Faculty Dr. Christine J. Allen is an Associate Professor Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Dr. Christine J. Allen’s research is focused on the rational design and development of new materials and technologies for the delivery of drugs and contrast agents. She joined University of Toronto in 2002, from Celator Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vancouver) where she worked as a scientist and Assistant Director of materials research. She is cross-appointed in the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the U. of Toronto. Dr. Allen has over 46 publications and several patent applications on both lipid and polymer-based drug delivery systems. She was awarded a CIHR-Rx&D Career Award (2004-09) for her research on the design and development of technologies for cancer treatment. In 2006, Dr. Allen was awarded the Assoc. of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada/AstraZeneca New Investigator Research Award. Website: http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/about/faculty/allen.htm
Dr. Reina Bendayan is Professor and Associate Dean Graduate Education, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Dr. Bendayan's research is focused on membrane transport and therapeutics with an emphasis on antiviral and anticancer drug transport across the blood-brain barrier and targeting to the CNS. Her laboratory offers the expertise and resources for undertaking cell membrane permeability/drug transport studies in cell culture systems of the blood-brain barrier (brain microvessel endothelial cells) and brain microglia and astrocytes. Her group has characterized the functional expression and localization of P-glycoprotein and other ATP-binding cassette membrane transport proteins in brain microvessel endothelial cells and glial cells isolated from human and rodent tissue and identified the role that these transporters play in anti-HIV drug transport and resistance in the CNS. Website: http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/about/faculty/bendayan.htm
Dr. Shelley R. Boyd is a Clinician-Scientist and Assistant Professor at St Michael’s Hospital, Dept of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, University of Toronto. She is the previous Disease Expert and Head of the Ocular Angiogenesis research program, world-wide for the Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research, Switzerland. With a background in science, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, she brings a unique capacity for the translation of pre-clinical ideas to clinical practice. Her basic science research focuses on models of diabetic retinopathy, acute retinal neuroprotection, and neurovascular interactions in disease and tissue repair. She is the recent recipient of an NSERC Strategic Network grant for the development of biomaterials for ophthalmic drug delivery, and a CHRP grant for retinal tissue engineering. She has experience in clinical trial design, and regulatory documentation. As a retina specialist, she is involved in the clinical application of aptamers, humanized antibodies, and chimeric receptors for the treatment of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Boyd is also cross-appointed to the school of BioMedical Engineering at McMaster U. Website: http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/research/profile.php?id=boyd&
Dr. Rod Bremner is Head, Division of Genetics Toronto Western Research Institute. The Bremner lab studies cancer and neurogenesis particularly retinoblastoma protein because a) it regulates a pathway that is defective in almost all cancers, and b) because its roles in division, differentiation and death are pivotal in developing optimized strategies for retinal regeneration. They use mouse knockout and human explant/orthotopic transplant models to define the role of the Rb pathway in retinal development, tumorigenesis and regeneration. The lab has optimized siRNAs and shRNA vectors to address these problems. Second, they study the interferon pathway, because of its broad crucial roles in immune function, particularly in blocking tumorigenesis. They were first to link the tumor suppressor BRG1 to this pathway to define the mechanism through which it operates, exposing a previously unappreciated network linked to interferon signaling. To identify the entire network a genome wide RNAi screen was conducted; hits are potential targets for siRNA-mediated therapy (this work is part of the Dharmacon RNAi Global initiative a worldwide consortium to facilitate the use of siRNAs in human genomics). Website: http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=626
Dr. Jean Gariépy is a Professor at the Ontario Cancer Institute. In many instances, present-day classes of chemotherapeutic drugs will not cure cancer and have side effects that limit the quality of life of treated patients. The Gariepy laboratory has been addressing these challenges by developing peptide-based and DNA-based (aptamers) vehicles to specifically deliver drugs, proteins, and DNA to and into cells. In the area of drug discovery, his laboratory has been constructing and mining protein libraries using ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) as templates. Specifically, RIPs represent some of the most effective protein scaffolds at killing eukaryotic cells and our objective is to find RIP variants that can serve as selective imaging and therapeutic agents for helping cancer patients. Dr. Gariepy actively collaborates with other scientists participating in this program (Reilly and Allen). Website: http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/about/faculty/gariepy.htm
Dr. David R. Hampson is a Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Director of the University of Toronto Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. Research in the Hampson laboratory is focused on the study of G-protein coupled receptors (targets of about 30% of all drugs used commercially), particularly a subset of GPCRs called the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) which are under intense development as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of epilepsy, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and Fragile X syndrome. One goal of Dr. Hampson’s laboratory is to elucidate the precise interactions that occur between drugs and target receptor proteins by examining truncated, mutated, and chimeric receptors. The selection of mutations is guided by 3D computer-generated homology models of the protein tertiary structure. Another goal of the laboratory is acquire a deeper understanding of how mGluRs regulate neuronal growth and maturation, particularly in relation to the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome and autism. Studies using a knockout mouse model of fragile X are being conducted whereby mGluR siRNA or shRNA is infused into the CNS to induce RNA knockdown to validate individual receptors as drug targets. Website: http://phm.utoronto.ca/hampson/
Dr. Tak Mak is the Director of the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital, is an internationally acclaimed immunologist renowned for his 1984 discovery and cloning the human T-cell receptor. His discoveries have made an enormous contribution to the understanding of immunity and especially as it relates to cancer and HIV/AIDS. His honours include the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Emil von Behring Prize, the E.W.R Steacie Prize, and the Alfred Sloan Prize. Dr. Mak is an Officer of the Order of Canada, recipient of the Premier's Summit Award, and a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Canada and London. The Mak lab concentrates on tumour suppressor genes. Studies of mice lacking the breast cancer susceptibility genes Brca1 or Brca2 suggest that these proteins have roles in pathways controlling DNA damage repair while work on PTEN indicated that PTEN negatively regulates cell survival pathways. Mak and colleagues have assessed gene expression in the absence of PTEN function using DNA microarray screening and phenotype rescue experiments in drosophila to identify novel genes acting either upstream or downstream of PTEN. The functions of these newly isolated genes are under investigation in the hopes of identifying new targets for cancer drug therapy. Website: http://breastcancer.campbellfamilyinstitute.ca/Pages/research/DrTakMak.aspx
Dr. J. Andrea McCart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and Affiliated Scientist at TGRI. Dr. McCart is a surgeon-scientist who is developing novel oncolytic viruses in her lab and translating them into therapies for cancer patients. Dr McCart developed an attenuated vaccinia virus which has been approved by the FDA and recently entered a phase I clinical trial in the USA. Her laboratory has engineered viruses that express proteins for optical fluorescence imaging and nuclear imaging and has active collaborations with members of the Spatio-Temporal Targeting and Amplification of Radiation Response (STTARR) facility (such as Dr. Raymond Reilly) for imaging viral delivery. Her research covers the spectrum of new biologic development from discovery to preclinical investigations in small animals to safety studies in large animals. Planning for a phase I trial in Toronto using vaccinia virus in patients with colon and ovarian carcinomatosis has begun. These viruses are currently being approved for use by Health Canada in this and other trials. Dr. McCart has a close collaboration with Jennerex BioTherapeutics who will be part of the internship program. Students will get experience in virology, virus purification and amplification for animal studies, and tumour efficacy and imaging studies and will also have the opportunity to observe cancer surgeries performed by Dr. McCart should they wish to get clinical cancer experience. Website: http://www.uhnres.utoronto.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=3980
Dr. Jeffrey A. Medin is a Senior Scientist, Ontario Cancer Institute and Professor, U. of Toronto, Dept. of Medical Biophysics and the Institute of Medical Sciences. Research in the Medin lab focuses on the development and implementation of novel lentiviral vectors for cancer immunotherapy and for the amelioration of inherited disorders. A variety of transgenes are delivered to target cells including tumor-associated antigens, novel ‘suicide’ factors for cell fate control, immune-modulating cytokines, shRNAs, peptide hormones, and lysosomal enzymes. The training environment is excellent and highly collaborative as novel recombinant vectors are constructed de novo and outcomes are tested in vitro and then in extensive small and large animal models. Clinical trial preparation is underway at the NIH for a cell fate control approach which follows from successful vector licensing to a company. Large-scale pre-clinical work will be facilitated by a new Vector Core Facility under construction at the UHN. Website: http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=4071
Dr. Philippe Monnier is a senior Scientist at the Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI). His lab is developing recombinant antibodies (scFvs) used to promote axonal regeneration after CNS injuries (e.g. spinal cord injury, stroke). His lab has cloned 4 scFvs which are directed against the extracellular protein RGMa (Repulsive Guidance Molecule; RGMa belongs to the few proteins capable of promoting regeneration through inhibition of their activity. Recent results strongly support their hypothesis that RGMa will have a dramatic effect on neuronal regeneration. The goal is to use RGMa-scFvs to neutralize RGMa inhibitory activities on regenerating nerve fibers thereby promoting regeneration in the CNS. Students will learn techniques that have tremendous therapeutic potential as demonstrated by the increasing number of scFvs that have been approved by the FDA. Website: http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=4228
Dr. K. Sandy Pang, a Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is known for her contributions to the fields of drug transport, metabolism, and physiological modeling. Dr. Pang was the recipient of the NIH Research Career Award, the McNeil Research Award, and the Research Achievement Award from the American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists. Her research is aimed towards providing mechanistic-based understandings of the handling of drugs or biologics and their metabolites within eliminating organs (liver, the intestine, and kidney). Her approach is via the formulation of physiologically relevant processes of organ clearances through theoretical treatises and validation with experimental approaches in perfused organs. Dr. Pang’s most recent research is to integrate in vitro and in vivo methods for the study of siRNA disposition in target organs and to determine kinetic parameters of siRNA components to establish a mechanistic understanding of siRNA uptake and metabolism with the ultimate goal is to conduct translational research to predict the disposition of the siRNA in humans using in vitro biochemical data. Website: http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/about/faculty/pang.htm
Dr. Raymond M. Reilly is a Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Dr. Reilly's research is focused on the discovery, preclinical development and translation to clinical trials of novel radiolabeled antibodies and peptides for imaging and targeted radiotherapy of malignancies. Radiopharmaceuticals are labeled with single photon-emitters (99mTc, 111In, 123I) or positron-emitters (64Cu) for SPECT or PET. Agents labeled with 111In can be used to treat tumours when they are routed to the nucleus of cancer cells by modification with nuclear-localizing peptides. A unique aspect of Dr. Reilly's research is his proven ability to translate novel agents to clinical trials (e.g. collaborations at Princess Margaret, trial of 111In-labeled human epidermal growth factor (111In-hEGF) for treatment of metastatic breast cancer and Sunnybrook, for a Phase II trial of 111In-labeled trastuzumab (Herceptin) for imaging breast cancer. Trainees will receive experience in bioconjugate and radiochemistry; characterization of radiolabeled antibodies and peptides, evaluation of tumour and normal tissue localization and pharmacokinetics in mouse tumour xenograft models by biodistribution, microSPECT and microPET studies; and design/implementation of Phase I/II trials of these agents. Dr. Reilly's trainees have won numerous national and international awards and scholarships. Website: http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/about/faculty/reilly.htm
Dr. Aaron Schimmer is a Staff Physician in the department of Hematology/Oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network. He is also a scientist at OCI and an Assistant Professor in Medicine and Medical Biophysics at the U. of Toronto and also head of Experimental Hematology at the U. of Toronto. Dr. Schimmer holds 7 patents, and is the PI on five clinical trials of novel agents targeting the cell death pathway. He has received over 30 awards and for academic achievement and in 2007 he was named Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. The Schimmer lab is interested in chemical biology and drug discovery with a focus on the cell death pathway. Using automated and robotic equipment compound and siRNA libraries are screened to identify chemical probes and then used as tools to better understand biological pathways. In addition, these molecules including macromolecules serve as leads and prototypes for novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of malignancy. Efforts are also underway to advance off-patent drugs which are screened to ID cmpds. that impact molecular targets important in malignancy and thus have previously unrecognized anti-cancer activity. Through this approach, old drugs can be “repurposed” and moved rapidly into clinical trials. Website: http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=5351
Dr. Derek van der Kooy is a Professor Dept. of Molecular Genetics. Dr. van der Kooy’s research focuses on neuroscience and developmental biology. His 1994 paper on neural stem cells in the adult mammalian forebrain established that adult mammalian neural stem cells were located in the subependyma of the forebrain where two types of lineage related precursor cells, progenitor cells and stem cells, were shown to be present. Van der Kooy's lab produced the first report of stem cells in the adult mammalian eye, published in Science while further work documented how ES cells were shown to differentiate directly to neural stem cells through a default mechanism.His lab investigates the nature of stem cells, embryonic and adult, the concept of immortal cells, and the differentiation of ES cells capable of forming any tissue in the body. Website: http://www.utoronto.ca/neurobiology/ |