Today, Toronto’s three organ transplant centres; University Health Network, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and St. Michael’s Hospital, conclude their eight day campaign to bring awareness to the need for organ and tissue donors in Ontario. The joint campaign, fostered through Trillium Gift of Life Network’s workplace registration drive initiative, was formed to raise organ and tissue donor registration rates in Toronto.

Employees, volunteers and visitors to the organizations were encouraged to register their consent to organ and tissue donation at www.Beadonor.ca/123. The original joint goal of 1,500 visits to the registry was reached on the first day of the campaign and reset to 2,250 a 50 per cent increase. After an overwhelming response, the goal was increased again to 3,000 visits.

Trillium Gift of Life’s workplace campaign provides support to organizations running organ and tissue donor registration drives. With more than 3,000 visits to the registry, this tri-hospital campaign is now the largest workplace organ donor registration campaign held in Ontario to date. Registering consent is critical to the outcome of transplant wait list patients.

In 2012, 95 people on the transplant wait list died. One hundred and ninety six families, in the absence of registered consent, declined to donate their loved ones’ organs. Had their family member been registered, an estimated 370 additional lifesaving transplants could have been performed. One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 75 others through the gift of tissue. Visit www.BeADonor.ca to register or to check your registration status. It is important to note that a signed donor card does not mean you are registered.

TORONTO – Approximately two million children less than five years old die of diarrheal illness or pneumonia each year – this is more than the total number of children under the age of five in Canada in 2012.  Research published in The Lancet’s Childhood Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Series set the stage for a global approach that can drastically reduce child deaths caused by these two diseases by 2025.  

Childhood deaths from diarrhea and pneumonia alone cause more than one quarter of child deaths worldwide. According to The Lancet series targeting just 15 countries could eliminate up to 75 per cent of these child deaths.

The Lancet series is comprised of four papers and was led by The Aga Khan University and Dr. Zulfiqur A. Bhutta, one of the world’s leading global child health researchers. Dr. Bhutta recently completed a sabbatical with the Programme for Global Paediatric Research (PGPR), now part of Global Child Health at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), which Bhutta is joining permanently in July.

“We have a great opportunity to eliminate diarrhea deaths within a generation and also substantially reduce pneumonia burden and deaths; the key is implementation and a focus on reaching the poor,” says Bhutta.

The research was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is the product of two years’ coordinated collaboration, led by The Aga Khan University, between a number of the world’s most notable global health institutions, including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Boston University School of Public Health and Development, and the Programme for Global Paediatric Research. WHO and UNICEF will be leading the action plan to take results of the research project into the field.

During the past two years Dr. Bhutta has led a number of SickKids researchers to produce important systematic reviews to determine the most important ways to tackle life-threatening diarrheal diseases.  This work has already led to nine published companion papers that helped inform The Lancet Series.

“The involvement of PGPR and the larger community of global health researchers within SickKids in this seminal work is an exciting step forward for the health of children around the globe,” says Dr. Alvin Zipursky, Chair and Scientific Director of PGPR at SickKids. “PGPR has been working at SickKids, and worldwide, for almost a decade to bring together the global community of clinicians and researchers to focus on the health of children in developing countries. This is a tangible step toward reducing the deaths of some of the world’s most vulnerable children.”

For more information about The Lancet Series please listen to the podcast with Dr. Bhutta or read the Executive Summary.

By Elissa Hanna

Dr. John Rubinstein, Senior Scientist in the Molecular Structure & Function program at the SickKids Research Institute is being honoured with the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) Burton Medal for 2013.  The Burton Medal is awarded to a scientist under the age of 40 in recognition of significant contributions to the field of microscopy and microanalysis.

“It is so rewarding when our researchers are recognized for their innovation,” says Janet Rossant, Chief of Research at SickKids. “It shows that SickKids researchers, like Dr. Rubinstein, are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of science. This is what makes SickKids one of the leading research institutions in the world.”

Rubinstein and his research group use electron microscopy to study the structure and function of large assemblies of proteins found in cell membranes. They have developed innovative methods and computer software that allow them to study the 3-D structures of these protein complexes at higher resolution than previously possible. Specimens studied by the group are crucial to a variety of disease processes including cancer, osteoporosis, and certain types of bacterial infection.

“The 3-D structures that we have studied allow new insight into how these molecular assemblies function in their biological roles,” says Rubinstein. “This knowledge will ultimately lead to better treatment for health conditions as we come to further understand their function in cells.”

Rubinstein is the first Canadian to win the Burton Medal, named in honour of Eli Burton, a University of Toronto professor who created one of the earliest electron microscopes.

A $150-million federal investment in personalized medicine based on advances in gene science brought Dr. Stephen Scherer and Dr. Peter Szatmari to the podium for the announcement on March 26, 2013.

Mary McAllister has joined SickKids in the role of Associate Chief, Nursing Practice. McAllister has been actively engaged in nursing professional organizations and has contributed to many advances in nursing practice throughout her career, developing innovative programs and championing evidence-informed practice in a variety of health and academic settings provincially, nationally and internationally.

By Sydney Clark 

SickKids has reappointed Dr. Christopher Forrest as Head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, effective July 1, 2013. Forrest is Medical Director of the Centre for Craniofacial Care and Research and the Interim Chair of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto.

As process requires, his appointment was preceded by an external review of the division. The review was led by Dr. Richard Hopper, Division Chief, Plastic Surgery, and Surgical Director, Craniofacial Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, who concluded that SickKids’ program was the premier program in North America.

Dr. James Wright, Surgeon-In-Chief & Chief of Perioperative Services, and Vice President, Medical, said the report praises the SickKids Division of Paediatric Plastic Surgery for its unparalleled international reputation. 

“Program growth and development over the past five years has put the Division on an invigorated path of continued evolution.  (This) includes development of a model paediatric burn program and augmentation of the basic science profile through two strategic recruitments; co-localization of the Division into a joint office space; transition planning for a world famous senior surgeon through development of promising junior talent; and a potential for increased clinical research productivity through augmentation of the Division research infrastructure.  These noteworthy achievements are evidence of a leadership with vision and a commitment to lead their team into the future.”

An international authority on paediatric craniofacial deformities, Forrest has written more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and made 150 presentations at scientific meetings. The fellowship program at SickKids has trained surgeons from around the globe in paediatric craniomaxillofacial surgery and paediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Forrest took over as the Head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2003 from Dr. Ronald Zuker. In 2009, the division expanded from five to seven staff surgeons, making it the largest division of full-time surgeons dedicated to paediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery in North America.  

Until now, treatment for paediatric sarcoma (bone and/or muscle tumour) in Canada has been done in the hospital. Typically, patients check in for a few days or up to a week at a time to receive their chemotherapy treatment. A new pilot project at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) aims to deliver treatment at home and dramatically reduce time spent in hospital.

The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are joining together to combat the high mortality rate of children in rural Tanzania.

Hospitals in Ontario are moving forward with electronic patient records that can be shared among institutions, and SickKids continues to show leadership by helping to launch the various features of a complex initiative that will increase the effectiveness of the health-care system.

“Awesome!”

The MedTech Challenge at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) took your average Science Fair a step further. There weren’t any volcanoes, potato electric conductors, or Styrofoam solar systems - this fair was all about medical robots!  

The MedTech Challenge is an education program that challenges high school students to design, build and operate neurosurgical robots. On December 1, six teams put their creations to the test and revealed the working prototypes to parents, teachers, doctors and engineers.

Top honours were awarded to Akshaya Sekar, William Boldac and Ryan Lu for their innovative design and successful completion of the challenge.

Each team of four showcased their working prototype and completed the final challenge of drilling into a model paediatric-sized skull to administer medication through a needle into a grape (simulating a brain tumour). The robots were judged by a panel of professionals based on innovative design, performance and ease-of-use.

“Providing students with a clinical context gives their work a sense of importance. The systems we develop for patients are not unlike those developed by the students and their ideas could have an important impact,” says Dr. James Drake, Chief Neurosurgeon at SickKids. “This challenge is a great way to entice students into biomedical engineering and brings a fresh infusion of talent into a world-leading industry.”  

Every Saturday for six weeks, the students used LEGO MindStorm Kits with a variety of medical tools and a medically-focused robotics curriculum to complete this challenge.

“The program provides students the opportunity to create imaginative solutions that can help solve real clinical problems,” said Santosh Iyer, Program Founder and Graduate student at SickKids. “Not only have the students learned new skills, but they also gain the self-confidence to approach new challenges and opportunities.”

The program is hosted by the Logics Academy, the Centre for Image-Guided Innovation & Therapeutic Intervention (CIGITI), and Kids Science at SickKids. Open to all high school students in the Toronto District School Board, the MedTech Challenge teaches engineering and medical technology, while fostering young talent, valuable skills and self-confidence.  

“The challenge itself has many of the important components they will face in the real world including, working in imperfect groups, taking advantage of everyone’s talents to maximum effect, working under tight deadlines, having to present in front of a large audience and having to promote the positive features of their project,” says Drake.

Dr. Stephen Scherer and Jill Davies, the first research participant.

The Personal Genome Project Canada (PGP-C) launches this week giving Canadians an unprecedented opportunity to participate in a groundbreaking research study about human genetics and health.

A collaborative academic research effort with Harvard Medical School’s Personal Genome Project (PGP-HMS), PGP-C aims to sequence the genomes of 100 Canadians over the next year.  Combined, the projects will sequence 100,000 individuals over 10 years and the genetic information collected will be deposited into a public repository that researchers from around the world can use as control data.  Founded in 2005, PGP-HMS currently has more than 2,100 enrolled volunteers with publicly available genetic and health information, including more than 100 whole genomes.

The sequenced genomes will serve as a valuable resource to researchers searching for the genetic basis for diseases, including cancer and autism, as well as scientists working on computer software to better analyze human genome sequence information.

“It is estimated that we will need to decode 100,000 genomes worldwide to begin to make sense of those genetic variants that are involved in disease and those which protect us from it,” says Dr. Stephen Scherer, Director of the University of Toronto’s McLaughlin Centre and The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Dr. Scherer’s group is actively involved in research studying the genomes of individuals with disorders like autism. His team also hosts the Database of Genomic Variants, a resource that supports diagnostic laboratories worldwide in their interpretation of clinical genetic data.

“Genome sequencing is entering mainstream medicine and we need to know from the Canadian perspective how to deal with the data from all aspects of the technology, information sciences, privacy and health economic impact,” says Scherer.

Through a partnership with Life Technologies, PGP-C recently used the Ion Proton™ System to complete the whole genome sequence of the first research participant, Jill Davies or “PGPC-1,” and aims to incrementally grow the number of individuals with genome sequences over time.  Davies is a genetic counselor at Toronto’s Medcan Clinic, Canada’s largest private clinic.  The Clinic is supporting Scherer’s research team to enable the collection of participants and to help determine the clinical significance of the data.  Each genome encodes six billion genetic letters, which now takes about a week to sequence and twice that time to generate a rudimentary description of its contents.  PGP-C will accelerate the process of understanding how to fully decode this information.

Brygette Park after her bone barrow transplant

In her first two years of life Brygette Park was hospitalized more than 40 times with severe vomiting, diarrhea, chronic fevers, and blood and mucus in her stool.  She also developed rheumatoid arthritis in her hips, knees and wrists. Doctors could not figure out the cause of her inflammatory bowel disease and were running out of treatment options.

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is proud to be named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2013 by Mediacorp Canada Inc. for the second consecutive year. Earlier this year SickKids was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2013.

Loss of muscle mass makes a bad situation worse for individuals coping with immobility, cancer, other illnesses, and more than 500 genetic conditions. When muscle fibres fail to maintain their normal cycle of growth and regeneration, inactivity and atrophy can trigger devastating consequences such as pneumonia, pressure ulcers, falls, and permanent immobility.

SickKids has once again been named a platinum-level award winner of the Quality Healthcare Workplace Award. The award, presented by the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), recognizes SickKids’ efforts in creating a supportive workplace for health-care professionals to work and thrive.

It’s the second consecutive year that SickKids has won a platinum-level award.

“To win in consecutive years and at the highest award level is recognition of the work we do together to make SickKids such a great place to be a health professional. A supportive work environment where staff are happy, healthy and engaged translates into high-quality care and service,” says Mary Jo Haddad, President and CEO. “I’m delighted and proud that our efforts have been recognized with this prestigious award.”

The Quality Healthcare Workplace Awards program was launched in 2010 to document, recognize and promote effective efforts to improve workplaces in ways that contribute to health care providers’ quality of work life and quality of the care or services. Awards are given at four levels of excellence –  bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The award is designed to help guide health-care organizations in self-evaluation, learning and improvement.  

Childhood obesity prevention is a complex issue. Over the past 10 years, obesity prevention and treatment efforts have focused on interventions aimed at reducing the amount of time kids spend in front of the television or computer. In a new study, researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) tested a behavioural intervention aimed at preschool-aged children in the primary care setting to see if it would be effective at reducing screen time, or reducing the number of meals in front of the television.

The study, published in the November 5 online edition of Pediatrics, found that a 10 minute conversation between a parent and a paediatrician was effective at reducing the number of meals spent in front of the television by more than two meals a week.  However, overall it did not result in a reduction of screen time or reduced body mass index (BMI) among preschoolers.

“Making lasting behavioural changes, like cutting back on screen time, can be a challenge for people of all ages,” says Dr. Catherine Birken, senior author of the study and Staff Paediatrician and Associate Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences at SickKids. “This study tells us that obesity prevention and screen time reduction may require repeated reinforcement, and flexible, developmentally appropriate approaches across settings that change as the child ages.”

Birken adds that we should continue to focus prevention efforts on young children, because parents have control over feeding and activity at this age. She says it’s a prime time to learn healthy behaviours and children who adopt healthy habits early are more likely to continue on this path as adults.

The amount of time spent in front of a screen, like watching TV and playing video games, is associated with important health outcomes in children including delayed language development, aggressive behaviour, cigarette smoking and obesity. Meals in front of the TV are particularly linked to obesity as it has been associated with increased caloric intake and alterations in satiety signals.

This current study complemented SickKids research done in 2011. A meta-analysis of 13 studies focused on screen time interventions found that the interventions aimed at reducing screen time among children had no overall effect on the reduction of BMI in children. There were few studies in young children, and none in the primary care setting. In this current study, the research group conducted a randomized control trial of their own to evaluate screen time interventions among preschoolers in primary care.

One hundred and sixty families participated in this randomized control trial through TARGetKids!, a primary care research network for children in Toronto. Half of the parents were in the intervention group and received a 10 minute counseling intervention, which provided parents with information on the health impact of screen time in children and offered strategies to decrease screen time, such as removing the TV from the bedroom, eating meals without TV, budgeting screen time, and suggesting activities for the child that did not involve TV. The outcome was measured one year later.

A joint initiative between SickKids and St. Michael’s Hospital, TARGets Kids! partners with primary care practices across Toronto to develop the evidence to promote healthy nutrition, activity, and good health in young children and families through the primary practice setting.

This study was supported in part by a Paediatric Consultants Research Grant, The Hospital for Sick Children. The Paediatric Outcomes Research Team is supported by a grant from SickKids Foundation.

Prenatal treatment for depression does not increase the children’s risk of problems with behaviour or IQ through age six, according to research published today in American Journal of Psychiatry.

SickKids inventions and discoveries are on top once again this year. SickKids ranked first for licensing revenues among all research hospitals in Canada in the Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) 2011 licensing survey.

By Dr. Upton Allen, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases

As a health-care worker, I can think of many important reasons why I will get the influenza vaccine, but I cannot think of a single reason why I shouldn’t.

By Lauren Poplak

Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes stopped by SickKids on September 20 as part of the 2012 Heroes Tour.

The athletes and SickKids patients had a chance to make medals and played foosball, air hockey and Wii. Some athletes also took the time to visit with patients that were unable to join in the festivities in Marnie's Lounge. The SickKids visit was topped off by a coffee break with athletes and staff, hosted by our very own Dr. Greg Wells, a physiologist who specializes in health and performance in extreme conditions and worked as the sport science and sport medicine analyst for the Canadian Olympic Broadcast Consortium for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games.

By Sylvia Dick

Diana Merino started training as a PhD student at SickKids in 2010. It didn’t take her much time to find her way around because she was once a patient at the hospital. At 15 she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time and was admitted to SickKids for treatment. It was during this trying time that her passion for health sciences developed. Her courage and determination drove her to work hard in school and she is now making a difference by contributing to advancements in childhood cancer research. In honour of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Diana agreed to share her story, one that has truly come full circle.

Where are you from?  Where did you study?

I am originally from Lima, Peru, and my family moved to Canada when I was 15.

I have a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Guelph. Currently, I am completing my PhD in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. I heard about Dr. Malkin’s work at SickKids in cancer genomics and with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), which is a cancer predisposition syndrome. I was fascinated with his research and I still am; only now I am on his team as a trainee.

Where does your passion for science, and particularly genomics, come from?

My time as a patient at SickKids definitely influenced my interest in health sciences. Being surrounded by nurses and doctors and learning some of their lingo had an effect on what I wanted to learn when I got back to high school.

I was really drawn to biology because it’s a discipline that seeks the answers to some of the questions that interest me most surrounding health and disease. With science, the learning is objective and factual. I get excited when I can draw correlations between A and B, like the correlations between certain altered genes and tumours.

The study of genomics adds another angle to health research. It allows me to see things within the context of a person’s predisposition, or seek the root of a person’s disease. I find it fascinating that everything is coded in a person’s DNA, and although our genome is inherited, it is also quite dynamic and very prone to change. Those changes can improve our genetic makeup, but they can also trigger diseases such as cancer.

What was your experience like as a patient at SickKids?

The care that my family and I received at SickKids was amazing. I was a patient for just under 10 months and went through four cycles of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a cancer affecting the white blood cells. Each time I had to stay for one week and I became very acquainted with everyone on the eighth floor. The staff and patients became like a second family. The nurses and doctors were so good to be around and very compassionate.

Because at 15 I was older than a lot of the kids in the hospital, I became a kind of role model. I played with the younger kids, encouraged them, and tried to make them feel better. This is something I continue to do as a camp counsellor and volunteer for Camp Oochigeas – a camp for kids affected by childhood cancer.

You are one of about 30,000 people in Canada who is a childhood cancer survivor. What helped you most during your struggle?

Number one is God. My faith got me through the pain and the “not knowing”. As much as the right kind of food, treatment, and rest helps, I had to leave it up to a higher power to lead me through the ordeal. This experience certainly opened my eyes to really understand God’s love and how much strength and hope one can draw from a relationship with God.

A close second is my family, both my immediate family here in Canada and all my relatives that were praying for me in Peru. Their support was phenomenal and helped me see it through.

Why did you choose to train at SickKids?

SickKids is the hub of medical discovery. It is an excellent place to be mentored and to grow as a researcher, both in knowledge and understanding. Another thing that drew me to SickKids is how collaboration is fostered both within and outside of the scientific community. Lastly, this is where exciting research projects are applied each and every day. My work doesn’t just stay in the lab, it has the chance to transform into the clinic. Knowing this drives me to work hard and to keep at it!

What are you researching right now?

My focus is on brain tumours, specifically a type called choroid plexus carcinoma. There are two branches to my research. First I am looking to identify dysregulated genes that are unique to the tumour but not the normal brain beside it. By identifying these unique genes, molecular techniques can be used to produce drugs that will affect only the tumour and not the healthy brain tissue around it. This is already a reality in breast cancer treatment.

The second branch focuses on identifying diagnostic markers. Again, I look for dysregulated genes but this time I am comparing them between tumour subtypes, which are sometimes misdiagnosed. By using molecular diagnostic tools we can complement what is currently being used to classify brain tumours with greater accuracy.

What is the best part of your day?

That is a hard question to answer. Experiencing and surviving cancer changes the way you see the world. Every day I wake up with joy in my heart just to be alive!  I do love when I cross the Humber River during my commute in to Toronto. At that point the view of the cityscape becomes visible across the water and it is stunning. Starting my day at work is another thing I look forward to because I am able to do something that I love so much.

What do you like to do with your free time away from the lab?

I like to sing, read, cook, and spend time in nature. Volunteering at Camp Ooch, both in Muskoka and at the camp based out of SickKids, is very fulfilling for me. It’s also a lot of fun! This summer I was a counsellor to a group of young boys. They didn’t know I had survived cancer until one day we were jumping into the lake. They noticed my scar, one that they recognized because it comes from treatment through something called a port. Their eyes widened. “You had cancer?” they asked with disbelief. I laughed and said yes. They were excited and able to see that one can grow up to be what they want to be – not be constrained by the fact that they have cancer.

What does the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning mean to you?

I am really anticipating the opening of the centre in 2013. SickKids is already avant-garde in science collaboration and the new building will take that even further. I think the tower itself represents much more than the research that will take place inside. It represents everyone who has invested in the project– all the people who have donated in one way or another. It also represents the future of paediatrics and the kids in Canada and around the world who will benefit from advancements in child health research. Researchers can be motivated by all the new infrastructure and technology that will be available in order to reach even higher heights.

Ask Dr. Jim Whitlock for ideas to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and he finds it difficult to stop.

For starters there’s neuro-oncology, says the Chief of the Division of Haematology and Oncology. “SickKids has arguably the best childhood brain tumour program in the world, and much of its work is in the process of being translated from bench to bedside, which is and will be a major focus of the Garron Family Cancer Centre in the next few years.”

The Garron Centre was named in 2010 thanks to a $30 million donation from the Garron Family. “SickKids is profoundly grateful for the Garron Family’s transformative support of the Cancer Centre,” Whitlock says.

The appointment of the first two Garron Family Chairs in Childhood Cancer Research was made in January, 2012. Dr. Eric Bouffet and Dr. Maarten Egeler, who are among the best in the world in their fields, will have the necessary resources to provide leadership to cancer researchers, clinicians, and educators while pursuing their own major research initiatives and ensuring that new discoveries translate into clinical practice. Recruitment is ongoing for another research chair and a clinician-scientist.

Patient care was recently enhanced for cancer patients with the appointment of a patient navigator. Karen Fung is a social worker who will help expedite access, improve the coordination of patient care, and assists families and patients to navigate clinical trials, a new city and the Ontario health-care system.

Traditional Coffee Ceremony in Ethiopia

When Karla Wentzel thinks about her recent work in Ethiopia, it’s the fragrance of incense and coffee wafting up from a small charcoal burner that comes to mind.

New stem cell research paves the way towards individualized medicine for patients with cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases. The study, led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), is the first to successfully use stem cells to produce mature lung cells that could potentially be used to study the disease and test drugs. The study is published in the August 26 advance online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

Researchers were able to induce human embryonic stem cells to become mature lung cells, that contained a gene, called CFTR that when mutated is responsible for cystic fibrosis (CFTR gene was discovered at SickKids in 1989). They then took the experiment a step further, by using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from the skin of patients with cystic fibrosis. They prompted these stem cells to become lung cells, which contain mutations specific to the patients involved. (Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult cells genetically induced to function like embryonic stem cells.)

Once researchers found that they could create lung cells derived from individual patients they then used a compound that resembles an investigational drug that is currently being tested for cystic fibrosis to see if it would rescue the CFTR gene mutation.

This study shows the major impact stem cell research can have on the field of individualized medicine,” says Dr. Janet Rossant, Principal Investigator of the study and Chief of Research at SickKids. “It is a promising move toward targeted therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis.”

According to Rossant, if we can generate lung cells derived from a particular patient, then we can test to see if a specific drug will work in that individual patient’s cells. If the drug is effective in vitro, then the next step would be to see if it works on the patient.

Prior to this year, the only therapies available for patients with cystic fibrosis have targeted the symptoms (like infection and digestive disorders) rather than the CFTR gene mutation. “More recently there has been a paradigm shift and now drugs are being developed to target the mutant CFTR specifically,” says Christine Bear, a co-investigator of the study, Co-Director of the SickKids CF Centre and Senior Scientist in Molecular Structure & Function at SickKids. “However, every patient is unique, so one drug isn’t necessarily going to work on all patients with the same disease,” says Bear. “Take cancer as an example, each individual responds differently to each treatment. For some, a certain drug works, and for others it doesn’t. This tells us that we need to be prepared to find the best option for that individual patient.”

In this particular study, the compound used did not work in all of the derived cell lines and according to Bear, who is also Professor in Physiology at the University of Toronto, this finding further emphasizes the need for individualized medicine.

Researchers say the next step is to perfect the method of generating epithelial lung cells, so that the process is more efficient and can be used to investigate other genetic diseases.

This research was funded by an Emerging Team grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, an Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation (MEDI) grant and SickKids Foundation.

Dr. Janet Rossant is also University Professor in the Departments of Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto.

Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have discovered key molecular steps in the way a single protein disrupts the connections between brain cells (neurons). The study is published in the August 12 advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

It is thought that increasing the connectivity between neurons is important for memory formation. Previous research found that the protein myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) disrupts the connections between neurons growing in a dish. This latest study, led by Dr. Sheena Josselyn, principal investigator of the study and Senior Scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health Program at SickKids, examined the effects of increasing or decreasing the levels of MEF2 on memory formation using an animal model.

The research team found that increasing MEF2 blocked memory formation while decreasing levels of the protein enhanced it, meaning the animal remembered things it normally would not.

MEF2 and many of its more downstream partners have been implicated in several human cognitive or psychiatric disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Angelman syndrome and a Rett-like syndrome.

“These findings suggest that the cognitive deficits in these human disorders may be caused by a disruption of the MEF2-mediated gene network that regulates structural plasticity and memory formation,” says Josselyn, who is also Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Paul Frankland, another investigator involved in the study and Senior Scientist at SickKids noted that “because we observed severe memory deficits when we acutely decreased MEF2 function in the adult brain, this brings up  the possibility that these human cognitive disorders may not result solely from untreatable developmental abnormalities but might be due to chronic dysregulation of the MEF2 function that is necessary for normal memory formation.”

The study went on to examine how MEF2 blocked memory formation and found that the memory-disruptive effects of this protein could be rescued by interfering the movement of AMPA receptors, which are normally located in the area where neurons make connections.

Josselyn explains that if these AMPA receptors are located on the surface of a cell, they enable fast neurotransmission, or talking between connected cells. However, if these AMPA receptors are pulled into the interior of the cell, they cannot mediate this ‘fast talk’.

The study showed that the memory deficits produced by MEF2 were reversed by interfering with the “pulling in” of AMPA receptors, which Josselyn explains, could mean that impaired movement or trafficking of AMPA receptors (with excessive “pulling in”) may contribute to the cognitive dysfunction observed in several human disorders and may be a potential therapeutic target.

By Daniella Vasilovsky

While it is known as the most common malignant brain tumour in children, medulloblastoma is not a common disease, affecting 30 to 40 children in Canada each year. Previous research found four different types of medulloblastoma, which makes each case even rarer. As a result, studying large numbers of these tumours has historically been a challenge for researchers.

TORONTO – Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that metformin, a drug commonly used to treat Type II diabetes, can help trigger the pathway used to instruct stem cells in the brain to become neural (nerve) cells. Brain stem cells and the neural cells they generate play a role in the repair of the injured or degenerating brain.  This study suggests a novel therapeutic approach to treating people with brain injuries or potentially even neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers have developed new clinical trial standards to help speed up research process, improve patient treatment and focus international efforts with the goal of impacting child health in Canada and around the world. The initial standards are published in the June 1 edition of Pediatrics.

When the available treatment options are not working, children and adults are sometimes offered new therapies that are still being studied and tested. These clinical trials not only give patients access to treatment that would not otherwise be available to them, but they also help to advance scientific discoveries that may eventually benefit more patients.  

While internationally-accepted standards for adult clinical trials have been implemented, practices in paediatric trials vary from institution to institution. Differences in study design, data-monitoring and measurement make it a challenge to effectively compare results, which means it takes longer for research to translate into clinical care.  

By Lucas Bailey

This year, Nursing Week at SickKids was preceded by the first-ever national paediatric nursing conference, Canadian Nurses Partnering for Children’s Health. Hosted by the Pediatric Nurses Interest Group (PedNIG) and presented by SickKids, the conference ran May 4-5 at the Hyatt Hotel. More than 175 nurses and health-care professionals attended.

The goals of the conference included highlighting primary and preventive health care and promotion, supporting paedatric nursing research, and profiling innovation and technology in paediatric health care. The wide range of topics included rural nursing, pain management and access to specialized services for vulnerable children.

“The conference was a success,” said Ashley Harrison, SickKids RN and conference co-chair. “Our closing panel featured two parents discussing family-centred care, which left many nurses inspired and remembering why they had chosen the profession.”

Harrison also noted that there was considerable buzz about the revamping of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses, a national nursing group. Inactive since 2005, CAPN held a national meeting at the conference to continue its revitalization efforts.

Here’s how some other members of the SickKids family were involved in the conference:

• Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are always looking for new ways to improve pain management for cancer patients, and with the help of Cundari, a leading Toronto-based marketing communications agency; a pain diary app called “Pain Squad” was developed.  
• Pain Squad is an iPhone app that helps kids and teens with cancer track how intense their pain is, how long it lasts, where it hurts as well as what helps to treat it.  They are also able to record how pain impacts their mood and daily activities, such as doing schoolwork, sleeping and interacting with others.
• While there are many hurdles in pain treatment, inadequate assessment and a patient’s reluctance to report pain are among the biggest barriers. Adolescents with cancer were involved in the research and development of the app, providing feedback on content and user-friendliness.  
• Cundari created the Pain Squad theme to keep kids engaged and motivated to complete their pain surveys twice a day. Cundari sought the help of celebrities from two prime-time Canadian law enforcement shows, Rookie Blue and Flashpoint. Playing their crime- fighting characters, the actors performed in encouraging video clips that are unlocked as the kids win promotions to higher ranks. Patient-users join the Pain Squad as “Rookies” and progress through different levels. By completing more surveys they are promoted to higher ranks, such as “Sergeant” and “Captain”.
• Pain Squad has just finished the third phase of testing to assess whether it’s easy for patients to use and understand. The app will soon be tested in three other Canadian paediatric oncology centres. The ultimate goal, explains Dr. Jennifer Stinson, lead researcher of the project, is to make the Pain Squad App available to all Canadian adolescents with cancer with the hope that improved pain monitoring will result in better pain management and improve the quality of life for these youths with cancer.

QUOTES

• “We made it easier for kids and teens to track their pain symptoms by using technology that they’re familiar with. Keeping an iPhone pain diary is not only less work, but fun, too. Pain Squad is unique because while it helps patients keep track of their own symptoms, it also contributes to research by collecting data on cancer pain. Having solid information on the prevalence and severity of pain and the effectiveness of treatment will allow us to better manage pain and ultimately help improve the quality of life for our patients.” - Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Scientist and Nurse Practitioner in the Chronic Pain Program, SickKids
• “Filling out a paper pain journal was like homework. The Pain Squad app is interactive and the more Olivia used it, the more rewards she got. It only takes a few minutes to complete but it gave Olivia a better understanding of and more control over her pain.”
  - Sam and Gloria Santarelli, parents of Olivia Santarelli, 11, SickKids patient and study participant
• “Over the past three years we've gone to great lengths to reinvent Cundari as not just a creative ad agency, but as a technologically creative agency. This application was a unique opportunity to showcase this. Our creative staff worked closely with our newly formed mobile software group to deliver an impressive end result.” He continues, “It just so happened that the project itself was also rewarding, professionally as Cundari's CTO, and personally as a parent.”
  - Wayne Gomes, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Cundari

BACKGROUND

• Every year in Canada 1,400 children are diagnosed with cancer and must not only battle the disease itself, but also the pain associated with cancer and its treatment. Pain is a common and distressing symptom that affects a patient’s quality of life. To effectively manage pain, doctors and nurses rely on the patients to communicate how they are feeling. One way to do this is to have them fill out a detailed paper-based pain diary every day. The challenge is that after chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the last thing on these kids’ minds is completing a pain dairy.
• This research was supported by a grant from C17 Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders. The development of Pain Squad iPhone app was made possible thanks to the expertise of Cundari’s development and creative teams as well as the time and effort of the actors from the shows Rookie Blue and Flashpoint.
  
  About The Hospital for Sick Children
  The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is recognized as one of the world’s foremost paediatric health-care institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education. Founded in 1875 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals and has generated discoveries that have helped children globally.  Its mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized family-centred care; pioneer scientific and clinical advancements; share expertise; foster an academic environment that nurtures health-care professionals; and champion an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. SickKids is proud of its vision for Healthier Children. A Better World. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.
  
  About Cundari
  Cundari is one of Canada’s largest independently owned and operated communications agencies, applying thought leadership to the building of business solutions as the key benefit for client partners. Guided by the core philosophy "It's the thought that counts," Cundari, with offices in Toronto and Montreal, works in our two official languages across an array of disciplines such as research, strategic planning, brand identity, advertising, design, digital, experiential, direct and media planning. Established in 1980,The Cundari Group is proud to be entrusted with premiere brands including BMW, SUBWAY, TELUS, Northern Ontario Tourism, Blue Cross and Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario. For more information visit www.cundari.com.

Contacts:

Caitlin McNamee-Lamb
The Hospital for Sick Children
416-813-7654, ext. 1436
caitlin.mcnamee-lamb@sickkids.ca

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership that will provide students and TDSB staff with better access to leading mental health and psychiatric services.

TORONTO – Boys and girls are not affected equally when it comes to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – it affects four times more males than females. In their search to find genes linked to ASD, a team of international researchers led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and McMaster University have uncovered a key genetic clue to explaining the gender bias. The study is published in the April 12 advance online edition of The American Journal of Human Genetics.     

Celebrating the Graduation of the first Paediatric Nurses in West Africa

A huge white tent cast some welcome shade on the black-robed graduates from the University of Ghana’s College of Health Science.

By Alena Boczek

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Minister of Health, visited The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) to announce a $12 million investment in childhood cancer research. Over five years, the investment from The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), will support four new research teams in partnership with the Garron Family Cancer Centre at SickKids, C17 council, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Cancer Research Society, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario.

Two of the research teams to receive this funding are led by SickKids principal investigators, Drs. Shinya Ito and Paul Nathan. Dr. Ito’s team will study how childhood leukemia treatment affects brain function, while Dr. Nathan’s team will research cardiotoxicity and evaluate the importance of genetic differences between individuals in determining who is at greatest risk of developing heart disease as a result of exposure to chemotherapeutic agents.

“As Canada’s leading paediatric academic health-care centre, SickKids sees firsthand the devastating impact cancer can have on children and their families,” says Mary Jo Haddad, SickKids President and CEO. “Through the funding from this important initiative, SickKids researchers can continue improving cancer treatments for Canada’s children and youth that will enhance the quality of life for paediatric cancer patients.”

For more information on this investment visit the CIHR website for the official news release and a detailed fact sheet.

Dr. Gideon Koren, Director of the Motherisk Program and Senior Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences at The Hospital for Sick Children, has been awarded the 2012 Sumner Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology.

Nearly one in five people suffer from the insidious and often devastating problem of chronic pain.

SickKids’ celebrated its 6th Annual Global Child Health Day as over 125 health-care professionals, researchers, development workers and community members interested in global child health gathered in the Daniels Hollywood Theatre on February 15, 2012.

By Alena Boczek

Canadian researchers find simple reason why some children die despite aggressive modern therapy for brain cancer

By Daniel Puiatti

Maureen Dennis has been given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Neuropsychological Society. She will receive the award Feb. 15 during the annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) in Montreal.

Two Toronto paediatric hospitals recently made it easier for clinicians to treat patients.

Diagnostic images and reports can now be shared between The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital through a shared diagnostic imaging system based on the SickKids PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) platform.

Approximately 20 per cent of Canadians will experience mental illness over the course of their lives. When a family member is diagnosed with mental illness, it can be difficult to explain what’s happening to a child. Dr. Sandra Mendlowitz, Psychologist in the Anxiety Program and Project Investigator at SickKids, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Child Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, has some advice for parents.

Dr. Sylvain Baruchel was recently named a Chevalier  de l ‘Ordre National de la legion  D‘ honneur, the highest designation given by his native country, France and equivalent to the Order of Canada. The French Ambassador in Canada, Philippe Zeller presented Baruchel with this award. It was Zeller’s first official visit to Toronto. Baruchel, a physician, researcher and professor was given this award for his research and education in the fields of AIDS and cancer over the last 30 years and his work to improve the self esteem of teens living with cancer. 

Founder of the innovative Tip of the Toes Foundation, Baruchel started an initiative to take teens with cancer on expeditions in the wilderness. Baruchel has also done work in France and in Canada to raise awareness and combat the stigmatization of patients with AIDS or cancer.

The weather outside was not at all frightful – six degrees with 11 km/h winds and perfect for Santa’s elves to land their Griffon helicopters on the SickKids rooftop, pouring rain notwithstanding.

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is thrilled to announce it has been named one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2011.

We are proud to announce that SickKids has been named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers for 2012 by Mediacorp Canada, as well as being one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2012.

SickKids scientists were the headliners at the Hard Rock Café Toronto on Tuesday, November 7, where community members gathered to take part in Café Scientifique: Tipping the Scales – Weighing the Health Impacts of Obesity on Canadian kids.

The community based discussion focused on the causes, prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Dr. Catherine Birken  kicked off the conversation with revealing statistics that obesity rates among Canadian children have almost tripled in the last 25 years, meaning approximately 26 per cent of kids aged 2-17 are overweight or obese, according to The Childhood Obesity Foundation. Through the TARGet Kids! program, her research group aims to identify prevalence, predictors, outcomes, and effective strategies for prevention of overweight and obesity in children under five.

Dr. Jill Hamilton added to the tune with her research on the health risks associated with obesity. She works to understand the physiology of children with obesity and the trajectory of weight gain. Hamilton also discussed a group of children who have suffered from a specific type of brain tumour called craniopharyngioma. About half of these kids develop very serious weight gain because the tumours are often located right near the appetite centre of the brain and the site that regulates body weight.    

As soon as the speakers concluded, the moderator, Mohamed Awad, Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs managed the questions that flooded in until the end of the evening. This Café attracted a broad group of people who were engaged in the discussion and offered their varied perspectives on childhood obesity.  

This Café Scienitifique reflects SickKids dedication to tackling childhood obesity and our ongoing commitment to Healthier Children. A Better World. By facilitating community based discussions, through Café Scientifique, SickKids engages in knowledge translation of child health issues.

Planning is underway for the next Café Scientifique to be held in the summer. Be sure to sign up for to receive notifications of our upcoming Café Scientifique’s by sending an email to: cafe.scientifique@sickkids.ca

By Daniel Puatti

Dr. Johanne Roberge, Director of the Psychiatry Emergency and Crisis Service at SickKids, has been recognized for her exceptional commitment to protecting vulnerable children from abuse and neglect.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) visited SickKids on Oct. 27 to bring its Get Animated! workshop to kids spending time at the hospital. The already whimsical Bear Theatre was transformed into the hub of all things animation, with a clay animation station and a flipbook table. Two other tables had all the gear needed to create the animation magic.

Both at home and at school, kids learn that C-A-T will always spell cat and 1+1 will always equal two. What often isn’t taught, though, is that when it comes to learning how to get along with others, the answer isn’t always the same. Building relationships is one of the most complex things a person can learn to do and yet we receive very little formal training for this task.

Bullying often occurs because of relationship problems. When we learn to read, write and calculate there are multiple opportunities for practice. Mistakes are made and we learn from them, but when social mistakes are made, instead of providing a learning opportunity, the response is often punitive. Just as kids need practice with their ABCs and 1-2-3s, they also need practice solving social problems, connecting with others and becoming positive leaders.  

Dr. Debra Pepler, Psychologist in the Community Health Systems Resource Group at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), is an expert in the field of bullying.

Pepler is also Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University and co-leads PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network; www.prevnet.ca ) which has produced many tools for parents, teachers, and youth.

Below you’ll find a Q & A with Pepler about what to do if your child is being bullied, how to handle the situation if your child is doing the bullying, and much more.

By Daniel Puiatti

The rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are rising among children and adolescents, particularly in Ontario, and thanks to a $2 million donation from Northbridge Financial Corporation, SickKids now has a new chair to help tackle this relatively misunderstood and unknown spectrum of diseases, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

By Daniel Puiatti 

The Research & Learning Tower is undergoing another transformation this week. The outer glass ‘curtain walls’ are being installed on the second and third floors of the Tower on the corner of Bay and Elm Streets.

Can pregnant women drink alcohol? Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) experts don’t know if there is a safe amount at any point in the pregnancy. The safest choice is to not drink while pregnant.

It’s September. Kids are heading back to school and families are gearing up for their hectic morning and evening routines. It can be easy to grab a can of pop or juice box for a thirsty kid when you’re on the run. But is it the best choice?

“Water,” says Daina Kalnins, Manager of Clinical Dietetics and an Academic and Clinical Specialist Dietitian in Respiratory Medicine at SickKids. “Water is the best thirst quencher around.”

Kalnins recommends water and milk be the beverage of choice for children up to the age of ten.  Young kids don’t need juice,  she says. “It’s just empty calories from sugar. It fills their stomachs up, displacing their hunger for the healthy foods they need to grow.” Milk, on the other hand, gives kids the fat and calories they need. Fruit will provide kids with fibre missing from juice.

If parents offer juice, Kalnins stresses that moderation and education is key.  “Parents shouldn’t focus on totally eliminating beverages such as juice and pop, but educating kids on how those types of drinks will make them feel,” says Kalnins. “Kids are surrounded by them. They’re going to be in situations, such as a parties, where there will be all sorts of goodies on offer. You want your child to make the choice to have just a little, and that’s it.”

It’s not an impossible task, she assures doubtful parents.  Kalnins notes that a body gets used to what it is given. A child who is raised drinking primarily water and milk will tend to feel slightly ill if he or she overloads on sugary treats. “It may be uncomfortable for them, but it can be a real learning experience,” she says. “It helps kids learn to listen to their bodies.”

As for caffeine, Kalnins notes that Health Canada has recommendations for the amount that can be consumed daily. “It’s a stimulant. I think all parents should read about what caffeine is and what it does before they give it to a child. They might reach for the water instead.”

Sugar-free pop not recommended as substitute for water, Kalnins adds, and aspartame recommendations can also be found on the Health Canada website.

Healthy doesn’t have to be boring! Kalnins recommends some delicious alternatives to water:

Not too long ago, early literacy indicated academic achievement. Today, it’s early numeracy that is considered a stronger predictor of success in school. The increase of technology and science-based professions has created a greater demand for math skills than there once was.

Researchers at the University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), St. Paul’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia have identified a new treatment target for a virus that causes severe lung infections and an estimated 10% of common colds.

The virus, called human respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, is the most common reason for hospitalization of infants and children under two years of age; currently there is no effective therapy or vaccine for it.

“This discovery provides an understanding of the mechanism through which RSV causes infection and offers a target molecule for development of new cell-based therapies,” said the study’s principal investigator Prof. Richard Hegele, Chair and Professor in U of T’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology who is also Chief of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine at SickKids.

The research is published in the current edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

The researchers found that RSV interacts with healthy cells by binding with a molecule located on the surface of those cells called nucleolin. By manipulating the function of nucleolin in cell culture, they were able to decrease RSV infection or increase susceptibility to it.

In mice, the researchers showed that disruption of lung nucleolin was associated with significantly reduced RSV infection, confirming that the molecule is a viable therapeutic target.

“While other factors may influence the frequency and severity of RSV infections, our results indicate that the presence of nucleolin on the cell surface is sufficient for RSV to successfully infect cells,” said Hegele. “We can now pursue strategies designed to block the interaction of RSV with cell surface nucleolin, the idea being to find approaches that will safely and effectively halt infection by preventing RSV from entering the cell in the first place.”

Researchers have been searching for a receptor for RSV for over five decades.

“This is a long-awaited and much-needed discovery that will help researchers develop new therapies for this disease, which has a large global burden, primarily affecting young children and other vulnerable populations,” said Dr. David Marchant, a research associate at UBC’s James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital, and co-lead on the study. “What is especially encouraging is that there is already a lot of ground work done in terms of understanding the biology of nucleolin to treat other ailments like cancer. The discovery of the RSV receptor combined with this knowledge could help deliver a potential therapeutic much faster.”

Increasingly, RSV is being recognized as a serious pathogen of the elderly for causing lung infections such as pneumonia. It is also a common cause of middle ear infections and can infect other organ systems, and has been implicated in the onset of asthma and allergy in children. Organ transplant recipients or other individuals whose immune systems are compromised are also at increased risk for serious RSV lung infections.

According to the World Health Organization, the global RSV disease burden is estimated at 64 million cases and 160,000 deaths each year. It is considered the single most important cause of severe respiratory illness in infants and young children.¹

The study was conducted by the following researchers: Richard G. Hegele (University of Toronto Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)); Farnoosh Tayyari and David Marchant (James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital and UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); Theo J. Moraes (U of T and SickKids); Wenming Duan (SickKids); Peter Mastrangelo (U of T).

Funding for the study was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia.

¹ World Health Organization 2009 

The Government of Ontario today announced that it is investing $75 million towards The Research & Learning Tower at SickKids.

A team of researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has been successful in a global competition geared to finding the most innovative approaches for improving maternal and neonatal survival in rural regions of low-income countries.

The international grant competition, Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, The World Bank, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Grand Challenges Canada. There were more than 600 original applicants. The finalists attended an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., which was opened by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. SickKids was one of 19 winners to receive a Grand Challenge award. These awards are geared to identifying roadblocks to solving critical global health issues.

The SickKids project, Prenatal calcium to prevent preeclampsia and pre-term birth in resource-poor rural settings, is a proposal to develop “Prenatal Sprinkles.” The original Sprinkles, a micronutrient powder developed to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies in infants and young children, was created at SickKids by Dr. Stanley Zlotkin. This new version is designed for use by pregnant women in low-income countries as a means of delivering microencapsulated calcium, iron and folic acid to address the long-standing critical health problems associated with two conditions: anemia in pregnancy, associated with premature birth, and preeclampsia associated with hypertension, a major cause of maternal and fetal death. Anemia is prevented by the use of iron and preeclampsia is prevented by the use of calcium. However, to date, combining iron and calcium has not been possible as the calcium interferes with iron absorption. The new product will contain pH-sensitive time-release microencapsulated iron and calcium to overcome this problem, thus enabling both nutrients to be safely delivered together. The grant will be used to develop and test “Prenatal Sprinkles.”

The SickKids team is comprised of Dr. Daniel Roth, Dr. Stan Zlotkin, Ashley Aimone (PhD student) and Dr. Diego Bassani, as well as collaborators from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baylor College of Medicine and ICDDR,B (Bangladesh).

“Innovation at SickKids is a major priority and this project is an example of innovation in action,” said Zlotkin, Vice-President, Medical and Academic Affairs at SickKids and Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.

“This award strengthens SickKids’ engagement in global health research,” said Roth, Staff Physician, Division of Paediatric Medicine at SickKids and Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. “This grant will help solidify a research team at SickKids as well as nurture collaborations with other international institutions. Our hope is that our project will eventually contribute to lowering maternal and neonatal illness and mortality in low-resource regions of the world.”

Initial product testing is expected to begin in 12 to 18 months in Bangladesh.

A team of researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have been successful in a global competition geared to finding the most innovative approaches for improving maternal and neonatal survival in rural regions of low-income countries.

The international grant competition, Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, The World Bank, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Grand Challenges Canada. There were more than 600 original applicants. The finalists attended an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., which was opened by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. SickKids was one of 19 winners to receive a Grand Challenge award. These awards are geared to identifying roadblocks to solving critical global health issues.

The SickKids project, Prenatal calcium to prevent preeclampsia and pre-term birth in resource-poor rural settings, is a proposal to develop “Prenatal Sprinkles.” The original Sprinkles, a micronutrient powder developed to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies in infants and young children, was created at SickKids by Dr. Stanley Zlotkin. This new version is designed for use by pregnant women in low-income countries as a means of delivering microencapsulated calcium, iron and folic acid to address the long-standing critical health problems associated with two conditions: anemia in pregnancy, associated with premature birth, and preeclampsia associated with hypertension, a major cause of maternal and fetal death. Anemia is prevented by the use of iron and preeclampsia is prevented by the use of calcium. However, to date, combining iron and calcium has not been possible as the calcium interferes with iron absorption. The new product will contain pH-sensitive time-release microencapsulated iron and calcium to overcome this problem, thus enabling both nutrients to be safely delivered together. The grant will be used to develop and test “Prenatal Sprinkles.”

The SickKids team is comprised of Dr. Daniel Roth, Dr. Stan Zlotkin, Ashley Aimone (PhD student) and Dr. Diego Bassani, as well as collaborators from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baylor College of Medicine and ICDDR,B (Bangladesh).

“Innovation at SickKids is a major priority and this project is an example of innovation in action,” said Zlotkin, Vice-President, Medical and Academic Affairs at SickKids and Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.

“This award strengthens SickKids’ engagement in global health research,” said Roth, Staff Physician, Division of Paediatric Medicine at SickKids and Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. “This grant will help solidify a research team at SickKids as well as nurture collaborations with other international institutions. Our hope is that our project will eventually contribute to lowering maternal and neonatal illness and mortality in low-resource regions of the world.”

Initial product testing is expected to begin in 12 to 18 months in Bangladesh.

Glitz, glamour, red carpets and “paparazzi” created the scene at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Thursday evening and transformed an otherwise-routine evening into the world of Old Hollywood.
We experienced the After Hours Exclusive Teen Event through the eyes of two SickKids patients, Mary Feeney, 17, and Alex Salmon, 14.

On Saturday morning, builders on the SickKids Research & Learning Tower construction site raised one of the large Tower cranes on the site located at Bay and Elm streets. This is another phase in the building process to support The Research & Leaning Tower’s continued rise into the Toronto skyline.

The raising of the crane, also referred to as a crane jump, took eight workers roughly five hours to complete. The height of the crane from the underside of its counter jib, or counter weight, was approximately 29 metres above street level and following the jump, it now stands at 43 metres above street level. The crane will be raised a total of eight times during the construction of The Research & Learning Tower and, with its final elevation, is expected to reach 120 metres.

When the tower is complete, the crane will be dismantled by a derrick crane – a crane used for hoisting and swinging loads horizontally. Sitting on the roof of the tower, the crane will lower pieces down to street level.
For more information on the Tower check out our construction updates or visit our webcam.

For more information on the SickKids Research & Learning Tower or to donate, visit our Tower website.

For people of all ages, mealtime is an important part of every day. It is not only a basic nutritional need, but also represents a social need, with food customs varying across religions, cultures, ethnicities and classes. While eating can be viewed as an enjoyable and social activity, for children with complex chronic conditions eating can be a daily struggle. To ensure proper nourishment, gastrostomy tube insertion - also known as feeding tubes - is common and often recommended for these children.

In a review led by Dr. Sanjay Mahant, lead author of this study and Staff Paediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), researchers acknowledge that the decision to replace feeding by mouth with feeding tubes can be a very difficult decision for parents and caregivers. They found that the primary conflict was based on the family’s values and their interpretation of feeding. Recognizing this decisional conflict, Mahant and his team developed a framework that aims to support and improve parental decision-making around gastrostomy-feeding tube insertion. The review was published in the June edition of Pediatrics.

“While gastrostomy-feeding has been shown to be effective in improving nutrition, administering medication and making feeding easier for parents of children with neurologic disabilities,” says Mahant, “for some caregivers it represents disability, loss of normality and a disruption of maternal nurturing.”

The goal of the review was to understand the decision-making experiences and perspective of the parents around gastrostomy-feeding tubes. The investigators hope to improve parents’ experience through information-sharing and education, more opportunities to gain knowledge from other families in similar situations, and support from health-care professionals.

The review showed that the decision-making process was one of stress, uncertainty and conflict for the parents. “We found that the significance of feeding was much more complicated than simply a means to provide nutrition and maintain an adequate weight,” says Mahant. “Understanding this internal conflict is important in improving the decision-making process for both parents and health-care providers.”

This research provides recommendations for clinicians when communicating about feeding tubes with families.  It highlights the importance of explaining health benefits and potential complications, clarifying parental expectations and fears, and providing the appropriate time to discuss the situation.

SickKids International spoke with Patricia Malloy (Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner, Infectious Diseases) and Karen Breen-Reid (Advanced Nursing Practice Educator, Paediatric Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases) days before they travelled 9,000 kilometres to help train paediatric nurses in Ghana. The SickKids Global Child Health Program - Paediatric Nursing Training Programme is a three-year joint initiative between SickKids International, the University of Ghana, Ghana Ministry of Health, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

On May 30, 2011, SickKids’ own Pat Malloy (Advanced Practice Nurse), Karen Breen-Reid (Advanced Nursing Practice Educator) and Dr. Isaac Odame (Staff Haematologist) celebrated the launch of the Ghana-SickKids Paediatric Nursing Training Programme with aspiring paediatric nurses, and healthcare and academic leaders in Ghana. “The first cohort of [nursing] students radiated pride as each speaker approached the podium challenging the nurses to increase the health of children in Ghana”, said Co-Lead Educator Pat Malloy (pictured below) as she experienced her first day in the classroom.

Mary Jo Haddad, President and CEO of SickKids, was formally welcomed as a Member of the Order of Canada on May 27. The investiture ceremony took place at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, the residence of the Governor General of Canada. 

“I wish you peace, happiness, prosperity and a rewarding life in Canada.”

Buds are starting to pop up on trees, flowers are beginning to peek out from the ground and this spring something else will be growing on the corner of Bay and Elm Streets. In anticipation of spring’s arrival, the SickKids Research & Learning Tower reached ground level this week. Tower construction will now begin movin’ on up for everyone to see.

In 2011, it’s the norm to book a vacation, take a course and even order groceries online. The move to a digital “self-serve” model is transforming most industries, including health care, in an effort to be quicker and improve ease of use and accuracy.

Dr. James Wright, Chief of Perioperative Services and Surgeon-in-Chief, was recently named head of Pediatric Surgical Chiefs of Canada. 

TORONTO – Blocking an enzyme that is involved in the regeneration of cancer stem cells may be the key to treating tumours in the brain and other parts of the nervous system, according to a study from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).  Paediatric neural tumours – such as brain tumours and neuroblastoma (one of the common cancers of infants and children) – are the leading cause of death in childhood cancer, accounting for up to 40 per cent of deaths.  This is invariably due to the tumour’s ability to recur even after aggressive treatment when no visible trace of the tumour remains.

The crowd in Marnie's Lounge fell silent as the puck dropped. On one side of the table was Kaitlyn O'Brien, age 14. On the other – Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

A new Canadian study reveals that financial barriers – in the form of sharing asthma medication costs between insurers and families, are contributing to poor asthma control in children.

Dr. Maru Barrera, Psychologist, Haematology/Oncology Division, Senior Associate Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, was recently awarded the 2010 Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) Companion Award. Barrera was presented with the honour at the annual Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario Symposium dinner on Nov. 19, 2010.

For many years, SickKids has made high performance a priority in the areas of clinical care, research, education and administration. “We pride ourselves in being recognized as one of the top children’s hospitals in the world, and we are pleased to be part of a broader health-care system in Ontario that is focused on performance and accountability,” says Mary Jo Haddad, President and CEO of SickKids.

Canadian icons, artists, philanthropists and children have come together to support a new brand campaign for The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). “Together We Will”, the campaign’s theme and tagline, aims to inspire the community to come together with SickKids doctors and researchers to help advance child health care through donations.

Dr. Denis Daneman, Paediatrician-in-Chief, has received a prestigious international award from the  International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes – the ISPAD Prize for Achievement which recognizes outstanding contributions in the areas of science, education or advocacy which have had a major impact on childhood and adolescent diabetes.

A transformational gift of $30 million, believed to be the single largest private gift to paediatric cancer in North America, was announced this morning by Mary Jo Haddad, President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The gift will establish the Garron Family Cancer Centre and allow SickKids to help more children survive their cancer diagnosis.

TORONTO – At only three and a half years old, Jake Da Luz couldn’t walk, because he suffered from pain and limited joint movement. He was diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The existing treatments weren’t working, so Jake was invited to participate in a drug trial at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Nearly two years later, Jake, who is now six, is not only walking, but playing hockey.  

Scientists at the University of Toronto (U of T) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have made a major scientific advancement in (insert area of study here).

If there’s a research breakthrough at SickKids those are likely the first words you’ll see or hear in media reports. When great minds get together, good things happen!

Last August, cancer patients at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) had the opportunity to meet NBA superstar Steve Nash, who visited SickKids while filming a documentary on the Canadian hero, Terry Fox.  Patients and their families got to know Nash and his film crew as they read the Terry Fox story together, signed autographs and smiled for the camera.  On September 12, 2010, just over a year later, the Terry Fox film Into the Wind premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Some of these SickKids moments were captured in the documentary. 

TORONTO – A landmark international study led by scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), has added a new dimension to the understanding of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant type of childhood brain tumour.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) has long been thought of by most people as a disease affecting only Caucasians. While some experts asserted this was not the case, they did not have the data to correct this misconception. Now they do.

SickKids' Centre for Brain & Behaviour has developed one of the world’s leading paediatric epilepsy surgery programs and set a gold standard for centres of excellence.

TORONTO - Family doctors and paediatricians can influence when parents wean their children from the bottle, thereby helping to reduce tooth decay, obesity and iron deficiency, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

TORONTO – Canadian and international scientists have uncovered key changes in DNA in individuals with autism. The Phase 2 results of the multinational Autism Genome Project Consortium published in the June 9 advance online edition of Nature, substantiate the importance of genes as susceptibility factors in autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Robert Bruce Salter, world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon, researcher, professor, humanitarian and “medical giant” whose pioneering work has impacted millions of people around the world, died May 10 at the age of 85. Dr. Salter was born in Stratford, Ontario on December 15, 1924.

Toronto – The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) today announced the details of the $400 million, 21-storey, 750,000 square foot Research & Learning Tower to be built at the corner of Bay and Elm Streets;  bringing together the 2,000 scientists and staff of SickKids Research Institute.  The Tower is slated to be completed by 2013.  Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. with HDR Inc., the world-class facility will achieve LEED® Gold Certification – setting the standard for energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure in Toronto’s Discovery District.  The construction contract to build the Tower was awarded to Ellis Don Corporation.

The SickKids Global Child Health Program will work with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana (NMCG), the University of Ghana, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to develop a Paediatric Nursing Training Program. The MoH has identified a dire need for 1500 Paediatric Nurses over the next 10-15 years, where none exist to date. The complete absence of nurses trained in Paediatrics has hindered Ghana’s ability to improve child survival in addressing the Millennium Development Goal to reduce child mortality. Development of a Paediatric Nurse workforce is crucial to improving child survival in Ghana, where children continue to die from mainly avoidable causes such as malaria, respiratory infection, diarrheal disease and neonatal causes of death in institutional and community settings.

Dr. Mark Henkelman, a Senior Scientist in Physiology & Experimental Medicine and the Director of the Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe) at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), is the recipient of the 2010 Killam Prize in health sciences. The announcement was made at a news conference earlier this morning at the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences.

TORONTO – For many patients, one of the most difficult aspects of cancer treatment is undergoing radiation therapy. New research led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society, indicates that patients suffering from a rare form of paediatric brain cancer may now be spared from the debilitating effects of radiation.

With the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games one week away, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) had the privilege of hosting a pit stop of the Paralympic torch earlier this morning. The torch is in the city as part of the cross-country torch relay.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have made a surprising discovery about how cells respond to radiation. New research on the kri-1 gene in worms indicates that radiation-induced cell death is not solely controlled within the affected cell, as previously thought. It appears that signals sent from neighbouring cells are required to instruct damaged cells to destroy themselves. The discovery is published in a recent issue of Current Biology.

TORONTO – Dr. Michael Salter, a researcher at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), has been awarded a Research Excellence Grant from the Ministry of Research and Innovation’s Ontario Research Fund (ORF) to study chronic pain. The grant, totalling $3.5 million over five years, will support lead investigator Salter and his team to study pain pathways and potentially develop innovative new drugs to prevent and treat chronic pain.

Looking for something to do on Saturday, Feb. 27? Check out the men’s parallel giant slalom as Richard Evanoff, son of Kimberley Evanoff, Staff Nurse in Emergency Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), carves his way down Cypress Mountain with the Olympic forerunning team.

A new discovery is providing important insight into how genes may influence a patient’s ability to regulate blood glucose. Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have identified four regions in the human genome that correlate with glucose control in patients with Type 1 diabetes. This discovery is published in the February 2010 issue of Diabetes.

Gas fireplaces are perfect for keeping you and your family warm throughout the winter, but can pose a risk for severe burns to young children and infants.

TORONTO – Today, Stephanie Atwood, 18, is like most teens. She goes to school, holds down a part-time job, and enjoys aerobic dancing, going to the mall and spending time outdoors. But this wasn’t always the case.
                                                                                                                                                       
For most of Stephanie’s life, she has struggled with obesity. Following surgery to remove a craniopharyngioma (a type of brain tumour) at age seven, Stephanie began to feel hungry all the time. Doctors had to remove a part of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls appetite. Stephanie gained weight to the point that she had difficulty moving and walking. She felt isolated from her teenage peers.

A familiar face to some in the The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) community will soon be familiar to millions of viewers tuning in to the Winter Olympics beginning Feb. 12.

TORONTO – Children dealing with cancer and serious blood diseases spend a great deal of their young lives visiting the hospital. Ten-year-old Tobin Haas knows this all too well. When he was only two years old he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It was treated but then grew back; last summer a routine MRI revealed Tobin had relapsed again and the cancer had spread to Tobin’s spine. Tobin has endured surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and countless hospital visits.

Toronto, ON – Some kids in hospital can’t go home for the holidays, but they now have a new way to stay connected to family and friends.

On November 27, 865 SickKids Research Institute staff and trainees gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the Annual Research Institute Scientific Retreat. This year’s retreat featured 194 scientific posters by trainees and platform presentations by researchers that focused on three themes: personalized medicine, stem cells and regenerative medicine and development of new technologies to improve clinical care.

“These important areas are likely to have major impact on the health care system in the next few years and we are lucky to have scientists from SickKids who are at the forefront of advances and who can address the likely future impact,” said SickKids Chief of Research Dr. Janet Rossant.

The Aser Rothstein keynote speaker Dr. Michael Hayden, Killam Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine and Director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics in Vancouver, followed the flow of the day focusing on genetic research and personalized medicine.

In his presentation entitled Global Adventures in Genetics: from Genes to Therapy, Hayden discussed his work with patients suffering from rare disorders. In studying the genetics behind these disorders, he works to find therapies that could be of use to the greater population. He argued that while we have a long way to go before many applications of personalized therapeutics become an everyday reality, predictive testing is one example which is helping today in early detection and treatment.

Hayden applauded SickKids for its leadership in pharmacogenomics and distinguished the culture of collaboration between researchers and clinicians at SickKids and with their external colleagues as crucial to advancements in health outcomes.

Hayden concluded by speaking directly to research trainees and fellows, “Have the courage and self-confidence to immerse yourselves in questions that matter. Although many of you are separated by language and culture you are united in changing the lives of children and changing medicine for the population.”

The retreat is also a time to honour those who have excelled in the past year. The Citizenship Award recognizes an individual Research Institute staff member who consistently goes "above and beyond" expectations in carrying out their work in the Institute. This year’s honoree, Paul Taylor, is “one of those people who has quietly had a big impact on the Research Institute,” said Dr. John Rubinstein who presented the award. Taylor is a Senior Proteomics Specialist in Molecular Structure & Function and Manager of the Advanced Protein Technology Centre who has conducted seminars, started clubs and written journals to ensure the understanding of mass spectrometry across the board.

The Exceptional Trainee Awards were also presented. Each program acknowledges one trainee for extra efforts to improve research and/or the lives of their colleagues.

Cell Biology – Ian Watson
Child Health & Evaluative Sciences – Dr. Ivan Diamond
Development & Stem Cell Biology – Dr. Akitsu Hotta
Genetics & Genome Biology – Adam Durbin
Molecular Structure & Function – Dr. James Wasmuth
Neurosciences & Mental Health – Dr. Yin Chan
Physiology & Experimental Medicine – David Douda

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has announced funding of up to $2.4 million for a three-year, SickKids-led program to help train paediatric nurses in Ghana. The training will lead to an improved quality of healthcare for children in the African country. The three-year program, involving SickKids and SickKids Foundation, will also include specialized paediatric training for health care workers in two other African countries.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has announced funding of up to $2.4 million for a three-year, SickKids-led program to help train paediatric nurses in Ghana. The training will lead to an improved quality of healthcare for children in the African country. The three-year program, involving SickKids and SickKids Foundation, will also include specialized paediatric training for health care workers in two other African countries.

On Nov. 16, Dr. Lillian Sung, Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences and Dr. Michael D. Taylor, Scientist in the Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, will both be awarded the Canadian Cancer Society Awards of Excellence in Cancer Research.

“My research is focused on supportive cancer treatment for children with cancer,” says Sung. “I am working on trying to better understand, prevent and treat invasive infections that children undergoing chemotherapy treatment often experience.”

TORONTO – Most people associate childhood vaccinations with pain, but new Canadian research shows this doesn’t have to be the case.

(Toronto) – Taking an antidepressant during pregnancy has become a difficult and complicated process, mostly because of the conflicting information regarding safety. Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children’s (SickKids) Motherisk Program studied the link between antidepressants and birth defects. The research will be published in the April edition of The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

TORONTO – For many years, we have heard about the harmful effects of oxidants (compounds that are highly reactive). They have been labelled as “bad” molecules because they are often associated with radiation exposure and the damage of cellular parts such as DNA and proteins. But not all oxidants are “bad”.

TORONTO – Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have discovered a family of eight genes that are mutated in patients with medulloblastoma – the most common childhood brain cancer. The research is published in the March 8 online edition of Nature Genetics.

Mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy put their children at risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a cognitive and developmental disorder with long-term effects. New research started at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) documents the lifetime costs to Canada of the estimated 4,000 children born with FASD every year. The study is the first to estimate the cost of FASD to the Canadian economy.

Toronto – In a world first, doctors at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) performed an innovative operation using an external artificial lung to keep a paediatric patient alive until new donor lungs were available.

Toronto - The spleen is a little talked about organ that has a big job. It helps clear away bacteria and other infections that get into the blood. All the blood is filtered through the spleen, where there are special immune cells called Marginal Zone (MZ) B cells. These MZ B cells help get rid of bacteria. Dr. Cynthia Guidos, SickKids Senior Scientist and Professor in Immunology at the University of Toronto and Dr. Sean Egan, Senior Scientist and Associate Professor in Medical Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Toronto, found an important molecular interaction that controls the development of the MZ B cells. Their findings are published today in the on-line edition of Immunity and will be published in the Feb 20 print issue.

 A team of researchers led by scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has discovered that the mammalian gene, p73 is essential for protecting the brain through the normal aging process. The findings suggest that reduced levels of p73 may increase a person's likelihood of developing Alzheimer's or another neurodegenerative disorder. Their findings are published in the September 2008 issue of Neuron .

Dr. Janet Rossant, Chief of Research at The Hospital for Sick Children was presented with 2007 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology along with Dr. Anne McLaren of Cambridge University on Monday, May 7, 2007. This award was given to them by the US-based March of Dimes Foundation during the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, which was held in Toronto for the first time. This was also the first time the March of Dimes Prize was shared by two women, and brings to the total number of women who have received this honour to four.

SickKids scientists Dr. Freda Miller and Dr. Michael Salter have been named international research scholars by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and will receive five-year awards totaling nearly $500,000.

Monday February 9 - More than 100 patients, staff and families will share stories about their experiences at The Hospital for Sick Children during the Have a Heart for SickKids Radiothon broadcast live from the Atrium of the hospital on February 11, 12, and 13 from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

TORONTO - Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SICKKIDS) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have identified the gene that is altered in Shwachman-Diamond syndrome. The researchers studied 250 Shwachman-Diamond syndrome families from around the world and identified two major disease-causing mutations in a gene on chromosome 7. This research is reported in the January issue of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

TORONTO - With the spread of vomiting and diarrhea in the community due to the Norwalkvirus, The Hospital for Sick Children is taking preventative measures in order to minimize risk to its patients. Many parents are unsure of where to go for medical advice and are bringing children to the Emergency Department with these symptoms, even if the child is only minimally unwell. The hospital is concerned that viruses associated with these symptoms will be passed on to those waiting to be treated for other illnesses. In order to prevent the spread among patients, staff in the Emergency Department are asking parents to follow these suggestions:

TORONTO - Tomorrow, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation will launch the first full-length direct response television program produced for national broadcast on behalf of a children's hospital.

The Hospital for Sick Children is celebrating National Child Day on Wednesday, November 20, with the launch of Show Kids You Care (SKYC), a national campaign whose mission is to encourage adults to show that they care about children - and to act on that caring more often.

Dr. Nancy Olivieri, The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto are pleased to announce a resolution of all outstanding disputes arising from the clinical drug trials conducted by Dr. Olivieri at The Hospital for Sick Children which were terminated by Apotex in 1996. Dr. Olivieri wishes to thank the many individuals and organizations that supported her and in particular, her colleagues Dr. John Dick, Dr. Brenda Gallie, Dr. Helen Chan, Dr. Peter Durie, the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT).

TORONTO - Research at The Hospital for Sick Children (SICKKIDS) and the University of Toronto (U of T) has shown that provinces which have adopted mandatory bicycle helmet legislation have had a significant reduction in the number of bicycle-related head injuries in children. This research is reported in the November issue of the scientific journal Pediatrics.

On Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23, dozens of paediatric home care practitioners and researchers will gather for the second Child and Youth Home Care Forum, funded by The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation. The forum will be held at the Ontario Heritage Centre, 8 Adelaide St. E., in downtown Toronto.

Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have linked known cancer-causing genes to normal developmental processes as well as wound healing using a fruit fly model. This research in reported in the cover article of the July 24 issue of the scientific journal Current Biology.

Thanks to the generous, ongoing support of organizations and individuals across Canada, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation raised a record $5,615,606 during its 17^th annual TV fundraiser.  It’s the highest amount ever raised in the history of the broadcast, bringing the 17-year total to more than $51.6 million.

With the advent of the Ontario government’s new Telehealth telephone service, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) will close its Medical Information Centre on April 1, 2001 after 23 years of operation.