The Campaign for the World-leading BARLO MS Centre

The Campaign for the World-leading BARLO MS Centre

 St. Michael’s work in multiple sclerosis is legendary. Thanks to our $42-million campaign to build the world-leading BARLO MS Centre, it is about to be revolutionary.

 St. Michael’s MS clinic began in 1981, and it’s now the largest MS clinic in North America and one of the top five MS centres in the world. Our renowned neurologists inform science and medical practice around the globe.

 Now we have the chance to do what was once unimaginable: catapult MS research to a whole new sphere of progress and break the back of a disease that has proven intractable.

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The Campaign for NICU and Maternal Care

The Campaign for NICU and Maternal Care

 Help us complete a $10-million campaign to give our most fragile babies and their families the space they deserve.

 St. Michael’s will become one of the only academic hospitals in Canada that has maternity, labour and delivery, and neonatal intensive care – all on the same floor.

 It’s based on FiCare, the global gold standard in NICU care.

 We’re the hospital other hospitals call when moms need complex medical care. That’s because we are home to globally renowned experts in the highly specialized fields of pregnancy and hypertension, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, bleeding disorders, trauma, kidney and heart disease.

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Common cancer, uncommon approach

Common cancer, uncommon approach

Not all prostate cancer research is the same, even if it is the most common cancer affecting men

 One in seven men in Canada will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. Here is the good news: the death rate has been declining significantly over the past couple decades. In 2017, an estimated 21,300 men were diagnosed and 4,100 died from it. In fact, roughly more than half of men with the disease have a slow-growing form and are more likely to die of other causes.

 The risk increases with age — nearly two out of three prostate cancers are found in men over 65. Researchers aren’t sure why, but it’s also more common in men of African or Caribbean ancestry and less common among those of Asian ancestry. A family history of prostate cancer and a low-fibre, high-fat diet are also risk factors.

 Regular testing — including a blood test that measures levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSA) and a rectal exam — can help find the disease early. The earlier men are diagnosed, the greater the treatment options and the better their chances.

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Three researchers’ perspectives on Syrian refugees

Three researchers’ perspectives on Syrian refugees

As Canada prepares to settle 25,000 Syrian refugees over the coming months, there will be adjustments and opportunities for rich relationships. Three CFI-funded researchers weigh in on what we might expect.

 When the previous government axed the mandatory long-form census in 2010, it eliminated an important source of information to help explain why immigrants make the location choices they do.

 “Some of the groups least likely to respond to the voluntary survey are newcomers, poor people and those who move a lot,” says Western University immigration researcher Michael Haan. “These are the people I’m most interested in.”

 So Haan found an even richer vein of data: mandatory tax records. When an immigrant comes to Canada, they must provide information about their intended occupation, level of education, family and age. Statistics Canada links this to tax records, which detail place of residence and annual income.

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Energy as an enabler

Energy as an enabler

University of Waterloo expert brings affordable, green energy to those who need it most

 This is what energy poverty looks like: If 1.5 billion people have a light bulb and a washing machine, 4 billion have only the light bulb, and about 1.5 billion have neither.

 The analogy comes from the late Swedish statistician and development activist Hans Rosling. “It translates into a theft of time,” says University of Waterloo sustainable energy expert Jatin Nathwani. “When young girls set out for eight hours a day collecting twigs for cooking, they have less opportunity for education and advancement. In other words, energy is an enabler.”

 Nathwani is the Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy, funded by an endowment from the government of Ontario, and he has a hugely ambitious goal: bring affordable, low carbon energy to those who lack it.

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Disease maps that point to possible cures

Disease maps that point to possible cures

University of Toronto prof peers into inner workings of human cells

 Every cell in your body contains proteins—molecules that physically interact with each other, allowing cells to do what they are meant to do. Properly connected proteins in a heart muscle cell for example allow it to contract and stretch. In a skin cell, proteins interact to repair DNA damage from ultra violet radiation. In the liver, they come together to cleanse the blood of toxins.

 It’s no surprise then that most human disease can be traced back to proteins failing to interact in the way they were meant to, says University of Toronto molecular geneticist Andrew Emili. It also stands to reason that getting proteins to make the right connections could alleviate or even cure disease.

 But here is the problem: While science has made progress in understanding which genes carry instructions for building which proteins, we don’t have a clue which proteins work together and how. This means we are also in the dark about how faulty protein interactions lead to disease and how to treat it.

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