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TORONTO CENTRE FOR PHENOGENOMICS |
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Press Release
TORONTO, Oct. 1 /CNW/ - The Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics (TCP) today announced its official opening in the heart of Toronto's Discovery District. This state-of-the-art facility will enable groundbreaking research and discovery, with the goal of advancing human health. Already acclaimed by researchers worldwide, the TCP, through modeling of disease, will seek cures and treatments in areas such as diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal disease, cardiovascular and renal function, embryonic development, and learning and memory. "We are enabling research and we are doing research to make a difference in health care for Canadians," says Dr. Colin McKerlie, the TCP's Interim CEO, and a researcher who will be taking advantage of the TCP facilities. The largest centre of its kind in Canada, the TCP houses 110,000 gross sq ft of custom-designed laboratory space. It promises to be a cutting-edge provider of research tools, technologies and services, delivering "breakthroughs" such as advanced imaging techniques, and supported by the newest robotics equipment and technology. The TCP is being launched as part of Ontario's response to university expansions, the growing innovation economy, and the resulting charge to increase the scientific research capacity of the province. The initial concept of the TCP originated with Dr. Janet Rossant, a world leader in developmental biology. Dr. Rossant led the grant application to the Canada Foundation for Innovation that quickly became a collaboration among four founding member research hospitals: Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, and the University Health Network, which encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, and Princess Margaret Hospital. "This collaboration is a promising response to increasingly constrained resources," says Rossant. "In this facility, we are not only collecting and sharing information, we are sharing decisions and ownership, vision and responsibility - expanding the capacity of each partner while contributing to the powerhouse that is Toronto's health research community." "Research creates the best medicine, and this exciting four-hospital membership will bring together some of the brightest minds in science to improve the quality of clinical care and help keep Toronto and Ontario at the forefront of health research," reflects Joseph Mapa, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Stephen Lye, Associate Director of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, agrees on a key strength of the Centre: "The TCP is a remarkable, world-class resource, providing researchers in our member institutions a competitive advantage in their search to understand and conquer disease." Funding for this $69 million enterprise was a collaboration among different levels of government, the Member Hospitals, and industry. Sources included the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) ($26,771,045), the Ontario Government through the Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) ($26,771,045), Member Hospital contributions ($11,427,717), and industry-based donations in kind ($4,183,717). "This new facility defines cutting-edge, and exemplifies partnership," says Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI. "The TCP will allow researchers from multiple institutions and disciplines to transform innovative ideas into groundbreaking research. The advancements that this facility will enable are sure to have a real and positive impact on the lives of all Canadians." "I am very pleased and excited that Ontario's investment in the TCP through the Ontario Innovation Trust, is helping to solidify our province as a world-class centre for innovative research and scientific discovery," says Dr. Cal Stiller, Chair of the Ontario Innovation Trust. "This innovative scientific collaboration among four of our leading research hospitals will lead to new discoveries faster than individuals or institutions working alone could achieve. Using models is the shortest bridge to remarkable discoveries that are relevant to human disease." Looking ahead, and as research unfolds, the TCP will provide enormous added value. It will be a training space for the next-generation of talented Canadian researchers whose work will help us understand the biology of disease, help identify and validate new drug targets, assess the genetics of drug responses, and on many fronts improve the long-term health of our population. And it will be a leader in the advancement of North American and global genomics efforts, attracting and retaining pre-eminent Canadian and international researchers and teams. About: The Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics is a $69 million, state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Toronto's Discovery District, that enables groundbreaking research and discovery, with the goal of advancing human health. Through the modeling of disease, the TCP seeks cures and treatments in areas such as diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal disease, cardiovascular and renal function, embryonic development, learning and memory. The TCP is a unique collaboration among four founding member research hospitals: Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, and the University Health Network. www.phenogenomics.ca The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching. Our mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized care by creating scientific and clinical advancements, sharing our knowledge and expertise and championing the development of an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca. SickKids is committed to healthier children for a better world. Mount Sinai Hospital is an internationally recognized, 472-bed acute care academic health centre affiliated with the University of Toronto. It is known for excellence in the provision of compassionate patient care, innovative education and world-leading research. Our Centres of Excellence are the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute; Women's and Infants' Health; Surgery and Oncology; Acute and Chronic Medicine; and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control. Mount Sinai Hospital brings together people with Bright Minds and Big Hearts to provide The Best Medicine. www.mtsinai.on.ca 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 leading centres in biomedical research. 32 principal investigators lead research in diabetes, cancer biology, epidemiology, stem cell research, women's and infants' health, neurobiology and systems biology. For more information on the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, please visit www.mshri.on.ca The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians. Since its creation in 1997, the CFI has committed more than $3.75 billion in support of 5,400 projects at 128 research institutions in 64 municipalities across Canada. The Ontario Innovation Trust was created in 1999 by the Government of Ontario to invest in research equipment and facilities at Ontario's universities, colleges, hospitals and other non-profit research institutions. The Trust is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, according to the terms of a Trust agreement established by the Ontario government. A small permanent staff looks after day-to-day operations. Since its inception, the Trust has committed more than $844 million to strengthen Ontario's position in the global marketplace of ideas. This represents more than a third of the $2.44 billion in total funding that has been invested in Trust-supported projects. University Health Network incorporates Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, and genomic medicine. University Health Network is a research and teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. St. Michael's Hospital is a large and vibrant Catholic teaching and research hospital in the heart of Toronto. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital leads with innovation, and serves with compassion. Renowned for providing exceptional patient care, St. Michael's Hospital is a regional trauma centre and downtown Toronto's designated trauma centre for adults. For further information:
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© 2004 Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics |
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