Message from the VP
UHN Invests in New Ways of Healing

This past year has been a year of tremendous growth and development of the UHN research enterprise.

We've welcomed new OCI Director Dr. Ben Neel to our leadership team. We've received $49M in new infrastructure funding towards the creation of five new research centres across UHN. We've seen additional institutions join our new Shanghai-Toronto Institute for Health Research.

But a major focus this year has been the dramatic expansion of our regenerative medicine program.

Regenerative medicine seeks to utilize the body's own cells in developing treatments for disease. A field which is in early stages, it has the potential to transform the lives of millions afflicted by numerous diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease.

Regenerative medicine constitutes one of UHN's research priority platforms and has been the focus of substantial investment of resources.

2006/07 saw several developments that further signified UHN's commitment to this area.

The McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, generously funded by donors Rob and Cheryl McEwen, was launched last October, becoming UHN's official hub for regenerative medicine discoveries. Director Gordon Keller has overseen the opening of the centre, providing strong intellectual leadership in the field and creating a diverse, multi-institutional research team.

Two large RM initiatives—a cancer stem cell centre and a regenerative medicine program spanning cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering—won nearly $23 million in government funding.

Regenerative medicine offers the promise of transforming current medical practice, and in these new initiatives UHN researchers are working to bring this dream to fruition. Together—UHN researchers, support staff, our Foundations and our colleagues from the University of Toronto and other Toronto Academic Health Science Network institutions—we are generating the innovations that will make this dream a reality.

Dr. Christopher J. Paige
Vice-President, Research
University Health Network