FALL 2004

Combined Therapy Cuts Risk of Breast New Informatics Tools Cancer Recurrence Streamline Clinical Research at UHN Meet Doris Howell, CORE can help find and retrieve information and produce customized reports Chair in Oncology Nursing Research, and Other New hen Dr. James Brunton, Director, Division CORE offers a smart alternative to spending Researchers of Infectious Diseases, needed to sort time and resources trying to capture data from Winformation from multiple patient care disparate systems and databases.The CORE plat- UHN's Global Impact and research databases to study infections relat- form integrates information from patient care Award Winners ed to leukemia treatment, he turned to the UHN systems into a single database: the Enterprise Research Informatics team and their CORE plat- Data Warehouse (EDW). New RSS User form for assistance. “We wanted to be able to Committees draw from several different streams of data: data The Enterprise Data Warehouse from the lab as well as from clinical, pathological a “Super Database” All inside... and pharmacy databases,”says Dr. Brunton.“We For Dr. Brunton’s team, Research Informatics cre- then wanted a way to streamline the data, so ated a customized solution built on the EDW and that it was in the exact format we needed for reporting tools. The EDW collects clinical data our clinical research. CORE was already aligned from a variety of sources and stores them in a with hospital information systems and the common repository, enabling researchers to con- research infrastructure, so it was the obvious duct advanced and targeted searches, easily choice for us,” he says. compare and analyze data, and produce cus- tomized reports. The EDW contains more than CORE: At the Heart of Information at UHN 100 million data points dating back to 2000, as CORE—UHN’s Collaborative Online Research well as new tools for data extraction and analysis. Environment—is a portal that connects researchers Now, rather than transcribing multiple sets to a wide range of easy-to-use tools for informa- of leukemia data into a single database for tion management, decision support, and analysis. analysis, the CORE platform integrates the data Designed and built in partnership with into one environment. Research Informatics, Shared Information “The system that the Research Informatics Management Services, and Research Information team set up for us provides us with high quality Systems, CORE was designed to make clinical data and an easy way to analyze it,”says Dr. Brunton. information easy and safe to access for research. “I recommend it to my colleagues all the time.”

Easier Access to Better Data Other examples of CORE tools include the CancerStaging and CaseFinder tools, recently developed for the PMH Cancer Registry and Clinical Studies Resource Centre (CSRC) teams to enable better information management and reporting. The CancerStaging tool was developed for the Cancer Registry to computerize the hospi- tal’s cancer staging data. Since the tool is integrated with the UHN Clinical Desktop, physicians can now use the tool to complete their case reports online. It funnels data into the EDW where cancer-related information can be analyzed and reported more easily. The CaseFinder tool was designed for use by both teams to make information in the EDW more accessible. It is an easy-to-use front-end Calven Eggert, Senior Technical Specialist, Research Informatics, and Darlene tool that allows users to build complex queries Dale, Head, PMH Cancer Registry, use the CancerStaging tool. /continued on page 2 Investing in Tools for Clinical Research

PAIGE’S NOTES

he cover of this issue of Net Results features CORE, our collabor- needed to undertake clinical research including, amongst other T ative online research environment. This is one of a number of things, the following: initiatives launched over the past few years to enhance UHN's • Clinical Studies Resource Centres at all three hospital sites capacity for clinical research, and I’d like to take this opportunity to • Research Pharmacies talk about our progress in this area. • External Contract Review Teams I have said many times that I firmly believe that UHN’s strength • Research Ethics Boards lies in its commitment to the full spectrum of research. Clinical While we know that this investment is insufficient to meet all research is a key component in our research mission. of the needs of all of our clinical researchers, it does represent a Moreover, I believe that our clinical programs (not just clinical substantial percentage of our core budget. It also exceeds, by a research) and our research programs must be well integrated if large amount, the funds generated by overhead payments on we are going to enhance our global impact. clinical trials themselves.We collected $1.37M in overhead Evidence of this commitment can be found in novel programs payments on clinical trials in 2003/04. and leadership structures that promote clinical research and the Our decision to launch new ventures such as the CSRCs and alignment of clinical and research interests. Many of the recom- CORE reflects our commitment to clinical research and our contri- mendations in the Research strategic plan—The Future Project— bution to the clinical mission of the hospital. We recognize that deal directly with this issue. tools like these are critical to UHN’s vision of achieving global The most tangible evidence of our commitment to clinical impact and improving the lives of the patients we serve. research is the fact that during the last five years, we have ramped up support for clinical research in the core budget from under $1M Christopher J. Paige, PhD to over $5M annually.These funds support the key components

continued from page 1/ and retrieve case information. Using CaseFinder, people can search of projects across UHN. “Currently we have almost 500 application for and retrieve cancer information in the EDW with greater ease users on the CORE platform,” says Ozgur Huner, Director of Research and efficiency. Informatics. Right now, the group is working on a wide variety of “The Cancer Registry has data going back to 1958,” says Darlene projects ranging from point-of-care data capture in the Cardiovascular Dale, Head, PMH Cancer Registry, “so it was important that we devel- ICU and the development of a tissue bank in Surgical Pathology, oped a more efficient way to access the specific cancer information to tracking microarray data in the UHN Microarray Centre and the we needed. The CORE platform has helped us make cancer staging development of a clinical research record for the PMH CSRC. more efficient, and data easier to find.” “We’re always working with new clients, helping to bring them on board. CORE is available to all UHN investigators and it is very Multiple Users, Multiple Uses flexible, so we hope that it will ultimately meet a very broad spec- Since its introduction in 2002, CORE has proven useful for a variety trum of clinical research needs at UHN,” says Ozgur.

For More Information

Contact the Research Informatics group: • VISIT: http://uhnresearch.ca/core • EMAIL: [email protected] • PHONE: (416) 340-4800 ext. 2673

To access CORE’s tools and services, follow these steps: • Sign up for a CORE account at http://uhnresearch.ca/core • Obtain approval for access to clinical data: contact UHN’s Research Ethics Board for more information The CancerStaging tool can be used to capture information about diagnosis and disease progression for individual cancer patients.

Fall 2004 • Net Results • 2 Recent Research Breakthroughs

Personalized care for multiple Combined drug-radiation therapy dramatically myeloma patients on the horizon cuts risk of breast cancer recurrence Recent research by Drs. Keith Stewart (TGRI/TGH) and Hong Chang (OCI/PMH) a ground-breaking new multi-centre study, Drs. Anthony Fyles, David McCready, shows for the first time that multiple IN and Lee Manchul (OCI/PMH) found that the use of the drug tamoxifen combined myeloma patients with p53 gene deletions with radiation therapy to treat breast cancer following surgery reduced the likelihood do not benefit from stem cell transplants. of cancer relapse to virtually zero at five years. Dr. Stewart and his team assessed how In this study, the researchers compared the rate of breast cancer recurrence after surgery the absence or presence of the p53 gene in 769 women. Half received the combined treatment, and half received tamoxifen alone. affected survival in 128 patients treated Less than 1% of the women who received the combined treatment suffered a relapse five at OCI/PMH. Although only 10% of these years after surgery, compared to almost 8% of the women who received tamoxifen alone. patients had p53 deletions, their overall Those women who benefited the least from radiation treatment were patients aged 60 or survival following chemotherapy and stem older with very small tumours. Their rate of relapse (without radiation) was 1.2%. cell transplant was 69% shorter than it Although such a dramatic difference was unexpected, the results definitely show was in the patients with the gene intact. that post-surgery radiation therapy offers a significant benefit. However, it is recom- Patients with p53 deletions also had higher mended that women continue to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with their levels of calcium and creatine in their doctors, and make decisions based on what will best work for them. blood, suggesting a more aggressive form The study also involved researchers from Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre of the cancer. (Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre), , and the This finding provides a better under- British Columbia Cancer Agency. N Engl J Med.2004 Sept 2;351(10):963-70 standing of how a specific genetic mutation affects the course of this disease, and represents an important step towards providing personalized care for patients Study finds care inadequate for with this disease. Vitamin D treatment shrinks rheumatoid arthritis patients Blood.2004 Aug 31 (advance online publication) thyroid tumours Despite the fact that North American guide- ew research from the labs of Drs. lines recommend that all patients diagnosed Researchers zero in N Sylvia Asa and Shereen Ezzat with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be on inflammatory target (OCI/PMH) reveals that treatment with given disease-modifying antirheumatic In a paper called a landmark in the inflam- calcitriol—better known as vitamin drugs (DMARDs), Drs. Elizabeth Badley mation field, UHN researchers have D—reduced tumour burden and the and Richard Glazier and postdoctoral fellow identified a gene that controls the body’s extent of metastatic growth in animal Deborah Shipton (TWRI/TWH) have inflammatory response. models with thyroid cancer. found that the use of DMARDs in individ- A team led by Drs. Rama Khokha Based on results in their earlier uals with RA falls short of treatment (OCI/PMH), Wen Chen Yeh (AMDI/ studies which showed that vitamin D recommendations. OCI/PMH), and graduate student Fazilat interferes with p27 degradation, Drs. The team investigated the relationship Mohammed found that mice missing Asa and Ezzat implanted thyroid carci- between access to specialty care and the use the Timp3 gene were unable to turn off noma cells into SCID mice. Low levels of DMARDs in 13,698 RA patients across their inflammatory response following of p27 have previously been shown to Ontario who were at least 65 years of age. tissue injury. correlate with metastatic spread in Their analysis showed that 58% Their study showed that these mice suf- patients with thyroid cancer. of patients used DMARDs, and of those, fered from liver failure that directly resulted At 21 days post implant, they found 83% were seen by a rheumatologist. from having elevated levels of the pro- that the tumours of mice treated with Of the patients not using DMARDs, inflammatory molecule TNFa. calcitriol were 38% smaller, compared to only 31% were seen by a rheumatologist. This research points to Timp3 as a untreated mice, and the extent of meta- Thus, the results are clear: even in a potential treatment for inflammatory condi- stasis to the lungs was greatly reduced. universally funded setting, lack of access to tions. At least one arthritis drug has been While further clinical study is need- specialty care, which can relate to area of shown to increase Timp3 in the body, ed, the findings support the possibility residence, is associated with suboptimal a finding that has implications for treating of using vitamin D as an adjuvant ther- treatment of people with RA. The study a multitude of diseases including rheuma- apy for people with inoperable or points to the need for more effective ways toid arthritis, diabetes, hepatitis, and radioresistant forms of thyroid cancer. of improving access to specialty care. cancer, to name just a few. Endocrinology.2004 Aug 19 (advance Med Care.2004 Sep;42(9):907-13. Nat Genet.2004 Sep;36(9):969-77. online publication)

3 • Net Results • Fall 2004 New Recruits

Doris Howell, PhD RBC Financial Group Chair in Oncology Nursing Research; PMH Clinical Studies Resource Centre After working in a variety of cancer care positions partnership with Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian for 25 years and recently completing her PhD in the Cancer Society, and the Faculty of Nursing at the Department of Health Policy Management and University of Toronto. “This Chair is the first position in a Evaluation at the University of Toronto, Dr. Doris comprehensive cancer setting that will enable nursing prac- Howell has been recruited as UHN’s RBC Financial tice issues to drive research inquiry,” explains Dr. Howell. Group Chair in Oncology Nursing Research. Dr. Howell will develop a patient-centered outcomes re- A landmark position in Canada, the Chair will enhance search agenda aimed at transforming a patient’s cancer care care for cancer patients through research, and establish experience. It will develop innovative care delivery models, the specialty stream for advanced nursing practice at the advance therapeutic nursing science, and build an oncology University of Toronto. The position was established in nursing patient-centered outcomes research capacity.

Philippe Monnier, PhD Division of Cell & Molecular Biology,TWRI/TWH RGM—which stands for repulsive guidance mole- founder of the German biotechnology company cule—is a protein that acts as a guidance cue for devel- Migragen. The company was established with the aim of oping axons in the eye and CNS. Important in several furthering research in neuroregeneration, and Dr. Monnier diseases, it was discovered only recently by Dr. Philippe headed several drug development programs in this field. Monnier, newest recruit at TWRI/TWH. In his lab at UHN, Dr. Monnier continues to try to “I was lucky,” he says of the discovery, published in identify the components of membranes that guide axons Nature in 2002. “Many other research groups also spent to their target cells. He recently purified T61, a protein many years looking for the protein. All of us knew that that promotes axonal outgrowth in the retina and brain. there was something there, steering the axons to their tar- He hopes to confirm the hypothesis that T61 supports get. It was mostly a matter of looking in the right place.” retina nerve cell regeneration, a finding that could lead Prior to coming to UHN, Dr. Monnier was a co- to novel treatments for glaucoma.

Aaron Schimmer, MD, PhD Division of Cell & Molecular Biology, OCI/PMH One of OCI/PMH’s newest scientists, Dr. Aaron to cancer, and Dr. Schimmer believes that it holds the Schimmer, decided to make UHN his research home key for identifying new targets for cancer therapy. base, because, as he puts it, “There is tremendous Using high throughput screening techniques, Dr. opportunity for collaboration at UHN. It’s also one Schimmer recently identified an inhibitor of XIAP, of the few places where one can be a researcher and a molecule that inhibits the apoptosis effector protein a clinician at the same time, which was a big factor caspase-3. XIAP inhibitors have been shown to induce in my decision to return to Toronto.” apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells, sensitize cancer Dr. Schimmer is interested in deciphering the path- cells to chemotherapy, and suppress tumour growth in ways that regulate a cell’s suicide program. Better known animal models, thus validating them as potential targets as apoptosis, a de-regulated suicide program can lead for cancer drug discovery.

Elisabeth Tillier, PhD Division of Experimental Therapeutics, OCI/PMH One can learn a lot about a protein by knowing which contribute a unique function to the protein. We can then proteins it interacts with. Dr. Elisabeth Tillier—one of look at how this function leads to a specific interaction OCI/PMH’s newest recruits—studies this protein inter- with another protein, and map these interactions.” action network by determining which parts of a protein This analysis requires manipulation of massive amounts sequence are important for function, and which parts of biological data, and Dr. Tillier develops mathematical are evolutionary artifacts. models and computer programs to find and compare pat- “By comparing sequences within the same protein and terns within sequences. Her research will help other scien- between different proteins, we can deduce which parts tists develop new treatments for a myriad of diseases.

Fall 2004 • Net Results • 4 Strategic Planning at UHN

he goal of Phase II of The Future Project was to develop detailed tactics for imple- Celebrating UHN’s Global menting the strategies that were outlined in Phase I. A group of twelve Platform Impact Award Winners T executives, aided by Task Forces, led this process. Doctors and scientists recognized From January to June 2004, the Platform executives conducted an extensive for their creative discoveries consultation process that involved holding discussion forums, focus groups, and the HN announced its first Global Impact Award online survey Call for Ideas!. Uwinners at its Annual General Meeting which took place on June 23, 2004.These awards were established to recognize UHN doctors and scien- tists for their creative discoveries in medical sci- Task Force Members Dr. Alex Jadad ence that have had major impact worldwide. UHN thanks the Platform executives Dr. Wendy Levinson After a process of broad consultation and and the Task Forces for their efforts. Dr. Rosemary Martino deliberation, three inaugural winners were chosen. Each of the winners will be perm- Genes, Proteins & People Medical Technology Innovation anently recognized through displays at UHN’s Dr. Linda Penn (Chair) Dr. Karen Davis (Chair) three research institutes. Dr. Rod Bremner (Site Leader) Dr. David Jaffray (Site Leader) Dr. Kevin Kain (Site Leader) Dr. Vivek Rao (Site Leader) Dr. 1891-1941 Dr. Cheryl Arrowsmith Dr. Bob Bell • Discovered insulin as a treat- Dr. Cathy Barr Dr. Christopher Chan ment for diabetes in 1922 Dr. Peter Cheung Dr. Myron Cybulsky • Winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize Dr. Greg Downey Dr. Michael Fehlings in Physiology or Medicine Dr. Michael Fehlings Dr. Chris Feindel • Opened a diabetes clinic at Dr. Eleanor Fish Dr. Mansoor Husain TGH to administer insulin, Dr. John Floras Dr. Robert Inman and saved countless lives Dr. Robert Inman Dr. Jonathan Irish Dr. Jan Jongstra Dr. Shitij Kapoor Dr. Harold Johns 1915-1998 Dr. Igor Jurisica Dr. Walter Kucharczyk • Developed the “cobalt bomb” Dr. Rupert Kaul Dr. Lowell Langille for focused high-dose radia- Dr. Armand Keating Dr. Gary Levy tion therapy in the 1950s Dr. Peter Lewis Dr. Mary Pat McAndrews • His work permitted deep- Dr. Tak Mak Dr. Sasan Raghibizadeh seated tissues to be treated Dr. Mark Minden Dr. Harry Ruda with radiation therapy at Dr. Philippe Monnier Dr. Michael Sefton OCI/PMH Dr. Aaron Schimmer Dr. Jeffrey Siewerdsen • Published four editions of Dr. Katherine Siminovitch Dr. Karel terBrugge The Physics of Radiology,the Dr. Elise Stanley Dr. Brian Wilson premier textbook in the field Dr. Keith Stewart Dr. Jim Woodgett Regenerative Medicine Dr.Vera Peters 1911-1993 Dr. Thomas Waddell (Chair) • Developed a cure for Health Informatics Dr. Jeffrey Medin (Site Leader) Hodgkin’s disease Dr. Andreas Maetzel (Chair) Dr. Lyanne Schlichter (Site Leader) • Advocated the combination of Dr. Janis Miyasaki (Site Leader) Dr. Bob Bell radiation treatment and breast Dr. Lillian Siu (Site Leader) Dr. Sam Benchimol conserving surgery for women Dr. Maria Bacchus Dr. Jonathan Brotchie with early stage breast cancer Dr. Elizabeth Badley Dr. Michael Fehlings • A member of PMH’s founding Dr. Claire Bombardier Dr. Chris Feindel staff in 1958 Dr. Michael Borger Dr. Eleanor Fish Dr. Debra Bournes Dr. David Kelvin Global Impact Awards committee: Drs. Ms. Lindsey Crawford Dr. Gary Levy Michael Baker,Bryce Taylor,Christopher Paige, Dr. Brenda Gallie Dr. Elise Stanley Tirone David,Tak Mak, Peter St George-Hyslop, Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz Dr. Jim Woodgett Janet Rossant (MSRI/MSH), and Catherine Dr. Jenny Heathcote Whiteside (UT)

5 • Net Results • Fall 2004 New RSS User Research Financial Services (RFS) Micheline Gravelle, Patent Agent, Committees Launched Jo Carroll (for Anesthesia) Bereskin & Parr Dr. Jerry Devins,TGRI/TGH Dr. Lea Harrington, OCI/PMH As part of the ongoing implementation of Dr. Brenda Gallie, OCI/PMH Kelly Holman, Managing Director, the Client Services Strategy, user commit- Karen Hatch (Dr. Emil Pai) Genesys Capital tees have now been established for various Minnie Kim (Dr. Elise Stanley) Dr. Philippe Monnier,TWRI/TWH Research Support Service departments. Anna Kushnir (Dr. Gary Levy) Dr. Robert Rottapel, OCI/PMH The user committees met for the first Shelley Malton (Dr. Anthony Lang) Bill Wassenaar, President & CEO, time this fall, and consultation with the com- Dr. David Rose, OCI/PMH Wellesley Therapeutics mittees will be an ongoing process. UHN Marion Snyder (Dr. John Floras) Bob McArthur, Director, RBDO thanks the user committees for their contri- Lucy Teves (Drs. Christopher Wallace/ Jodi Braunton, Manager, butions in guiding RSS to make UHN a bet- Michael Tymianski) Research Communications ter place to do research: Neil Winegarden, Head of Operations, Thomas Parsons, Senior BDO Microarray Centre User Committees Christopher Adams, Manager, RFS Research Information Grant & Contract Marcellus Arokium, RFS Systems (RIS) Services (GCS) Dianne Billows, RFS Dr. Jerry Devins,TGRI/TGH Jennifer Bayne (Centre for Global David Fernandes, RFS Dr. Linda Mills,TWRI/TWH eHealth Innovation) Frances Guglielmo, SHSS Dr. Janis Miyasaki,TWRI/TWH Cameron Chiarot (Dr. David Jaffray) Bala Kumbakonam, RFS Mary Jane Salpeter, Ethics Coordinator Dr. Malcolm Moore, OCI/PMH Ashley Taylor, Accounts Payable Dr. Richard Wells, OCI/PMH Dr. Jim Woodgett, OCI/PMH Neil Winegarden, Head of Operations, Paul MacPherson, Manager, GCS Research Business Development Microarray Centre Pat Clark, GCS Office (RBDO) Leigh Revers, Director, Research & Cathy Feghali, GCS Dr. Brian Barber,VP Global Ventures Development, MTI Inc. Barb Michaels, GCS Dr.Tony Easty, Director, Medical Tom Goldthorpe, Director, RIS Ken Woo, Human Resources Engineering, UHN

IRAB Meeting to Coincide With Second Annual WEBC a Success Research Day Described as the most successful fundrais- Director of WEBC Breast Cancer The third meeting of the UHN ing event in Canadian history, 4565 people Survivorship Program Selected International Research Advisory Board walked 60 km to raise record funds in the he PMH Clinical Executive will take place on November 1-2, 2004, second annual Weekend to End Breast T Committee and the Chair of the coinciding with Research Day. The four- Cancer benefiting PMH. Breast Site Group have chosen Dr. member board will attend the Research The event, which took place on September Pamela Catton (OCI/PMH) as the first Day festivities at the Toronto Marriott 11-12, 2004, raised an astounding $14.7M Medical Director of the WEBC Breast Eaton Centre on November 1. to support various research initiatives. Cancer Survivorship Program.The pro- The IRAB’s four members (Drs. Victor gram will develop with the support of Ling, Chair, Vice-President, Research, BC VP Updates Now Available on Intranet the PMHF and with the funds raised in Cancer Agency; Ferid Murad, Director, A new way to keep up-to-date on current the WEBC. Institute of Molecular Medicine, University initiatives in UHN Research is now avail- A radiation oncologist at OCI/PMH, of Texas; Mark Musen, Head, Stanford able. Over the summer, Dr. Christopher Dr. Catton has a clinical interest in breast Medical Informatics, Stanford University; Paige, VP Research, launched the new VP cancer. Her research focuses on the Malcolm Pike, Department of Preventive Update Series. Emailed to all investigators development of multimedia electronic Medicine, University of Southern California) and archived on the Research Intranet, each education applications for patients and are internationally recognized scientists. Update focuses on a single issue of impor- students, and she is leading the imple- They meet annually with various constituen- tance. To date, issues have looked at the mentation of a PMH electronic educa- cies across UHN including researchers, Toronto Medical Discovery Tower at MaRS; tion program for cancer patients, fam- Platform leaders, medical program leaders, strategic planning and platforms at UHN; ilies and the general public. the Foundations, and Research leadership indirect costs, resource allocation and fund- to advise on Research policy, governance, ing in research; commercialization at UHN; and management. and the role of clinical research. Watch for more updates in the weeks and months ahead. To access the VP Updates, visit the Research Intranet homepage > VP Updates.

Fall 2004 • Net Results • 6 UHN HONOUR ROLL UHN Research extends its congratulations to the following researchers:

GRANTS Drs. Alex Jadad, Ian McGilvray (TGRI/TGH), Ming Tsao, and Mark Minden (OCI/PMH), who won over $1.8M from the Ontario Cancer Research Network.

PRIZES & HONOURS Dr. Dan Cattran (TGRI/TGH), winner of the 2004 Kidney Foundation of Canada Medal for his contributions to new knowledge and the treatment of one of the most important causes of end-stage renal disease. Dr. Cattran received the medal on October 15, 2004 in Toronto.

Drs.Tirone David and Donna Stewart (TGRI/TGH), who received the prestigious rank of University Professor from the University of Toronto on July 1, 2004. The designation is the highest academic honour bestowed by the University.

Dr.Tirone David (TGRI/TGH), elected President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the oldest cardio-thoracic society in the world.

Dr. John Dick (TGRI/TGH), elected a new Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for his development of the first human xenotransplant assay for normal and leukemic stem cells. Dr. Dick will be inducted into the society in Ottawa on November 20, 2004.

Dr. Patrick Gullane (OCI/PMH), elected President of the American Head and Neck Society. Dr. Gullane is the first Canadian to hold the position.

Dr.Walter Kucharczyk (TGRI/TGH), who was elected President of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine at the annual meeting of the society in Kyoto, Japan, in May, 2004.

Dr. Anthony Lang (TWRI/TWH), winner of the American Academy of Neurology's Movement Disorders Research Award.The award was presented at the Academy's April meeting in San Francisco.

Drs. Ernest McCulloch and (OCI/PMH), who received honorary doctor of science degrees from the University of Toronto on June 9, 2004.

7 • Net Results • Fall 2004 The Toronto Medical Discovery Tower at MaRS New tower on track for full occupancy by September 2005

he new Toronto Medical Discovery The Phases of MaRS Programs currently under Tower (TMDT) on the corner of discussion for TMDT by the College Street Elizabeth and College Streets continues T space committee: to take shape. TMDT was designed to be MaRS • a new drug development program a fully integrated research facility with incorporating medicinal chemistry Phase Phase Phase state-of-the-art features. III II I and structural biology MBRC “TMDT will allow us to expand and • a program in infectious launch critical research programs from diseases/immune system research the ground up,” says Dr. Christopher • a convergence centre bringing Paige, Vice President, Research. “The together engineers, physicists, new space will be a tremendous boon TGH

biologists and clinical researchers to PMH Avenue University Elizabeth Street to research at UHN.” work on multidisciplinary problems To evaluate potential uses of the TMDT • a home for the McEwen Regenerative space, and space that may become avail- Medicine Centre able in other locations, a space committee • a satellite of the McLaughlin Centre was established. Committee members for Molecular Medicine including include Drs. Mansoor Husain, Keith programs in global health and stem Stewart, Peter St George-Hyslop, cell research Gerrard Street Brian Wilson, Eleanor Fish, Linda Penn, • an imaging program for testing new Tom Waddell, Jeffrey Medin, Vivek Rao, MaRS Centre imaging modalities David Jaffray, Kevin Kain, Tak Mak, Construction for Phases I and II well underway • a number of smaller initiatives • Jim Woodgett and Christopher Paige • Designs for Phase III yet to be finalized and Mr. Ian McDermott. • Phase III will be 17 floors, 700,000 sq ft

Phase I: TMDT • Base building expected to be complete by end of 2004 • 15 floors, 400,000 sq ft • UHN Research will occupy 9 floors • Will be ready for full occupancy in Sept 2005

Phase II: South Tower & Heritage Building • Owned and operated by MaRS • South Tower is 8 stories, 242,000 sq ft • Will house small to medium size companies

Net Results is a magazine which reports on developments in Research at UHN. It is published by the Office of the Vice President, Research.Your questions or comments can be directed to [email protected].

Some photos courtesy of Keith Oxley (UHN Photographics)