The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, a University of Toronto affiliated research centre established in 1985, is one of the world’s premier centres in biomedical research.

Thirty-four principal investigators lead research in diabetes, cancer biology, epidemiology, stem cell research, women’s and infants’ health, neurobiology and systems biology.

Lunenfeld researchers lead the way in health science research and help to advance the future health of Canadians. Our experts continue to make inroads into the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, psychiatric disorders, kidney disease, women’s and infants’ health, inflammatory bowel disease, and spinal cord injury.

For more information on the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, please visit www.lunenfeld.ca.

Prosserman Centre for Health Research
Researchers in the Prosserman Centre for Health Research lead innovative genetic and molecular epidemiological research applying new molecular biology concepts and methods to studies of individuals and human populations.

Population, laboratory and clinical studies assess the impact of genetic and environmental determinants of disease on disease risk and evaluation of strategies for treatment and disease control. Primary areas of interest are cancer, heart disease, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

Centre for Systems Biology
The primary focus of research in the Centre for Systems Biology is the mechanisms through which genes and their products interact to organize both regulatory systems within individual cells and more complex, multi-cellular structures.

This is being pursued through analysis of protein complexes involved in signal transduction and the cell cycle, quantitative and qualitative analysis of specific protein-protein interactions and protein interaction networks and their regulation by post-translational modifications. Such data is combined with high-throughput, array-based screens designed to identify genetic interactions and gene expression patterns to identify sets of genes functioning in common pathways.

Researchers in the centre also employ chemical libraries to identify compounds with utility in treatment of disease.

Centre for Stem Cells & Tissue Engineering
The focus of the Centre for Stem Cells & Tissue Engineering is two-fold: use of embryonic stem cell lines to create mouse models of human disease through transgenesis, homologous and site-specific recombination with embryonic stem cells and secondly, repair or replacement of degenerating tissues through cell-based therapies with particular emphasis on arthritis-related therapies. With respect to human embryonic stem cells, research includes establishment, maintenance and differentiation as well as possible use and safety issues in tissue engineering, regeneration and cell-based therapies.

Centre for Modeling Human Disease
The Centre for Modeling Human Disease applies state-of-the-art genetic approaches to study the function of genes in the context of an intact organism together with in-depth phenotypic analysis using approaches drawn from physiology, pathology, behaviour, in-life imaging and cell and molecular biology. The Centre provides a platform for integrative, genome-wide generation and analysis of mouse models related to pregnancy and development, diabetes, neurobehaviour, cancer, cardiovascular disease, bone and connective tissue formation and kidney function.

Auxiliary Centre for Women’s & Infants’ Health
Research in the Auxiliary Centre for Women’s and Infants’ Health is focused on reproductive biology, pregnancy and the transition to the newborn period. Research studies address both normal and pathologic development of embryo, placental and maternal systems during pregnancy and labour defining critical processes during pregnancy with the goal of minimizing fetal, neonatal and maternal death, disability and morbidity. The Centre integrates laboratory-based research, clinical research, teaching and clinical practice.

Fred A. Litwin Centre for Cancer Genetics
The goal of the Fred A. Litwin Centre for Cancer Genetics is to translate the concepts and techniques of molecular oncology into new approaches to the detection, treatment and prevention of cancer. A common interest of members is population-based studies on the molecular genetics of cancer susceptibility genes and identification and analysis of modifier genes in both hereditary and sporadic cancers. Much of the research is a fusion of molecular genetics, molecular pathology, genetic epidemiology and biostatistics, and the use of high-throughput technologies to rapidly and efficiently translate advances in molecular oncology into clinical practice. Areas of particular focus include breast and colorectal cancer.

Centre for Genomic Medicine
Researchers in the Centre for Genomic Medicine conduct translational research, and develop strategies and mechanisms to accelerate the application of advances and knowledge in fundamental science to clinical practice, with the goal to expedite the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Research in the Centre is carried out by clinician-scientists intimately aware of clinical issues but who are also cognizant of advances in fundamental science and capable of applying them to clinical issues.

Centre for Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Function
Research within this centre focuses on using both vertebrate and invertebrate animal model systems to study the development and function of the nervous system. Research interests include: studying the fundamental signal transduction cascades and other molecular machineries that govern the development of single neurons to the mammalian brain; establishing the molecular mechanisms that initiate and regulate the formation of connections among the developing neurons; analyzing the function of neural circuits in different animal behaviours; and establishing animal models to study the cause and cure for human neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Contact Information

Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
600 University Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5G 1X5

Terry Donaghue, Director,
Technology Transfer & Industrial Liaison
Phone: 416-586-8225
Fax: 416-586-3110
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lunenfeld.ca