributions to –&nbsp;and are continuing to influence –&nbsp;both our ways of thinking about ethics and methods of philosophical argument in general.</p> <p>She argues Plato both responds to and appropriates the ideas and methods of the sophists in his work. As such, she will offer a new account of their debates, one which will make it accessible and exciting to a wide range of scholars, contemporary philosophers and students.</p> <p>Did Plato believe virtue could be taught like the sophists? And what did he believe virtue was? Is it a kind of knowledge or mental health or perhaps a learned skill?</p> <p>She will also study the origins of sophistic thought and argue it was so successfully incorporated by Plato and others into the bloodstream of philosophy that their origins tend to be forgotten, and their primary significance and functions overlooked.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2746 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-cuningham.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>John Cunningham</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Addictions</p> <p>It is an unfortunate reality that most people with addictions will never seek formal, face-to-face treatment with an expert. Common obstacles include a lack of available treatments, particularly in rural settings, concerns over stigma and a desire for self-reliance.</p> <p>An effective new option to promote recovery is to develop and design interventions for problem gamblers, drinkers, smokers and illicit drug users they can administer on their own.</p> <p><strong>John Cunningham</strong>, the Canada Research Chair in Addictions, is a world-leading expert in the development and evaluation of assisted self-change interventions for addictions, including pioneering research on Internet interventions for hazardous drinking.</p> <p>In Canada and Australia, he’s conducting several randomized controlled trials, including Internet interventions for heavy drinkers and mailing nicotine patches to smokers to help them quit.</p> <p>His research will also encompass ways to treat addictions in high-risk situations, in vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations, among illicit drug users and in integrating assisted self-change with face-to-face treatment.</p> <p>For example, using gaming and intervention apps, Cunningham will target heavy drinkers with limited literacy to teach safe drinking techniques and encourage them to employ interventions based on their own reporting of situations where they’re in danger of drinking, such as the holiday season.</p> <p>The long-term goal is an improved system of care for people with addictions, fully integrated within the larger health-care system and widely accessed both in Canada and internationally.</p> <p>Such research will lead to sustained improvements for those suffering from addictions and contribute toward&nbsp;a reduction in the health and societal costs associated with this challenging health problem.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2748 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-fortin.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Marie-Josée Fortin</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology</p> <p>Understanding how many species will respond to global change is a central challenge in ecology because their population health is vital for the overall ecosystem and the survival of humans.</p> <p>To understand and predict the impacts of global change on animal movement and the survival of isolated populations of the same species, the field of spatial ecology examines everything from the size of the “patch” where communities live to the predators that threaten prey survival and their adaptability to changes in climate, food availability, disease and reproduction rate.</p> <p>Through her work, <strong>Marie-Josée Fortin</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology, will provide ecologists with novel network analytical methods that can be used to propose management strategies to facilitate species dispersal in fragmented landscapes, to maintain the resilience of ecosystem services, or to prevent disease spread.</p> <p>By doing so, she will provide novel perspectives on how to address fundamental and applied issues in the field of conservation biology by making novel network analytical models available to ecologists and evolutionists allowing the analysis and modeling of the complex spatial dynamics of species interactions across scales, trophic levels&nbsp;and ecosystems.&nbsp;</p> <p>Collectively, the proposed conceptual and analytical models will have important implications for the protection of biodiversity and its valuable role in the maintenance of ecosystem functions as well as human health.</p> <p>This research will provide fundamental and applied contributions that will significantly advance the fields of conservation biology, ecology, evolution, landscape genetics and landscape epidemiology.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2750 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-frankland_0.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Paul Frankland</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Memory Research</p> <p>Memory disorders affect millions of Canadians. In some cases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, important memories can be lost, while persistent memories tied to traumatic events can lead to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.</p> <p>To develop better treatments for these disorders, it’s critical to understand how memories are organized and stored in the brain and how they can be altered after they are formed –&nbsp;sometimes by disease.</p> <p><strong>Paul Frankland</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Memory Research and a global leader in the field, combines behaviour, imaging and molecular approaches to study memory.</p> <p>In particular, his research focuses on how changes in memory organization –&nbsp;from their creation in the hippocampus to their reorganization in the cortex for long-term storage –&nbsp;affects their quality.</p> <p>He and his team are also building on their discovery that new neurons generated in the hippocampus throughout our lifetimes help&nbsp;the brain create new memories and forget older ones.</p> <p>Like in artificial systems, there is a trade-off in brain networks between plasticity – the ability to incorporate new information –&nbsp;and stability, which&nbsp;ensures&nbsp;that incorporating new information does not degrade information already stored in the network.</p> <p>Frankland will use whole brain mapping approaches in mice and zebrafish to define memory networks, identify areas of network vulnerability and use this knowledge to develop strategies to restore memory function.</p> <p>His team will also use genetic interventions and compounds that emerge from pro-neurogenic drug screens conducted at SickKids to manipulate neurogenesis.</p> <p>By weakening memories after they’ve formed –&nbsp;like in the movie,&nbsp;<em>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</em> –&nbsp;we can develop more effective treatments for addiction and other disorders associated with abnormal memory persistence or rumination.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2751 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-joesselyn.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Sheena Josselyn</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Systems Neuroscience</p> <p>Memory impairments are a hallmark of aging, mental illness, developmental disorders, as well as several neurological disorders.</p> <p>Examining how the brain normally encodes and uses information is an important goal in and of itself, but also may serve as a first step to developing treatments when these complex processes go awry in conditions ranging from autism to Alzheimer’s disease.&nbsp;</p> <p>The development of new tools has enabled the lab of <strong>Sheena Josselyn</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Systems Neuroscience, to identify, understand and even manipulate memory traces (engrams) in rodent brains.&nbsp;</p> <p>First, they erased a memory. Now, they’re working on more sophisticated problems such as altering memories or recalling them at will by choosing what brain cells to turn on or off. To help in their research, Josselyn’s team has developed a state-of-the-art, 1 photon fluorescent mini-microscope that enables them to observe the brains of mice at the cellular level as they form and retrieve a memory.</p> <p>They’ve also made significant progress in advancing our understanding of why certain nerve cells are used in engrams and others aren’t. Her team has successfully selected and manipulated nerve cells to boost their CREB function, which plays a role in binding DNA and regulating gene expression, after noticing that factor leads to preferential recruitment by engrams. One of their most interesting experiments shows promise for potential addiction treatments.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2752 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-krkosek.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Martin Krkosek</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Population Ecology</p> <p>The ability of the oceans to feed humanity is under threat from a number of sources including the rise and spread of infectious diseases.</p> <p>As global fisheries landings have either plateaued or declined, the world has turned to aquaculture as a way to provide seafood and relieve overfishing on existing ocean stocks. The blue revolution has been so successful that most salmon people eat are now grown in open sea pens that dot the coastal seas of countries such as Canada, Norway, and Chile.</p> <p>But intensive aquaculture production hasn’t been without risk. Parasites and diseases like sea lice and infectious salmon anemia virus have emerged, challenging aquaculture industries and perhaps contributing to the decline of wild marine ecosystems and fisheries.</p> <p><strong>Martin Krkosek</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Population Ecology, is studying salmon in British Columbia to probe what causes infectious diseases to emerge in wild and farmed fish and the ways to control disease spread.&nbsp;</p> <p>His work includes how domesticated environments can cause pathogens to evolve antibiotic resistance and increased virulence, and how changes in host abundance and distribution can abruptly cause epidemics.</p> <p>This research will help protect ocean biodiversity, as well as human health and food security.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2753 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-peng.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Ito Peng</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Global Social Policy</p> <p>Contracting out the care of our young children and rapidly aging populations is producing significant societal changes around the world –&nbsp;even changing migration patterns, as females are drawn from poorer countries to work in wealthier nations.</p> <p>Research by <strong>Ito Peng</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Global Social Policy, has shown this urgent demand is also being driven by shifts in traditional family obligations, the growing service economy and&nbsp;in an ironic twist,&nbsp;gender equality&nbsp;as more and more women are working outside of home.</p> <p>This has contributed to growing demands for government services. National governments have responded by providing more public care services and/or subsidies and tax incentives for families to purchase care privately. In almost all cases, care is increasingly being commodified as a service to be purchased in the market.&nbsp;</p> <p>This change isn’t confined to Western countries. It’s even happening in many southern Mediterranean and Asian countries, which have strong cultural traditions of families providing care, Peng has found. In Spain and Italy, the government care allowance has enabled a large proportion of elderly people to hire foreign migrant caregivers. This is helped by the increased intake of foreign caregivers. But there remain holdouts such as Japan, which has resisted opening its doors to increased immigration.</p> <p>Peng is globally known for her research in showing how changes in domestic factors interact with global institutions and actors in shaping social policy development within countries.<br> <br> In the case of care workers, she is studying policies in North America, Asia, Oceania and Europe to examine broad theoretical issues around how care and immigration policies are informed by societal and cultural norms, expectations and trends,&nbsp;and how these policies in turn help influence societal and cultural norms and trends. Her research also looks at the implications of these policies for the migrants performing care work.</p> <p>This knowledge will make an important contribution to public and policy debates, particularly in current socio-economic contexts where international migration continues to accelerate amidst the intensification of immigration politics and growing calls for national and regional governments to develop effective social policy and governance to address the issue.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2754 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-vutha.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Amar Vutha</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Precision Atomic and Molecular Physics</p> <p>Atoms and molecules can be used as extremely precise tools to advance fundamental physics and practical technology.</p> <p>For example, highly accurate clocks based on laser-cooled atoms can now keep time to better than one part per quintillion (1 followed by 18 zeros). Such accuracy forms the basis of our global system of measurement standards, and allows ventures ranging from deep space navigation to cellular communications networks to precision manufacturing.</p> <p><strong>Amar Vutha</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Precision Atomic and Molecular Physics, is taking this precision one step further –&nbsp;by developing a portable version of such atomic clocks.</p> <p>These clocks have potential applications in improving metrology, navigation and mapping the earth’s gravitational field. Excitingly, these clocks could also open up a new way to “see” gravitational waves emanating from black holes and other hitherto invisible inhabitants of our universe.&nbsp;</p> <p>Vutha’s research group will also develop other atomic and molecular tools to reveal unexplored physics. For example, very precise measurements on cold, confined molecules can shed light on physical and chemical processes occurring millions of light years away in gas clouds in space. New techniques that are needed to make such precise measurements, using lasers and terahertz radiation, will be studied in his group.</p> <p>A big puzzle about the universe is the absence of natural anti-matter anywhere. While lots of anti-matter is believed to have formed after the Big Bang, the fate of all that anti-matter remains a mystery. One approach to unraveling this puzzle is to precisely probe the shape of certain atomic nuclei. Vutha’s group will develop new experiments to measure such properties of nuclei, which could also lead to practical payoffs such as improved gyroscopes for navigation.</p> <hr> <p><u><strong>Faculty of Dentistry</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2755 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-levesque.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Celine Levesque</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Oral Microbial Genetics</p> <p>A biofilm is a collection of microbes –&nbsp;such as bacteria –&nbsp;that stick to each other and to a surface to survive. When biofilm bacteria attack the human body, they can be difficult to fight. In fact, antibiotics need to be 100 times more concentrated than usual in order to kill biofilm bacteria.</p> <p>Biofilm bacteria have also developed clever ways to stay alive. Some bacteria in biofilms can essentially commit suicide –&nbsp;known as “programmed cell death” (PCD) –&nbsp;to enable other microbes to become stronger and better able to survive. They can also remain dormant until antibiotic treatment is completed. As a result, microbes can persist for months or even years in the body and lead to recurrent infections that are very difficult to eradicate.</p> <p><strong>Celine Levesque</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Oral Microbial Genetics, is investigating how biofilm bacteria develop the means to survive and grow by studying an oral pathogen that can lead to tooth decay.</p> <p>Levesque’s research will result in better understanding of the genetic networks that regulate PCD and the formation of “sleeping” bacteria. It will also help lead to better treatments for such biofilm infections as tooth decay, children’s ear infection, cystic fibrosis pneumonia and necrotizing fasciitis, the so-called flesh-eating disease.</p> <hr> <p><u><strong>Faculty of Medicine</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2756 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-andreazza.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Ana Andreazza</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Molecular Pharmacology of Mood Disorders</p> <p>One in 10 Canadians suffers from highly disabling mood disorders including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Currently, diagnosis is based upon self-reported symptoms or behavioural observations that lack substantial biological validation.</p> <p><strong>Ana Andreazza</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Pharmacology of Mood Disorders, is an emerging international leader in this field, which is searching for affordable, easy-to-use and clinically relevant biological markers that can be used for biological confirmation of a mood disorder diagnosis or to identify people at risk of developing a mood disorder.</p> <p>The identification of biological targets will open doors to the development of new treatments strategies that treat abnormalities or impairments in oxidation processes in the periphery that contribute to mood disorders.</p> <p>Her research, in collaboration with other laboratories, has produced some of the most convincing insights to date into the mechanisms that underlie mood disorders by focusing on metabolic processes known as oxidation and reduction reactions or redox modulations.</p> <p>Oxidation in our cells is a natural process that converts energy from food to ATP, a molecule that carries energy to where the body needs it. But the oxidation process isn’t always well modulated.</p> <p>For example, Andreazza's research demonstrates increased mitochondrial dysfunction and redox modulations in brain and blood cells of patients with mood disorders. This discovery led to treatments with antioxidants that have shown promising results when used with other therapies in treating mood disorders.</p> <p>She is currently furthering her study of the role these redox abnormalities or impairments play in mood disorders and is exploring the possible effects of redox modulations on molecular pathways leading to synaptic alterations, particularly those that might provide potential avenues for therapy. She is also investigating the role these redox mistakes and inflammation in signalling white matter changes in mood disorder.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2757 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-gingras.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Anne-Claude Gingras</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics</p> <p>Inside a living cell, proteins associate with one another to perform their activities in a tightly regulated manner to maintain proper cellular function, similar to the different parts of an assembly line and temperature controlled rooms in a factory.&nbsp;</p> <p>Research by <strong>Anne-Claude Gingras</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics, is developing a map showing how the factory is organized, in order to better understand the processes that go awry in disease.</p> <p>Using advanced protein identification instruments known as mass spectrometers, she will identify the precise physical interactions and location of a large number of proteins to begin constructing a physical blueprint of a human cell.</p> <p>Her research team will make this blueprint openly available to researchers to accelerate health research worldwide.</p> <p>This dovetails nicely with the significant contributions they’ve made in the field of protein-protein interactions by creating tools that enable researchers worldwide to analyze their own mass spectrometry data, increasing the impact of Gingras’ research beyond the specific biological questions she’s investigating.</p> <p>In addition, she will create an in-depth analysis of specific signalling pathways, part of a complex system of communication governing and coordinating the basic activities and actions of cells, and how errors in processing can lead to diseases, such as cancer. Her systematic analysis of normal and mutated proteins is already paving the way for new opportunities for therapeutic options.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2759 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-Taipale_Mikko.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Mikko Taipale</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and Protein Homeostasis</p> <p>Proteins perform a wide variety of important jobs in cells. But in their crowded milieu, stressors can easily derail their finely tuned network, leading to mutant, misshapen proteins that have been implicated in human diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and sickle-cell anemia.</p> <p>How this network –&nbsp;known as cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) network –&nbsp;coordinates all these processes is poorly understood, making it difficult to develop targeted treatments.</p> <p><strong>Mikko Taipale</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and Protein Homeostasis, is drawing on his expertise in protein quality control, high-throughput biology and chemical biology to understand how this network is organized –&nbsp;with particular focus on deciphering the Hsp70 chaperone and its co-chaperones –&nbsp;and how it contributes to human diseases.</p> <p>Chaperones are the most prominent class of proteins that shape the proteostasis network. They briefly bind thousands of substrate proteins in the cell and promote their folding, trafficking and degradation. In fact, they act as guardians controlling the fate of mutant proteins.</p> <p>Studies have shown the Hsp70 network is at the crux of devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s&nbsp;and Huntington’s and plays also a central role in rare Mendelian diseases.</p> <p>By focusing on Hsp70, Taipale and his team will generate the largest and most comprehensive interaction network for cellular quality control factors and their client proteins&nbsp;including 2,500 mutant variants associated with 1,100 Mendelian diseases.&nbsp;</p> <p>This network will be complemented with followup studies to further develop chaperone-based thermodynamic and conformational sensors for biotechnological applications, and to develop innovative methods to detect drug/target interactions in human cells.</p> <h3><a href="/news/mikko-taipale-has-second-best-job-world">Read more about Taipale</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2767 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-tyndale3.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Rachel Tyndale</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Pharmacogenomics</p> <p>Addictions affect millions of Canadians with catastrophic consequences. However, there is a large variation in the risk for drug dependence and also in treatment response.</p> <p>Smoking is a prime example. It remains a killer, a drain on the health-care system, as well as a tough addiction to beat. Although smoking levels have stabilized in North America, one in five people still smokes and tobacco use is still projected to kill one billion people during the 21st century. Smoking rates are also growing in developing countries and remain inordinately high among people with other health problems, such as depression.</p> <p><strong>Rachel Tyndale</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Pharmacogenomics, is examining how genetic variation helps predict which people are prone to addiction and how well they’ll respond to treatment, as well as how metabolism within the brain alters drug and toxin effects.</p> <p>Over the past decade, she’s shown how many drug addictions are altered by genetic variation in drug metabolism, including the enzymes which metabolize nicotine, opioids and amphetamines.</p> <p>By exploring CYP2A6, the enzyme which metabolizes nicotine, and its genetic variations further, Tyndale will help identify novel mechanisms to help lead to new therapeutic targets and optimize the personalization of treatment for smokers; she has used this as a model for other addictions.&nbsp;</p> <p>She’s also looking at different populations, such as people who smoke and have chronic diseases, as well the impact of different products on smoking&nbsp;– like e-cigarettes.</p> <p>In 2002 in Canada alone, costs of substance abuse and misuse totalled almost $40 billion –&nbsp;tobacco use accounted for almost half of those costs. Her research has the potential to improve the quality of life for millions around the world, as well as cut down on skyrocketing health-care costs by helping improve success rates for smokers trying to quit and the damage inflicted by other drugs of abuse.</p> <hr> <p><u><strong>Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2766 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-bonin_0.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Robert Bonin</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Sensory Plasticity and Reconsolidation</p> <p>Just like our memories&nbsp;can change over time, the way our bodies remember painful sensations or injuries in chronic pain may also be possible to undo.</p> <p>Scientists now know that the enhanced or abnormal pain sensations that typify chronic pain can arise from the misprocessing of touch in the pain processing pathways that run from the spinal cord to the brain.&nbsp;</p> <p>Currently, the most effective treatments, such as opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin, simply numb the pain but don’t treat the underlying physiological mechanisms causing it.</p> <p>Research into how memories are stored, recalled, and changed in the brain has proven useful to the work of <strong>Robert Bonin</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Sensory Plasticity and Reconsolidation.</p> <p>Memory reconsolidation is triggered by the recall and reactivation of a memory, which temporarily destabilizes and makes it easy to change. The memory later stabilizes and goes back into storage. Preventing the restoring process disrupts the memory, providing a window of opportunity to diminish or even erase it.</p> <p>Injury or very painful sensations can create a memory of the pain in the spinal cord that has much in common with memories in the brain. Bonin has shown that reconsolidation in the spinal cord can be used to treat and even reverse hyperalgesia, an abnormally heightened sensitivity to pain, by reactivating the spinal pain pathways and changing their pain memory.</p> <p>This work is continuing using a variety of approaches such as behavioural, electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches to explore how changes in pain processing pathways of the spinal cord are modified by ongoing sensory activity, and identify factors and corresponding therapeutic targets to end or counter the development of chronic pain.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2768 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-paradis.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Elise Paradis</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Collaborative Health-Care Practice</p> <p>With ballooning health costs and a rapidly aging population, governments, schools and hospitals worldwide have increasingly embraced collaboration as the solution of choice for many pressing health-care challenges.</p> <p>Collaboration, it’s been argued, curbs errors, cuts costs and improves effectiveness. In Canada, this faith in collaboration has led to new divisions of labour and the development of new, collaborative models of care delivery&nbsp;such as Ontario’s Family Health Teams.</p> <p>But is collaboration working?</p> <p><strong>Elise Paradis</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Collaborative Health-Care Practice, is revisiting this seemingly common-sense solution to examine what happens when the idea of collaborative practice is confronted with the structural and cultural realities of health-care delivery.</p> <p>By turning collaboration into an object of study –&nbsp;instead of an ideal to achieve –&nbsp;she will answer new and innovative questions about the rise of collaboration, its actual practice, the future of health-care delivery and of education for collaboration.</p> <p>Specifically, she will examine how the new collaborative ideal is perceived and acted upon in intensive care units, operating rooms and family health teams by health-care professionals such as nurses, pharmacists and doctors.</p> <p>Her research-based insights will lead –&nbsp;via an integrated knowledge translation strategy –&nbsp;to the development of new policies, educational interventions and recommendations for practice change to improve Canadian health-care delivery.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2770 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-paradee_0.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Keith Pardee</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology in Human Health</p> <p>Imagine pouring water on a piece of paper the size of a postage stamp and having it transform into a vaccine or a sensor that can detect Ebola, Zika and glucose levels.</p> <p><strong>Keith Pardee</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology in Human Health, is doing just that by combining synthetic biology with molecular engineering and electronics in order to build freeze-dried, cell-free paper-based materials that can be programmed to act like cells.</p> <p>In fact, the Zika test, created in 2016 at the height of the crisis in Brazil by Pardee and an international team, is ready to go into production for use in the field.</p> <p>A small sample of saliva, urine or blood is applied to the activated paper and results take as little as an hour. If the sample contains the RNA of the Zika virus, the test area turns purple.</p> <p>The vast potential of these cell-free synthetic gene networks means vaccines won’t need to be refrigerated and testing for diseases can be done on the spot, without the need of a lab, bringing down costs and improving access and the speed of health care diagnostics for people in remote locations or developing countries.</p> <p>He is also developing a novel approach to the study of <em>in vivo</em> mRNA structure, which plays critical roles in health and the onset of disease, and is drawing on his background in stem cell biology and cellular reprogramming to create nano and micro devices to embed directly into cells. These devices will monitor and manipulate the cells to help develop cancer treatments.</p> <hr> <p><u><strong>Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2771 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-goldstein.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Abby Goldstein</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Preventing Risk and Promoting Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood</p> <p>Young adults aged 18 to 25 are at a critical juncture in their lives –&nbsp;both psychologically and cognitively –&nbsp;as they face an increasingly extended transition into adulthood.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is a time of identity development and possibility, but also instability and uncertainty, marked at times by risky behaviour like binge drinking, gambling and unsafe sex. It’s also a peak time for the emergence of mental health issues.&nbsp;</p> <p>Compared to past generations, today’s emerging adults are living at home longer, and taking longer to enter the workforce and achieve longer-term stability. These changes are not only affecting their individual growth but are also creating significant economic and labour market shifts.</p> <p><strong>Abby Goldstein</strong>, Canada Research Chair in the Psychology of Emerging Adulthood, is studying the psychological factors that influence changes in risk, wellness and well-being over time, and impact healthy transitions into adulthood. In addition, she’s investigating the impact of relationships with parents on these risk and wellness trajectories and identifying strategies to support parents and emerging adults as they navigate this critical stage of life.</p> <p>Because emerging adults are the ‘tech-savvy generation,’ Goldstein is using research methods that are integrated with the technology they use to document their daily lives. Using a mobile app, participants will make reports for 30-days in each year of the four-year study, detailing their mood, risk behaviours, wellness behaviours and interactions with their parents, as well as any major changes in their transition to adulthood.</p> <h3><a href="http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/About_OISE/OISE_Professor_Abby_Goldstein_named_Canada_Research_Chair.html">Read more about Goldstein</a></h3> <hr> <p><u><strong>ؿζSM Scarborough</strong></u></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2772 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-connelly.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Brian Connelly</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Integrative Perspectives on Personality</p> <p>Ever wonder why someone got the job? Important decisions on who to hire and promote are often based on personality tests.</p> <p>But typical tests, created by applied psychologists, have historically adopted a narrow view in measuring personality, which can lead organizations to choose manipulators and egoists over more suitable candidates.</p> <p>As the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Perspectives on Personality, <strong>Brian Connelly</strong> is investigating better testing methods that avoid these pitfalls and pave the way for making accurate, data-driven predictions about who has the best chance to succeed and fit in, saving companies millions in retention and hiring costs every year.</p> <p>Fascinated by the question of who is the best judge of personality –&nbsp;oneself or others –&nbsp;Connelly believes observer-based personality ratings are a promising strategy to help weed out bias and fakery, which are vulnerabilities of standard self-assessments.</p> <p>In this method, the standard tests will be aided by ratings from observers who know the individual well –&nbsp;such as coworkers or close acquaintances –&nbsp;to create a more complete and balanced picture of the job seeker or employee.</p> <p>This work, along with a stronger understanding of where traits, reputations and identities come from and how they relate to important organizational outcomes, will redefine how we think about and use personality information to make career-changing decisions for people in the workplace.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2773 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-kerman.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Kagan Kerman</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Bioelectrochemistry of Proteins</p> <p>As the life expectancy of Canadians increases, the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease – the most prevalent form of dementia –&nbsp;is increasing alarmingly, outpacing progress made in research and medical care.</p> <p>Globally, it’s estimated nearly 44 million people have the disease or a related dementia. By 2040, the Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates the disease will cost our economy $293 billion a year.</p> <p>Early detection is key for improved treatment options. A cure has remained elusive because little is known about the biomolecular interactions leading to this disease.</p> <p>Using an interdisciplinary approach fusing chemistry, biology and neuroscience, <strong>Kagan Kerman</strong>, the Canada Research Chair in Bioelectrochemistry of Proteins, is at the forefront of research to improve early detection using biosensors.</p> <p>His biosensors, which use modified gold surfaces with nanoparticles, proteins and/or enzymes added, react when exposed to the molecules linked to dementia. As part of his research, Kagan is using these biosensors to test the role of metals in the progression of Alzheimer’s,&nbsp;as well as the interactions between protein biomarkers.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2774 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-12-02-treanor.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"><strong>Bebhinn Treanor</strong><br> Canada Research Chair in Spatially-Resolved Biochemistry</p> <p>B cells are a critical component of the immune system and the targets of vaccination as they produce molecules called antibodies, which are important for the destruction of pathogens.</p> <p>To produce antibodies, B cells must undergo a process of activation, triggered by recognition of a pathogen. The steps leading to B cell activation must be strictly controlled, however, as aberrant activation can lead to autoimmunity and leukemia.</p> <p><strong>Bebhinn Treanor</strong>, Canada Research Chair in Spatially-Resolved Biochemistry, is using cutting-edge microscopy to resolve, in both space and time, the biochemical process that drive immune cell activation. Her aim is to identify novel regulators of B cell activation that could be targets for therapeutic intervention in B cell diseases such as non-Hodgkin’s and Burkitt’s lymphomas and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.</p> <p>Treanor’s interdisciplinary research combines immunology and cell biology and makes use of advances in optical engineering and collaboration with mathematicians to probe fundamental questions regarding cell biological processes that could lead to discoveries relevant to our understanding of human health and disease.</p> <p>For example, she is able to generate artificial planar lipid bilayers as a model for cell-cell interactions, allowing her to watch the earliest events in B cell activation&nbsp;and to use powerful super-resolution imaging techniques to visualize and measure the movement of single molecules in live cells.</p> <h3><a href="http://ose.utsc.utoronto.ca/ose/story.php?id=9040&amp;sectid=1">Read more about Connelly, Kerman and Treanor</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:33:09 +0000 ullahnor 102610 at Producing low-cost drugs & vaccines on-site: new research from U of T, Harvard, MIT and U of O /news/low-cost-drugs-vaccines-can-be-produced-site-new-research-u-t-harvard-mit-and-university-ottawa <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Producing low-cost drugs &amp; vaccines on-site: new research from U of T, Harvard, MIT and U of O</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-22-Pardee-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2CQvpb9i 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-22-Pardee-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9NxKo1co 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-22-Pardee-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-0MWVM4z 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-22-Pardee-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2CQvpb9i" alt="Photo of portable system"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-22T13:08:44-04:00" title="Thursday, September 22, 2016 - 13:08" class="datetime">Thu, 09/22/2016 - 13:08</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The portable biomolecular manufacturing system can produce a broad range of biomolecules, including vaccines, antimicrobial peptides and antibody conjugates, without power or refrigeration (Wyss Institute at Harvard University) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jef-ekins" hreflang="en">Jef Ekins</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jef Ekins</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/keith-pardee" hreflang="en">Keith Pardee</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/drugs" hreflang="en">Drugs</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Research team has developed a portable drug-manufacturing system that can be used anywhere in the world</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As much as 80 per cent of the cost of bringing vaccines to the developing world comes from ensuring that the medications are properly refrigerated and transported.&nbsp;</p> <p>A team of researchers from the ؿζSM, MIT, Harvard, and the University of Ottawa have developed a new portable drug-manufacturing system that uses two sets of freeze-dried pellets, which when mixed with water, are able to produce medications, vaccines and diagnostic tools virtually anywhere in the world.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2070 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Biomolecular%20Manufacturing%20001.gif" style="width: 480px; height: 270px; margin-left: 135px; margin-right: 135px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<em> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (courtesy of&nbsp;Wyss Institute at Harvard University)</em></p> <p>The team published a proof-of-principle paper in<em> <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)31246-6">Cell</a> </em>that details the&nbsp;development of&nbsp;a drug manufacturing system that's able to produce on-site, on-demand therapeutics and biomolecules.&nbsp;</p> <p>“In essence, it’s like having a portable pharmacy that you can use to create the medications you need,” said Assistant Professor <strong>Keith Pardee</strong> of U of T’s Faculty of Pharmacy, co-lead author of the paper.&nbsp;</p> <p>Most vaccines need to maintain a consistent temperature to prevent spoilage and maintain their efficacy, which necessitates a cold chain from production to application.&nbsp;</p> <p>Despite these precautions and the attention paid to their transportation, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund estimate that the amount of essential vaccines that end up wasted could be as high as 50 per cent.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2071 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Pardee_0863-embed.jpg" style="width: 480px; height: 320px; margin-left: 135px; margin-right: 135px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>The first of the freeze-dried pellets, developed by the researchers in 2014, is an innovative cell-free synthetic biology “machinery” that provides the manufacturing infrastructure to create an end product.&nbsp;</p> <p>The second pellet consists of&nbsp;DNA instructions that tell the manufacturing piece what compound to produce. This pellet can be customized to generate a variety of products, including vaccines, anti-cancer antibodies, and diagnostic tools.&nbsp;</p> <p>When the two freeze-dried pellets are combined with water, the production process begins.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/rapid-low-cost-detection-zika-virus-developed-experts-u-t-harvard-mit-cornell-and-more">Read more about the team's earlier research on a low-cost Zika virus detection system</a></h3> <p>Through the simple act of rehydrating the components by adding water, vaccines, antibody-based drugs for cancer treatment, small molecules, and clinical tools like diagnostic systems spring to life, bringing tools and treatments to underserved populations.&nbsp;</p> <p>The possible applications for this discovery, Pardee explains, are almost endless.&nbsp;</p> <p>“If, for example, the influenza vaccine developed in a given year is off target and doesn't fight the strains of the virus that emerge, the system we’ve developed can address that,” he said. “The current production chain for the influenza vaccine begins in late spring early summer for fall and winter application. If the formula is wrong, it would take months to change, produce, ship, and administer a vaccine that hits on the right strains.</p> <p>“Whereas with our system, in theory, once the proper strains are identified and a new formula developed, the vaccine could be produced anywhere in a matter of hours. The materials would already be on the shelf –&nbsp;they’d just need to be programmed to produce the vaccine. While this is just a proof-of-concept study, this could mean no prolonged production time, no timely and expensive shipping.”</p> <p>These freeze-dried pellets last for at least a year at room temperature, making shipping and storage easy and considerably less expensive than traditional means –&nbsp;even to the most remote areas. It also means that the products can be stored on the shelf, ready to be activated when an outbreak occurs or whenever the need arises.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2072 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Biomolecular%20Manufacturing%20002%20%285%29.gif" style="width: 480px; height: 270px; margin-left: 135px; margin-right: 135px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<em> &nbsp;(courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)&nbsp; &nbsp;</em></p> <p>“This technology could even be applied for use in remote Antarctic research bases or for something as fanciful as space travel,” Pardee said. “If deployed in combination with a DNA synthesizer, the gene sequences that encode the manufacturing instructions could be electronically transmitted to remote end users, converted to DNA, and used to guide the cell-free manufacturing platform to produce therapeutics to meet unanticipated needs.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 22 Sep 2016 17:08:44 +0000 ullahnor 101088 at NSERC prizes awarded to five ؿζSM scholars /news/nserc-prizes-awarded-five-university-toronto-scholars <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">NSERC prizes awarded to five ؿζSM scholars</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-02-16T08:04:08-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 16, 2016 - 08:04" class="datetime">Tue, 02/16/2016 - 08:04</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> David Sinton, Shana Kelley, Ted Sargent, Stephen Wright and Barbara Sherwood Lollar (all photos by NSERC/composite image by Geoff Agnew)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nserc" hreflang="en">NSERC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-and-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Backing research into billion-year-old water, evolution of plants, faster disease diagnosis, microbial energy</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Five ؿζSM scholars have been awarded prizes in 2016 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) – the largest tally of winners at any university in Canada.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Our exceptional&nbsp;performance in the NSERC awards makes it clear that U of T remains a powerhouse for research that has impact in the sciences and engineering,” said <strong>Vivek Goel</strong>, U of T vice-president of research and innovation.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We should be proud of the range of disciplines encompassed by these prestigious prizes. Earth sciences, medicine, engineering, pharmacy, ecology and evolutionary biology are all represented. And all the research has real potential to improve the human condition.”</p> <p><strong>Barbara Sherwood Lollar</strong> is the winner of the John C. Polanyi Award for an outstanding advance in natural science or engineering. This University Professor in the department of earth sciences is cited for the discovery of hydrogen gas and biological chemicals in billion-year-old water samples extracted from fractures in mines in Ontario and South Africa. (<a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/barbara-sherwood-lollar">Read more about Sherwood Lollar</a>)</p> <p>Her research has implications for exoplanetary science – similar processes might exist on Mars – as well the more down-to-earth protocols surrounding waste disposal and groundwater cleanup.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ofkh0w5KVOc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>“The joy of discovery has been at the heart of this work by our team,” said Sherwood Lollar, who is Canada Research Chair in Isotope Geochemistry of the Earth and the Environment. &nbsp;“Even here on Earth there are regions of our hydrosphere and biosphere still unexplored.</p> <p>“We are very grateful to NSERC and to Canada for this award, as there is no higher honour than to receive a recognition that bears the name of our U of T colleague and Nobel laureate, the icon&nbsp;<strong>John Polanyi</strong>.”</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/polanyi-prize-awarded-barbara-sherwood-lollar">Read more about Sherwood Lollar&nbsp;</a></h2> <p>The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering, which is always awarded to more than one recipient, goes to the U of T team of <strong>Shana Kelley</strong> and <strong>Edward Sargent</strong> for their work on AuRA, a device that can reduce the time taken to arrive at a diagnosis from days to less than 20 minutes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ieoawocK-ow?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Combining Professor Kelley’s expertise in electrochemistry and biochemistry with University Professor Sargent’s experience in electrical engineering and nanomaterials, the new technology has great potential to limit the spread of infectious disease, particularly in the developing world. Their startup Xagenic has raised more than $30 million in venture capital and employs 65 scientists, engineers, and molecular diagnostics market experts.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/brockhouse-canada-prize-goes-professors-shana-kelley-ted-sargent">Read more about Kelley and Sargent</a></h2> <p>Two U of T scholars received E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships. <strong>David Sinton</strong> of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering wins for his work in optofluidics, a field that involves manipulating light and nanoparticles to control the flow of fluids.</p> <p><img alt="photo of Sinton at microscope" src="/sites/default/files/2016-02-16-sinton-embed.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 523px; margin: 10px 20px;"></p> <p>Most prior research in optofludics has been dedicated to diagnostic equipment, but Professor Sinton has demonstrated its potential to create a new class of fuel cell remarkable for its efficiency and energy density. His further work includes using light-harvesting bacteria as environmentally friendly means of producing biofuel and developing a technique to select better quality human sperm for use in fertility clinics.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/10000-greenhouses-professor-david-sinton-awarded-ewr-steacie-memorial-fellowship">Read more about Sinton</a></h2> <p>Associate Professor <strong>Stephen I. Wright</strong> of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology also wins a Steacie Fellowship for his work on how weeds evolve to become resistant to herbicides, a growing threat to food security in the developing world.</p> <p><img alt="photo of Stephen Wright examining a tray of plant specimens" src="/sites/default/files/2016-02-16-wright-embed.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 471px; margin: 10px 20px;">Wright has determined that weed species that reproduce sexually (rather than asexually through self-fertilization) are healthier. His work, which establishes that the pace of genome-wide adaptation occurs at a higher rate than previously thought, will make it possible to foresee the extinction of crop species and step up the battle against “super weeds.”</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/stephen-wright-leader-evolutionary-genomics-awarded-ewr-steacie-memorial-fellowship-nserc">Read more about Wright</a></h2> <p>Other winners of national NSERC prizes were astrophysicist Victoria M. Kaspi (Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering) and chemistry doctoral candidate Yasser Gidi (NSERC Gilles Brassard Doctoral Prize for Interdisciplinary Research), both of McGill University.&nbsp;</p> <p>The prizes, valued at a total of $3.71 million, will be awarded officially Tuesday evening at Rideau Hall by Governor General David Johnston, with U of T alumna and Minister of Science <strong>Kirsty Duncan</strong> and NSERC president B. Mario Pinto at the ceremony.&nbsp;</p> <p>“It is imperative that we praise the groundbreaking achievements of our top researchers to demonstrate our respect and admiration for Canada’s leading scientists and engineers,” Duncan said in a statement. &nbsp;</p> <p>“We must continue to promote, celebrate, and support our talented researchers to foster an environment wherein they can be global leaders in discovery and innovation and generate results that will benefit Canadians today and in the future.”</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/nserc">Read about previous NSERC awards for U of T researchers</a></h2> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2016-02-16-NSERC-mosaic.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 16 Feb 2016 13:04:08 +0000 sgupta 7654 at Brockhouse Canada Prize goes to Professors Shana Kelley, Ted Sargent /news/brockhouse-canada-prize-goes-professors-shana-kelley-ted-sargent <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Brockhouse Canada Prize goes to Professors Shana Kelley, Ted Sargent</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-02-16T05:38:34-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 16, 2016 - 05:38" class="datetime">Tue, 02/16/2016 - 05:38</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">U of T Professors Professor Ted Sargent and Shana Kelley are co-recipients of this year’s Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering (photo by NSERC)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Tyler Irving</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/more-news" hreflang="en">More News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nserc" hreflang="en">NSERC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards/uprofessors.htm">University Professor </a><strong>Ted Sargent</strong> of U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering and Professor <strong>Shana Kelley</strong> of U of T’s Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine are co-recipients of this year’s Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Index_eng.asp">Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada</a>&nbsp;(NSERC) award recognizes an 11-year research partnership that has led to a faster, more cost-effective way to diagnose infectious diseases.&nbsp;</p> <p>Today, many diagnoses can only be confirmed by taking a sample from a patient and sending it off to a specially-equipped lab to perform DNA analysis. These tests are costly, and it can take days or weeks to receive the results, which compromises patient care.</p> <p>Kelley and Sargent have worked together to design a toaster-sized device that can provide the same information in about 20 minutes. It is designed to be simple enough to be used by doctors and nurses on the front lines of patient care without any specialized lab training.</p> <p>The technology is based on chemical sensors that bind to specific DNA sequences present in bacteria, viruses or other disease-causing organisms. When they bind, the sensors give off an electrochemical signal that is easily detected by the device. The project leverages Kelley’s expertise in electrochemistry and biochemistry and Sargent’s experience in engineering physics, electrical engineering and nanomaterials.</p> <p>Kelley and Sargent were&nbsp;among five U of T scholars awarded major NSERC prizes on Feb. 16. <a href="http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards/uprofessors/complete/Prof__Barbara_Sherwood_Lollar.htm">University Professor <strong>Barbara Sherwood Lollar</strong> </a>received the John C. Polanyi Prize&nbsp;for her pioneering research into billion-year-old water and&nbsp;Professor&nbsp;<strong>David Sinton</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Associate&nbsp;Professor&nbsp;<strong>Stephen Wright</strong>&nbsp;both&nbsp;received E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.news.utoronto.ca/polanyi-prize-awarded-barbara-sherwood-lollar">Read more about Sherwood Lollar and NSERC's&nbsp;Polanyi Prize</a></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ieoawocK-ow?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>“This novel technology illustrates the tremendous advances that can be made through cross-disciplinary collaboration which will benefit patients in Canada and around the world,” said <strong>Cristina Amon</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering. “I extend my warmest congratulations to Professors Sargent and Kelley on this richly-deserved honour.”</p> <p>The annual award&nbsp;is named for Bertram N. Brockhouse, who shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “pioneering development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter.” It recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who have combined their expertise to produce achievements of outstanding international significance. The award comes with a team research grant of up to $250,000.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2016-02-16-brockhouse-kelley-sargent.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:38:34 +0000 sgupta 7652 at Pharmacy, Leslie Dan Faculty of /node/8678 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Pharmacy, Leslie Dan Faculty of </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:18-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6953" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:18 +0000 sgupta 8678 at His study paved the way for drugs that help millions (including his mother-in-law) /news/his-study-paved-way-drugs-help-millions-including-his-mother-law <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">His study paved the way for drugs that help millions (including his mother-in-law)</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-06-16T11:51:16-04:00" title="Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - 11:51" class="datetime">Tue, 06/16/2015 - 11:51</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">“We always have a little light on that says, beyond the pure joy and satisfaction of understanding how this works, might this be relevant to treatment of human disease, and might this have commercialization potential?” (photo by Bernardo Yusta)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jenny-hall" hreflang="en">Jenny Hall</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jenny Hall</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/our-faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Our Faculty &amp; Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation" hreflang="en">Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/diabetes" hreflang="en">Diabetes</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/connaught-fund" hreflang="en">Connaught Fund</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Daniel Drucker on the importance of basic science, commercialization and failure </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> When <strong>Daniel Drucker </strong>was a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in the mid-1980s, he worked in a lab studying GLP-1, a hormone released in your gut after you eat.</p> <p> Like any good scientist, he was motivated by curiosity. He wanted to know how this uncharted biological process worked and what effects it had in the body.</p> <p> What he didn’t know back then –&nbsp;what he couldn’t have known<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">&nbsp;–&nbsp;</span>was that 19 years later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would approve a new class of drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes based on his work on GLP-1.</p> <p> Subsequent work on a chemical that gets in the way of gut hormones doing their jobs yielded another class of drug called DDP-4 inhibitors. Both classes of drugs help people with diabetes lower their blood sugar without causing weight gain or hypoglycaemia, which were troublesome side effects of previous generations of drugs.</p> <p> Today, millions of people<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">&nbsp;–&nbsp;</span>including Drucker’s own mother-in-law<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">&nbsp;–&nbsp;</span>benefit from these drugs.</p> <p> “The path to commercial success and the introduction of a drug to the clinic is not always a rapid, straightforward journey,” he says. “There are all kinds of challenges to be met, and it can be a long and difficult process. But many things in life are like that.”</p> <p> Drucker, who is today a professor of medicine at U of T and a senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, has gone on to repeat his commercialization success. In addition to paving the way for the development of diabetes drugs, his lab discovered the actions of another hormone, GLP-2, and filed a series of patents describing how it improves intestinal growth and function. Today, teduglutide, a drug for short bowel syndrome based on that research, is available in Europe and the U.S. and is pending approval in Canada.&nbsp;</p> <p> He has also developed cell lines and mice engineered for the study of gut hormones. He makes these cell lines and mice freely available to academic researchers worldwide and licenses them to researchers in industry.</p> <p> U of T benefits directly from Drucker’s success. The university’s approach to inventions and commercialization includes the sharing of revenues with the institution. In&nbsp;some cases&nbsp;–&nbsp;and Drucker has been one over the years&nbsp;–&nbsp;the revenue is directed to the Connaught Fund, a special U of T endowment dedicated to the support of research and innovation. Connaught awarded Drucker a New Staff Grant in 1987 to study the molecular biology of glucagon gene expression.</p> <p> In the 25 years since Drucker’s initial discovery, the accolades have rolled in. They include the American Diabetes Association’s Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement, Japan’s Manpei Suzuki International Prize for Diabetes research and election to the Royal Society in London.</p> <p> But, he says, despite his impressive record, he never sets out to commercialize his findings.</p> <p> “We study basic mechanisms of hormone action. We do not set out initially to design our experiments with a view towards discovering an invention. We do the science, we hope that we ask good questions and we hope that our findings are novel and of interest.”</p> <p> But, he says the key is in the mindset, in doing good science and being open to whatever emerges in the lab.</p> <p> “When we make observations or discoveries, we always have a little light on that says, beyond the pure joy and satisfaction of understanding how this works, might this be relevant to treatment of human disease, and might this have commercialization potential?&nbsp;Keeping that light on is part of what we want to do.”</p> <p> “Keeping the light on” is something we could do a much better job of, he says. “In Canada, we have fantastic basic science. We lag behind in commercialization.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Statistics bear this out. In a recent World Economic Forum report, Canada fell from its spot as the 12th most innovative country in the world in 2010 to 25th in 2014. And, according to the Conference Board of Canada, “Countries that are more innovative are passing Canada on measures such as income per capita, productivity and the quality of social programs.”</p> <p> How help close the innovation gap? Drucker has a few thoughts on the matter.&nbsp;</p> <p> <strong>First, support basic science.&nbsp;</strong></p> <p> “If you say, ‘We’re only interested in work that has commercialization potential,’ you’re likely to miss 95 per cent of the key basic science discoveries, which at the time they’re made, may not have immediately obvious commercialization potential. Understanding at a very basic level how things work underlies the commercializing of subsequent more applied applications in the vast majority of instances. So neglecting basic sciences, or attempting to redirect funding away from basic science toward work that clearly has an obvious commercialization flavour, is a long-term recipe for failure.”</p> <p> <strong>Second, reward commercialization.</strong></p> <p> This means, he says, that we need both regulatory change, such as tax regimes more favourable to commercialization revenue, and culture change within institutions.&nbsp;</p> <p> “We can do a better job educating and rewarding people involved in commercialization. In many parts of the academic enterprise, it’s either passively or almost actively discouraged to interact with companies or to partake in commercial activity.”</p> <p> <strong>Finally, embrace failure.</strong></p> <p> “We have had discoveries where although the science turned out to be correct, the commercialization potential never materialized. Inventors and scientists shouldn’t feel that every single patent they file has to be a home run. You need to file patents and protect your discoveries. Sometimes these will be commercializable and have great value, but many times they won’t. And there’s no way to predict it. There shouldn’t be any stigma attached to failure.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-06-16-dan-drucker-diabetes.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 16 Jun 2015 15:51:16 +0000 sgupta 7085 at WHO backs U of T professor's recommendations for reducing pain of vaccines /news/who-backs-u-t-professors-recommendations-reducing-pain-vaccines <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">WHO backs U of T professor's recommendations for reducing pain of vaccines</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-06-02T10:39:51-04:00" title="Tuesday, June 2, 2015 - 10:39" class="datetime">Tue, 06/02/2015 - 10:39</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Yellow fever vaccination drive in Togo, Africa (photo by Norbert Domy via flickr</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/michael-kennedy" hreflang="en">Michael Kennedy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Michael Kennedy</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vaccines" hreflang="en">Vaccines</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international" hreflang="en">International</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> When the World Health Organization asked ؿζSM Professor <strong>Anna Taddio</strong> for help increasing vaccination rates around the world her overriding message was: make the needles less painful and scary.</p> <p> On May 29, WHO announced it will adopt many&nbsp;of the recommendations proposed by Taddio when she travelled to Geneva to address &nbsp;its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts. (<a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/making-vaccinations-less-painful-and-scary">Read about why&nbsp;Taddio was invited to address the group</a>.)</p> <p> “The World Health Organization has influence over immunization delivery in so many countries so this is a huge accomplishment,” said Taddio, a professor in the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “The recommendations we proposed will be implemented in those countries and since other nations look to WHO for guidance, we hope to see our recommendations gradually implemented even more broadly.”</p> <p> An expert in pain management, especially for children, Taddio leads the Help ELiminate Pain in Kids (HELPinKIDS) project, an inter-disciplinary initiative that brings together clinicians, scientists, policy makers and educators. Her recommendations were aimed at reducing pain which, in turn, promotes vaccination.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p> “Concerns about pain can lead parents to avoid or delay vaccinations in children,” said Taddio. “And those same concerns or fears can also lead adults to delay their own vaccinations or avoid health-care treatments or decisions.”</p> <p> In evaluating Taddio’s proposed pain mitigation techniques, WHO said it considered a range of criteria: benefits and harms; resource use and value for money; impacts on equity (would the intervention increase, decrease, or have no effect on health inequalities?), acceptability and feasibility.&nbsp;</p> <p> While many&nbsp;of Taddio’s recommendations were adopted, her suggestion that topical anesthetics be used to mitigate pain at an injection site was considered unfeasible due to cost and lack of general availability in many low-income countries.&nbsp;</p> <p> However, WHO acknowledged it is a highly-effective intervention in pain&nbsp;mitigation and recommended it for use in countries such as Canada.&nbsp;</p> <p> <img alt="photo of Anna Taddio" src="/sites/default/files/2015-06-02-_AnnaTaddio-embed.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 242px; margin: 10px; float: right;">Taddio (pictured at right) said she was pleased with WHO’s report and hopes her recommendations will lead to changes in the way vaccines are administered and an increase in the global vaccination rate. &nbsp;</p> <p> “About one quarter of adults and two-thirds of children are afraid of needles,” Taddio said. <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">“</span>That’s why it’s so significant that pain and pain management are now explicitly recognized by WHO as part of immunization delivery and immunization programs.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Taddio said she hopes to see more education about pain mitigation incorporated into the WHO and country-specific immunization field training programs.&nbsp;</p> <p> “As the relief of pain during health-related procedures is also accepted as a basic human right, mitigation of pain at vaccination should be part of good vaccination practice around the globe.”&nbsp;</p> <p> <em>Michael Kennedy writes about health and wellness for U of T News.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-06-02-vaccinations.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:39:51 +0000 sgupta 7063 at New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier /news/new-chip-makes-testing-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-faster-easier <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-05-26T09:07:29-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - 09:07" class="datetime">Tue, 05/26/2015 - 09:07</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Infectious bacteria or superbugs that don't respond to antibiotics kill an estimated 23,000 people in the U.S. each year (image by Shutterstock)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/marit-mitchell" hreflang="en">Marit Mitchell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Marit Mitchell</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ibbme" hreflang="en">IBBME</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/engineering" hreflang="en">Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">ؿζSM researchers' diagnostic chip reduces testing time from days to one hour, allowing doctors to pick the right antibiotic the first time</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> It’s a device that could transform a doctor’s&nbsp;ability to treat infections: a test for antibiotic resistance that works in just one hour – instead of several days.&nbsp;</p> <p> We live in fear of ‘superbugs’: infectious bacteria that don’t respond to treatment by antibiotics, and can turn a routine hospital stay into a nightmare. A <a href="http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/drugs-products-medicaments-produits/antibiotic-resistance-antibiotique/antimicrobial-surveillance-antimicrobioresistance-eng.php">2015 Health Canada report </a>estimates that superbugs have already cost Canadians $1 billion, and are a “serious and growing issue.” Each year <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/">two million people in the U.S.</a> contract antibiotic-resistant infections, and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result.</p> <p> But tests for antibiotic resistance can take up to three days to come back from the lab, hindering doctors’ ability to treat bacterial infections quickly. Now PhD researcher <strong>Justin Besant</strong> and his team at the ؿζSM have designed a small and simple chip to test for antibiotic resistance in just one hour, giving doctors a shot at picking the most effective antibiotic to treat potentially deadly infections. Their work was published this week in the international journal <em>Lab on a Chip</em>.</p> <p> Resistant bacteria arise in part because of imprecise use of antibiotics&nbsp;–&nbsp;when a patient comes down with an infection, the doctor wants to treat it as quickly as possible. Samples of the infectious bacteria are sent to the lab for testing, but results can take two to three days. In the meantime, the doctor prescribes her patient a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Sometimes the one-size-fits-all antibiotic works and sometimes it doesn’t, and when the tests come back days later, the doctor can prescribe a specific antibiotic more likely to kill the bacteria.</p> <p> <img alt="head shot style photo of Justin Besant" src="/sites/default/files/2015-05-26-besant.jpg" style="width: 245px; height: 337px; margin: 10px; float: right;">“Guessing can lead to resistance to these broad-spectrum antibiotics, and in the case of serious infections, to much worse outcomes for the patient,” says Besant,&nbsp;pictured at right&nbsp;(<em>photo courtesy U of T Engineering</em>). “We wanted to determine whether bacteria are susceptible to a particular antibiotic, on a timescale of hours, not days.”</p> <p> The problem with most current tests is the time it takes for bacteria to reproduce to detectable levels. Besant and his team, including his supervisor Professor <a href="http://www.kelleylaboratory.com/shana-kelley.html"><strong>Shana Kelley</strong> </a>of the Institute for Biomaterials &amp; Biomedical Engineering and the Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine, and Professor <a href="http://www.ece.utoronto.ca/people/sargent-e-h/"><strong>Ted Sargent</strong> </a>of The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical &amp; Computer Engineering, drew on their collective expertise in electrical and biomedical engineering to design a chip that concentrates bacteria in a miniscule space&nbsp;–&nbsp;just two nanolitres in volume&nbsp;–&nbsp;in order to increase the effective concentration of the starting sample.</p> <p> They achieve this high concentration by ‘flowing’ the sample, containing the bacteria to be tested, through microfluidic wells patterned onto a glass chip. At the bottom of each well a filter, composed of a lattice of tiny microbeads, catches bacteria as the sample flows through. The bacteria accumulate in the nano-sized well, where they’re trapped with the antibiotic and a signal molecule called resazurin.</p> <p> Living bacteria metabolize resazurin into a form called resorufin, changing its electrochemical signature. If the bacteria are effectively killed by the antibiotic, they stop metabolizing resazurin and the electrochemical signature in the sample stays the same. If they are antibiotic-resistant, they continue to metabolize resazurin into resorufin, altering its electrochemical signature. Electrodes built directly into the chip detect the change in current as resazurin changes to resorufin.</p> <p> “This gives us two advantages,” says Besant. “One, we have a lot of bacteria in a very small space, so our effective starting concentration is much higher. And two, as the bacteria multiply and convert the resazurin molecule, it’s effectively stuck in this nanolitre droplet&nbsp;–&nbsp;it can’t diffuse away into the solution, so it can accumulate more rapidly to detectable levels.”</p> <p> “Our approach is the first to combine this method of increasing sample concentration with a straightforward electrochemical readout,” says Sargent. “We see this as an effective tool for faster diagnosis and treatment of commonplace bacterial infections.”</p> <p> Rapid alternatives to existing antibiotic resistance tests rely on fluorescence detection, requiring expensive and bulky fluorescence microscopes to see the result.</p> <p> “The electronics for our electrochemical readout can easily fit in a very small benchtop instrument, and this is something you could see in a doctor’s office, for example,” says Besant. “The next step would be to create a device that would allow you to test many different antibiotics at many different concentrations, but we’re not there yet.”</p> <p> <img alt="schematic illustration of the diagnostic chip" src="/sites/default/files/2015-05-26-Chip-Schematic.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 337px; margin: 10px;"></p> <p> <em>Marit Mitchell is a writer with the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering at the ؿζSM.</em></p> <p> &nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-05-26-bacteria.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 26 May 2015 13:07:29 +0000 sgupta 7040 at U of T, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College to work together /news/u-t-canadian-memorial-chiropractic-college-work-together <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College to work together</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2014-12-10T05:22:12-05:00" title="Wednesday, December 10, 2014 - 05:22" class="datetime">Wed, 12/10/2014 - 05:22</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Model of a spine with disc herniation (photo by Michael Dorausch via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/more-news" hreflang="en">More News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/kinesiology" hreflang="en">Kinesiology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/collaboration" hreflang="en">Collaboration</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“We’re delighted to partner with an organization committed to improving health with an evidence-based approach,” says Faculty of Medicine dean</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) has signed an official Memorandum of Understanding to explore education and research collaborations with the ؿζSM, through the Faculty of Medicine, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.&nbsp;</p> <p> “This collaboration shows our commitment to expanding research and educational opportunities across the health care spectrum,” said Professor <strong>Catharine Whiteside</strong>, U of T’s dean of medicine and vice-provost, relations with healthcare institutions. “We’re delighted to partner with an organization committed to improving health with an evidence-based approach.”</p> <p> The memorandum, a first between the two institutions, provides the opportunity for cooperation in areas of research and education, Whiteside said. For example, the memorandum could lead to: joint applications for funding; joint educational courses; graduate and undergraduate student mobility; exchange of faculty and participation in, and co-hosting of lectures, meetings, seminars, symposia and conferences. &nbsp;</p> <p> “We are delighted to have reached this historic moment between our two institutions,” said CMCC President Dr. David J. Wickes. “CMCC is deeply committed to developing meaningful partnerships with health care professionals and educators of all disciplines to study ways and models to improve the care and ultimately the health of our patients. We look forward to developing many collaborative activities with our colleagues at the ؿζSM.”</p> <p> Representatives from CMCC and the three U of T faculties described the memorandum as an important step forward in advancing research initiatives.&nbsp;</p> <p> “This agreement formalizes research collaborations which have been ongoing between the two institutions for many years,” said Professor <strong>Heather Boon</strong>, dean of U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate on studies that answer important health system and patient care questions.”</p> <p> Professor<strong> Ira Jacobs</strong>, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, said the Faculty was looking forward to expanding its collaborative health science education and research network to include CMCC, adding “our scientists are already engaged in some research collaborations with CMCC colleagues and many of our students use their undergraduate kinesiology degrees as a foundation for subsequent studies in a variety of health disciplines, including chiropractic.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Dr. Silvano Mior, the CMCC research scientist who spearheaded the partnership, is a proponent of collaboration between academic institutions and between chiropractors and physicians in the community primary health care setting.&nbsp;</p> <p> “We have worked collaboratively with a number of U of T faculty in areas of research and education,” Mior said. “This agreement is an acknowledgement of the quality of that work and provides a wonderful opportunity to expand into new areas of mutual benefit.”&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2014-12-10-chiropractic.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:22:12 +0000 sgupta 6689 at IMAGINE health clinic: U of T students serve city's most marginalized citizens /news/imagine-health-clinic-u-t-students-serve-citys-most-marginalized-citizens <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">IMAGINE health clinic: U of T students serve city's most marginalized citizens</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2014-12-02T03:27:42-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 03:27" class="datetime">Tue, 12/02/2014 - 03:27</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A physiotherapy student helps Sandra* who suffers from back pain (photos by Jelena Damjanovic)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jelena-damjanovic" hreflang="en">Jelena Damjanovic</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jelena Damjanovic</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/volunteering" hreflang="en">Volunteering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/social-work" hreflang="en">Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/physiotherapy" hreflang="en">Physiotherapy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pharmacy" hreflang="en">Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nursing" hreflang="en">Nursing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Providing integrated health care for free to people without insurance, ID or funds</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> Imagine a clinic providing free health care to Toronto’s most vulnerable residents: people with no fixed address, health insurance or ID. Too bold, utopian, or disruptive?&nbsp;</p> <p> Not for a group of ؿζSM students.</p> <p> In 2007, U of T students from a variety of health profession programs came together to form the Interprofessional Medical and Allied Groups for Improving Neighbourhood Environment (IMAGINE). And by 2010, with support from faculty and community partners, &nbsp;the IMAGINE clinic was open and offering medical, nursing, pharmacy and social work services.</p> <p> In 2012, physiotherapy was integrated and the clinic became a recognized Centre for Interprofessional Education credit program.</p> <p> “It seemed like a really unique opportunity for a student to get involved both first line interacting with patients and interacting in a team with all the other professions that you might see in the real world,” says <strong>Claire Hooper</strong>, a third-year pharmacy student volunteering at IMAGINE.&nbsp;</p> <p> “It’s also a very unique, underserved patient population, so it’s a great opportunity to be able to help, especially as a student.”</p> <p> <img alt src="/sites/default/files/2014-12-02-imagine-clinic-building.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 250px; margin: 10px; float: right;">Students volunteer at the clinic (pictured at right) for three consecutive Saturdays, followed by a reflection day. They work in teams of five students drawn from each health discipline, supervised by five preceptors – licensed healthcare practitioners, who are also volunteering at the clinic.&nbsp;</p> <p> Working in pairs, the students start the visit, take the patient’s history, perform a physical exam, interpret information and present the case to the rest of the team.&nbsp;</p> <p> <strong>Christopher Wang</strong>, now in his second year of medicine, likens the experience to doing a puzzle. &nbsp;“It’s hard to know what to expect when we walk through the door. We try to gather all the pieces and then we go back and debrief with the team and that’s where we start putting the puzzle together. With the expertise of everybody sitting around that table we try to figure out what this patient is here for and what we can do to help.”</p> <p> In the process, students also learn to write clinical notes, collaborate with other disciplines and develop a treatment plan. And they gain confidence along the way.</p> <p> “Because they are in pre-clinical years, most med students have not yet been told to “go get your patient and bring them into the room,” says <strong>Norma C. Carter</strong>, a family doctor/general practitioner, who has been volunteering at IMAGINE as a physician preceptor over the last three years. “By the third clinic, the same student is confidently giving polished, organized presentations and developing plans with their fellow students.”</p> <p> More than 200 clients are assessed and treated at IMAGINE every year. Many patients come in for physiotherapy, because it’s generally not covered by health plans, but students also see people suffering from common ailments to infections to mental health issues and they treat them all.&nbsp;</p> <p> Wang’s fondest memory is of a patient who came in with an infected thumb. After examining it and debriefing with the team, the preceptor came in and together they had a good chat with the patient, who turned out to be an IV drug user trying hard to overcome his addiction.</p> <p> “After explaining to the patient that the thumb is related to his drug use he seemed to have more of an incentive to keep on working on that aspect of his life,” says Wang. “That was very memorable because people will often question how much we can do in a one-hour session like this, and I think there’s actually a lot we can do in terms of getting people back on the right track even.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Such encounters teach students that patients from marginalized populations have the same health issues as other patients but with additional challenges that make management much more complex at times, says Carter. &nbsp;“They’re getting intensive exposure to the social determinants of health, while also learning not to be afraid of a challenging population.”&nbsp;</p> <p> Wang agrees. “As training medical students it’s very easy to be only shown the best cases, high blood pressure, etc. But that’s not at all what the health scene of the city is like. I think it’s important for students to see that.”</p> <p> Hooper concurs: “It makes you a better health practitioner.”&nbsp;</p> <p> <img alt src="/sites/default/files/2014-12-02-imagine-clinic3.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 350px; margin: 10px;"></p> <p> (<em>Above: team members discuss case with preceptors</em>.)</p> <p> The benefits from IMAGINE’S open, enthusiastic and collaborative care extend beyond the students and the city population they treat, organizers say. Preceptors say they – along with the patients they see in their regular practice outside IMAGINE – also benefit from the inter-professional learning opportunities IMAGINE provides.&nbsp;</p> <p> Like Carter, <strong>Vivian Law</strong> is among the 100 preceptors from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and social work volunteering at the clinic this year. She started volunteering at IMAGINE as a pharmacy student and has been volunteering as a pharmacy preceptor for the last three years.&nbsp;</p> <p> Working alongside preceptors and students from other professions, you learn together, Law says.&nbsp;And when students go out to do practice, they’ll be better equipped to interact with other healthcare professionals, she says, and they’ll know what information and support they can get for the patient.</p> <p> “That’s important because the underprivileged come in with multiple common diseases and issues, so it’s good that the students get to look at the patient in a more holistic view.”</p> <p> Sandra*, returning to the clinic for a follow-up visit about her back pain, is happy with the service she is getting.&nbsp;</p> <p> “I like when they show me some exercises or give me a handout so I can practice at home,” she says. “They really want to keep me on track.”</p> <p> The clinic is open every Saturday except on&nbsp;long weekends and holidays from 10am to 2pm. (<a href="http://imagine.uoftmeds.com/contact">Learn more about volunteering, supporting&nbsp;or accessing the clinic</a>.)</p> <p> *Name changed for privacy reasons.</p> <p> <em>Jelena Damjanovic writes about communities and urban outreach for U of T News.</em></p> <p> &nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2014-12-02-IMAGINE-clinic.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 02 Dec 2014 08:27:42 +0000 sgupta 6674 at