Best practice in health science research requires seizing opportunities, being imaginative and combining insights to generate discoveries and new knowledge.

At the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, some of the brightest minds on the continent are leading the way in health science research and advancing the future health of Canadians. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a health researcher and the past year has delivered significant achievements and progress.

The Lunenfeld is, in comparison to most other research institutes, a small and focused entity. Its size belies its global impact. This is perhaps best illustrated by comparing measures of international competitiveness. In 2007, Lunenfeld scientists published more papers in the top 25 biomedical journals than any other research institute in Canada. This level of excellence was not focused on the success of one or two individuals, but was spread between fourteen of our investigators, from the youngest to the most senior.

In a world where thousands of studies are often buried under the sheer volume of advancements, it is ever more important to endeavour to publish in the most highly respected journals. These top journals select only the very best quality papers which are also deemed to be of exceptional interest. The studies they publish are recognized and appreciated by other scientists as “must read” articles.

Most researchers can only dream of publishing a study in the world-renowned journal Science. Of the six papers published in Science by Toronto researchers in 2007, three were from the Lunenfeld. Of the eight papers published by Toronto scientists in the number one biological research journal, Cell, Lunenfeld investigators published four.

Along with this remarkable level of achievement, Lunenfeld researchers perform exceptionally well in securing competitive funding. For example, in the latest Canadian Cancer Society/National Cancer Institute of Canada granting competition, three of our investigators were ranked number one in their respective grant panels. However, researchers still require additional support to increase the pace of discovery as grants do not cover the true cost of research.

Indeed, it is the magnanimous and ongoing generosity of our donors who, via the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation, enable our researchers to excel in their discoveries. It is our donors who provide the supportive and essential backbone of the Lunenfeld.

Within the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Centre, located at 25 Orde Street, two new  floors have been dedicated to new labs, bringing together eight principal investigators, alongside 150 post-doctoral fellows, technicians and graduate students. The design of these new labs emphasizes the importance of collaboration in science. Shared space and resources are designed to encourage interaction and foster integrated thinking. Designed by G&G Partnership Architects, in consultation with Lunenfeld staff, ‘open-plan’ labs with modular furniture can be reconfigured and allow research space to grow and change as needed in future years.

Speaking of the future, we have recently recruited three young and incredibly promising young scientists after worldwide searches. Our top candidates all accepted our offer, despite intense competition from other centres. Dr. Laurence Pelletier was trained in the UK and Germany, Dr. Rayjean Hung in France and Stanford University, and Dr. Kenichi Okamoto at MIT. Each of these exceptional young individuals chose the Lunenfeld because of our international recognition for excellence and impact, our reputation for nurturing the next generation of research stars, and our ability to attract the best trainees.

Our research program in Women’s and Infants’ Health, which is closely aligned with Mount Sinai Hospital’s clinical program, is internationally renowned. Our systems biology team is one of the strongest in the world. The Prosserman Centre for Health Research performs superlative population-based research, and the Fred A. Litwin Centre for Cancer Genetics is home to a recognized team of extraordinary cancer biologists. Our stem cell and regenerative medicine program generated Canada’s only human embryonic stem cell lines and our neurodevelopment and cognitive function group published a landmark study on DISC1, a gene implicated in both schizophrenia and depression. Last but not least, our diabetes program continues to make breakthroughs in identifying new targets and developing new therapeutic approaches for treatment of this insidious disease that affects almost one in 15 Canadians.

Each program feeds and, in turn, feeds off insights within clinical practice – a level of interdisciplinary communication that is fostered by the fact that a third of our scientists are physicians. Each of the chiefs of Mount Sinai Hospital’s four clinical Centres of Excellence are researchers in their own right and each collaborates with a PhD scientist as co-chair within their Centre.

The Lunenfeld has an ongoing commitment to translational research. For example, Associate Director of Research Dr. Stephen Lye has been working on a diagnostic test to distinguish false vs. pre-term labour in pregnant women. Pre-term birth occurs in five to ten percent of all pregnancies and is associated with high newborn death and disease rates. Dr Lye has also been collaborating with Dr. Isabella Cannigia to develop a new technology that can diagnose preeclampsia well in advance of the onset of symptoms. Senior Investigator and leading reproductive health authority, Dr. Robert Casper has developed a new fertility treatment (originally used for breast cancer) that doubles a patient’s chances for pregnancy. And clinician-scientist Dr. Daniel Drucker has developed two new treatments for type 2 diabetes.

The Lunenfeld is agile (thanks to our small size), we focus on the leading health challenges that affect Canadians, and we attract and retain exceptional researchers. We nurture a culture of collaboration and risk-taking. Our researchers work at the uncomfortable extremities of knowledge and at the interfaces of new technologies and thinking. We aim to be ahead of the curve and this pays off in discovery and translation.

The past year has seen several outstanding achievements, awards and breakthroughs at the Lunenfeld:

• Dr. Daniel Drucker’s lab received a $1 million training award from Merck Frosst to support 12 postdoctoral fellows in leading diabetes research.
• Dr. Daniel Durocher and his team found out how the BRCA1 gene (which is mutated in a large fraction of familial breast cancers) can be guided to repair DNA damage.
• Dr. Steven Gallinger contributed to an international research team that identified a gene variation associated with colon cancer – that may lead to earlier screening and detection.
• Dr. Rayjean Hung led an international study that identified specific genetic variants that are associated with predisposition to lung cancer that when present in two copies increase risk of this cancer by 80%.
• Reproductive biology expert Dr. Andrea Jurisicova revealed that pre-conception exposure to environmental pollutants (commonly found in cigarette smoke) diminish the fertility of mother’s future offspring.
• Dr. Julia Knight continued to make insights into the roles that Vitamin D and the hormone melatonin play in protecting against breast cancer.
• Dr. Alexander Logan’s innovative study of diabetes and hypertension empowered patients to self-monitor at home.
• Postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Katrina MacAulay, paved the way toward new treatments for type 2 diabetes when she created a ‘genetic roadblock’ to improve blood-sugar regulation.
• Dr. Tony Pawson, often called a ‘cell biology revolutionist’, won an inaugural Premier’s Summit Award that supports extraordinary accomplishments in medical research in Ontario.
• TD Bank Financial Group established a $1 million Fellowship Program that will support the work of 25 postdoctoral fellows over the next 10 years.
• Dr. Susan Quaggin published groundbreaking findings on cancer drug Avastin and its associated kidney damage in the New England Journal of Medicine.
• Drs. Frank Sicheri and Katherine Siminovitch were honored by the Canadian Society of Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology for their outstanding contributions to the scientific community.
• Dr. Jeffrey Wrana won the Lloyd S.D. Fogler QC Award of Excellence for his leadership in robotic screening and protein network dynamics.
• Dr. Mei Zhen discovered a new channel molecule that tells neurons how active they should be – and shows association with the development of many psychiatric disorders.

Via these and other advances, the Lunenfeld is having enormous impact in driving forward our understanding of diseases and their causes. With our rich heritage in genetic analysis, we are at the frontier of modern medical research, employing genome-based approaches and the latest tools. We are ushering in a new era of healthcare that considers our individual genetic differences to optimize and personalize our medicine. We are previewing the possible future of healthcare and, alongside Mount Sinai Hospital, we are fulfilling our responsibility to transfer the exciting findings in our laboratories to benefit our patients.

In addition to conducting research we launched a public outreach initiative to strengthen the dialogue between the Institute and the public, and to increase scientific literacy. Café Scientifique is an event series in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre where the public is invited to debate and discuss the latest hot healthcare topic with our experts. To date we have tackled topics such as DNA mapping, stem cell research, obesity and the future of medicine.

The scientific environment at the Lunenfeld is a daily melting pot of new ideas and possibilities and is truly a well of medical discoveries.

It is our pleasure to interact with such incredibly talented people and to be affiliated with such an amazing Institute. Lunenfeld researchers are helping to create the best health care in our own backyard and around the world.

Dr. James Woodgett
Director of Research
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute

Thomas E. Kierans, O.C.
Co-Chair, Research Committee

Larry Tanenbaum
Co-chair, Research Committee