Canadian Discoveries
Canadian Biotechnology Discoveries
Twenty years of investment by Canada’s biotechnology companies and by successive Canadian governments has made Canada an international research leader.
Universities, research institutes and hospitals have a strong record of discovery that includes sequencing the Alzheimer’s genome, genetic causes of schizophrenia and the genetic causes of HIV AIDS resistance.
Global First: Embryonic Stem Cells grown from skin
The ethical debate over embryonic stem cell use may soon be over, thanks to a Canadian team of researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital who, working with a team from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, found a safe way to grow stem cells from a patient’s own skin. This revolutionary finding, published by the international science journal Nature, is the first time stem cells have been grown without using carcinogenic viruses. The discovery facilitates stem cell use, which has widespread potential application to many conditions including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and Parkinson’s. The discovery was led by Dr. Andras Nagy, who in 2005 found Canada’s two stem cell lines
Researchers at SickKids identify protein critical for memory and learning
Canadian scientists at Sick Children’s Hospital have connected a crucial brain protein, Neto1, with the ability to learn, raising the possibility that learning disabilities could be corrected with a drug. The finding, published in PloS Journal, indicate that Neto1 helps brain cells talk to one another, resulting in learning impairments when it is missing or malfunctions. Remarkably, the scientists have also found a medication, now being tested in Alzheimer’s patients, which may fix the problem.
Researchers Discover Key to Drug Resistant Superbugs
Scientists from Simon Fraser University and from the University of B.C. pinpointed gene clusters that boost the ability of ordinary bacteria to become drug-resistant superbugs. The findings, published in Genome Research, are expected to lead to new therapies and treatments for bacterial infections and are particularly significant for children suffering from cystic fibrosis whose bacterial infections are often fatal.
McMaster Discovery Makes Blood Cells from Stem Cells
Researchers at McMaster University’s Stem Cell and Cancer Research Centre have discovered how to use stem cells to increase blood development. Once refined and approved for clinical use, the process could help leukemia and other cancer patients produce their own healthy new blood faster. Working with researchers from the University of Washington, the team discovered that a communication pathway in the cells – the ‘noncanonical Wnt’ – organises cells to change functions within hours, not days as previously thought. This milestone demonstrates the need to focus on the early hours of new cells to trigger other types of cell conversions.
Canadian Test for Lethal Heart Condition Goes Global
Researchers from Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L., together with Newfoundland-based, Newfound Genomics, and Boston’s PGxHealth Ltd. discovered a gene mutation that causes predominantly young men to drop dead due to Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, or ARVC, where heart muscle is replaced with fibrous tissue and fatty deposits. The team also created a test for the condition, which they are launching worldwide.
Canada-US Team Rejuvenates Virus-killing Immune Cells to Fight HIV
A Canadian-U.S. research team discovered a way to rejuvenate key virus-killing immune cells that become “exhausted” after a person is infected with HIV. The discovery, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, opens the possibility of a whole new approach to therapy, based on bolstering the body’s natural ability to fight the disease by revitalizing CD8 killer cells inside the body’s immune system.
