July 31, 2002
SickKids attracts new head of Cancer Research and leading stem cell researcher
TORONTO - The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has attracted two prominent scientists to its Research Institute - Dr. David Kaplan and Dr. Freda Miller. The husband and wife team recently arrived in Toronto from the Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University.
"The faculty at the SickKids are among the best in the world. As an American, I felt that the quality of research, the willingness of Canadians to work together, and the potential for breakthroughs at SickKids and in the Toronto scientific community are as good as the best centres in the US such as Harvard and Stanford," said Dr. Kaplan, a senior scientist and the new head of Cancer Research in the SickKids Research Institute. Drs. Kaplan and Miller also hold appointments as Professors in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics and the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Kaplan's research focuses on cellular signalling and its role in normal and defective neural function. While a scientist in the United States, he led the group that identified the Trk/nerve growth factor receptor, which is crucial for the development and survival of many nerve cells. He has also discovered proteins that may be used by Trk to stop the growth of brain tumours, and could lead to new methods of treating this cancer. Currently, Dr. Kaplan's research group is investigating the ability of Trk to block the growth of neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, tumours that commonly arise in children.
"Childhood cancers such as leukemia and brain tumours have always been an important area of research at SickKids. The Cancer Research Program will become a focus of efforts to find new therapies for these devastating diseases. We have already begun to hire superb young scientists and clinicians from Canada and the US which have energized the program," Dr. Kaplan added.
In collaboration with Dr. Miller's research group, Dr. Kaplan is also working on determining how the nervous system develops and regenerates following injury, both of which are important goals for discovering novel treatments for neurological diseases and injuries such as those to the spinal cord.
Dr. Freda Miller will build on her stem cell research as a senior scientist in SickKids's Developmental Biology and Brain & Behaviour Research Programs. Dr. Miller made headlines last year with her discovery that stem cells can be harvested from human adult skin; a possible alternative to the more controversial embryonic stem cells. Her lab also examines how neurons develop, grow and survive - key information for the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
"My laboratory is very excited to be here because Toronto is one of the best places in North America in which to pursue stem cell research. Toronto, and SickKids in particular, offers the kinds of physical and intellectual resources that will maximize our chances of actually moving this kind of work from the bench into the clinic," said Dr. Miller, holder of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Senior Investigator Award and a member of the Stem Cell Network of Centres of Excellence.
The Ontario Innovation Trust funded a major renovation on the third floor of the hospital's Black Wing to create laboratory space for Drs. Kaplan and Miller. This investment enabled the scientists to bring their research team of close to 30 people, including technologists, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, to SickKids.
"It was quite a coup attracting David Kaplan and Freda Miller to our Research Institute. They bring excellent science and leadership to our institution and to the city," said Dr. Manuel Buchwald, chief of Research at The Hospital for Sick Children.
The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of Toronto, is the largest paediatric academic health science centre in Canada and one of the largest in the world. Its mission is to provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in child health. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.
For more information, please contact:
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