SARS-Related Lung Disease Subject of Recent TGRI/TGH Study


The recent advent of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) dramatically illustrates the effects of lung diseases on overall health. ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) is also a form of lung injury that results in respiratory failure and admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). ARDS is commonly associated with pneumonia, severe trauma or infection.
New research from TGRI/TGH shows that people with ARDS experience persistent functional disability even twelve months after discharge from the ICU. Drs. Margaret Herridge and Angela Cheung recently examined 109 ARDS survivors at three, six and twelve months post-ICU discharge. They showed that the survivors continued to be plagued by conditions such as muscle wasting and weakness. This finding highlights the need for changes in ICU and post-ICU care so that persistent disabilities such as these can be improved or avoided.

N Engl J Med. 2003 Feb 20; 348(8):683-93
[PubMed abstract]

Institute: TGRI/TGH
Division: Division of Clinical Investigation and Human Physiology
Priority Platform: Clincial Informatics
Image adapted from the National Cancer Institute

Genetic Basis for Rheumatic Disease Revealed

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disease that causes inflammation of the spine, sacroiliac joints (the joints that connect the spine to the pelvis), heart valves, lungs and eyes. It primarily affects young adults, and can lead to severe chronic disease with the ultimate consequence being deformity and the loss of mobility.
Drs. Hing Wo Tsui, Florence Tsui, Millicent Stone and Robert Inman of TWRI/TWH recently examined the DNA of affected and unaffected individuals from 124 AS families recruited from TWRI/TWH’s Spondylitis Clinic, and from the North American Spondylitis Consortium. They identified two novel genetic markers on the human ANKH gene (termed ANKH-OR and ANKH-TR) that are associated with AS. The ANKH gene encodes a transporter of a compound important for normal bone formation. This study is the first to establish a link between AS and the ANKH gene, and studies are currently underway to determine how genetic variations in the ANKH gene pre-dispose people to this chronic disabling condition.

Arthritis Rheum 2003 Mar 48(3):791-7
[PubMed abstract]

Institute: TWRI/TWH
Division: Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology
Priority Platform: Genes, Proteins and People

New Faces in Research

Jonathan Brotchie, PhD


Dr. Jonathan Brotchie—newest scientist at TWRI/TWH’s Division of Applied and Interventional Research—has earned a high profile in the neuroscience world for his extraordinary approach to treating Parkinson’s disease (PD).
PD is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease that results when the brain cells that produce dopamine—the natural chemical that facilitates communication in the nervous system—die. The common method of treatment is to restore the levels of brain dopamine with synthetic dopamine (L-dopa), but this eventually causes dyskinesia, or loss of ability to control movement. For this reason, Dr. Brotchie is testing new therapies, and has had recent success with drugs that mimic the chemical aspects of MDMA (the active ingredient in the street drug ecstasy) and cannabis. “Since MDMA and cannabis can themselves be damaging, it is unlikely that they will be useful for treating PD,” explains Dr. Brotchie. “However,” he adds, “their mechanism of action will provide useful clues regarding how to treat and slow the progression of the disease, and eventually, stop it in its tracks.”

Read more about Dr. Brotchie in the next issue of Net Results.

Breaking News from UHN Research

Analytical Genetics Technology Centre Opens its Doors


A newly-opened $11.5M gene profiling facility at UHN will transform the way we diagnose disease, according to its Director, Dr. Katherine Siminovitch. Dr. Siminovitch says, “The goal of the facility is to identify the genetic variants that cause common diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, and then utilize this information to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of disease.”
The secret to this approach is to use single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced “snips”) as tools to help identify the variations in the genetic code that are associated with disease. SNPs are small modifications in DNA’s four letter code (A, G, T and C) that distinguish one person's DNA from another. While many SNPs have no effect on cell function, some can pre-dispose people to disease.
Dr. Siminovitch’s goal is to establish the Centre as a high-throughput SNP genotyping facility that will service all hospitals in Ontario. Physicians will be able to screen their patient populations for a broad spectrum of genetic determinants that impact on disease and risk outcome.

TGRI/TGH Researcher Awarded a Canada Research Chair

Dr. Allen Volchuk—newest researcher in the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology at TGRI/TGH—was awarded a CRC chair in Diabetes on March 17, 2003. Dr. Volchuk’s research program is focused on understanding how insulin is secreted in normal and diabetic beta cells. Insulin is the primary hormone involved in controlling blood glucose levels, and low levels of this hormone, or the inability to respond to it, is a major cause of Type II diabetes. Dr. Volchuk’s research will provide new knowledge regarding the underlying cellular processes that contribute to diabetes, and will offer insight into potential new treatment options.

Updates

New Review Team Improves Service

UHN is now able to initiate negotiations with industry sponsors within 72 hours of receipt of clinical trials contracts, reports Pat Clark, head of UHN’s new full-time Clinical Studies Agreements Review Team. Officially launched in February 2003, the team also includes Dawn Virag, who was previously with UHN’s CSRC, and Dr. Paola Cubillos-Rizo, who is a physician.
By reducing the time to contract review, this team will help improve the efficiency of clinical research at UHN.

OCI/PMH Researchers to Speak at Public Forum

Drs. Brenda Gallie and Richard Hill of OCI/PMH represent two of the many experts that will be on hand to discuss cancer research at the free public forum entitled “Progress and New Hope in the Fight against Cancer” that will be held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Saturday April 5, 2003 from 10:00-2:00. The forum kicks off the 94^th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and will highlight the exciting science that is driving the quest to cure cancer. For more information, visit www.aacr.org

Research Fact

The Arthritis and Autoimmune Research Centre (AARC) at UHN is the largest of its kind in Canada and brings together experts in the fields of rheumatology, orthopedic surgery and immunology. The work of the AARC is generously supported by the AARCF.