2005 - 2006 - Mount Sinai Hospital

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“THE RESEARCH AT THE SAMUEL LUNENFELD RESEARCH INSTITUTE CONTINUES TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. EXCELLENCE AND RELEVANCE HAVE CHARACTERIZED SLRI RESEARCH FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.” Dr. Alan Bernstein, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research THE BEST RESEARCH TRAINING The Research Training Centre at the SLRI has supported the education of the next generation of scientific pioneers for over 10 years. Summer students, graduate students, clinical fellows and postdoctoral fellows work alongside the SLRI’s world-leading Principal Investigators — learning invaluable research skills and expanding their own potential to contribute to the latest biomedical discoveries. feet of lab space, and a $90 million budget the SLRI is now considered one of the world’s top 10 biomedical research centres. We feature some of the world’s best scientific minds and are large enough to make a profound difference in the global scientific community — and yet we are small enough to retain the personal interactions that are critical to exchange of ideas. Our awardwinning researchers are taking steps every day toward a better understanding of chronic illnesses such as cancer, gastrointestinal disease, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes, as well as improving the health of women and infants. We have chosen a strategic focus on these areas because of their tremendous impact on health, and their alignment with Mount Sinai’s own clinical centres of excellence. There are great benefits to having a world-renowned research institute in an equally esteemed teaching hospital such as Mount Sinai. We are perfectly poised to translate the latest knowledge to the frontline of patient care which enables us to deliver the best medicine. Scientific discovery can reveal the way a gene, a protein, or a drug functions in the body, uncover previously unimagined ways in which our cells work, and identify better means to prevent, detect and treat disease. Without these intellectual advances, medicine cannot progress. Through the intimate association of the SLRI and the hospital, this research is carried further by the intermingling of basic scientists, clinical scientists, epidemiologists, research fellows, and physicians. All diseases, no matter how complex or devastating, have as their root cause underlying aberrations that we can discover and then design effective interventions. For example, before committing resources to expensive drug development, we can accurately predict whether switching off a particular protein will be useful. If so, we can then screen for molecules that specifically interfere with that protein — effectively increasing our “batting average.” This year has certainly been marked by outstanding work by our researchers. Our ability to secure peer-reviewed research funds and infrastructure grants has continued to increase at a truly impressive rate. As a few examples, we received $15 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for new equipment and toward an expansion in the area of Systems Biology. Dr. Andras Nagy has been highly funded for his pioneering work on human embryonic stem cells, Dr. James Dennis heads a CIHR-funded team project that investigates the genetic differences among patients who are sensitive or resistant to the SARS virus; and Genome Canada will support a $12-million project, led by Dr. Tony Pawson, on protein interactions, in collaboration with the University of Western Ontario. The SLRI is excited to have recruited and gained the fresh energies of two remarkable researchers in 2005. Dr. Anne-Claude 28 A COMMUNITY OF CARING
DECADES OF DISCOVERY — A FUTURE FULL OF POSSIBILITIES Dr. Tony Pawson, Dr. Lou Siminovitch and Dr. Alan Bernstein — previous Directors of the SLRI The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital celebrated its 20th anniversary on June 23, 2005 at a gala called Decades of Discovery. Since its inception, the Institute has been at the forefront of revolutionary scientific discovery. This has raised the SLRI to one of the top 10 biomedical research centres in the world. Our reputation has been earned through the passionate dedication of our investigators, students and staff, who work towards leading-edge health-related science. By having breakthrough research located within a renowned hospital such as Mount Sinai, we can accelerate translation of our research discoveries into improvements in patient care. The future is bright for the Institute. Fall of 2007 will mark the completion of an expansion that will increase our research space by 50 per cent. This will coincide with the refurbishing of our current laboratories. It will be located above the soon-to-becompleted Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics — a $68-million collaboration between four hospitals where mouse models will provide insight into disease in humans. The capital work is possible thanks to generous donations from the Lunenfeld, Kunin, and Lebovic families. These projects will continue to ensure that our worldclass researchers will have the space and equipment to compete both nationally and internationally. A successful past and a promising future — the SLRI’s scientific discoveries will continue to contribute to the best medicine today, and tomorrow. ■ Gingras trained at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. She is an authority in the field of proteomics (the comprehensive analysis of proteins), and in the cellular pathways that control cell growth, with important implications for cancer and diabetes. Dr. Helen McNeill comes to us from Cancer Research UK in London, England. Helen is an expert in the genetics of cellular organization, and uses fruit flies and mice to investigate processes that govern how tissues are formed. In summer, 2006, we will welcome Dr. Daniel Drucker to the SLRI. Dan is an exceptionally gifted clinician scientist and will further enhance our ability to transfer discoveries from the bench to bedside. We will also be combing the globe for other talented scientists — we will continue to build on our current success. Our researchers lead the country in competing for funds for their innovative research programs and are supported by federal and provincial grants as well as charities such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. This year alone, we received over $50 million in such support. Yet the SLRI would not be able to perform at such a leading, transformational level without the generosity of the donor community, which shares our scientists’ passion for research excellence. One example of this generosity is the expansion of the SLRI that has been made possible by gifts from the Lunenfeld, Kunin, and Lebovic families which will increase our laboratory space by 50 per cent. This new facility will open in the fall of 2007, followed by rejuvenation of our existing space — allowing our world-leading scientists to work in an equally leading-edge environment. It is an exciting time to lead the Institute, and I look forward to nurturing the continued successes that our future holds. Dr. James Woodgett Director of Research Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. James Woodgett Director of Research Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute Thomas Kierans Co-chair, Research Committee Lawrence Tanenbaum Co-chair, Research Committee 2005–06 ANNUAL REPORT 29
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2005 - 2006 - Mount Sinai Hospital

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