The DaCosta lab attended this year’s World Molecular Imaging Conference from October 6-9, 2020, held virtually. Each year, the WMIC bridges a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. This year WMIC focused on bridging the core disciplines of Molecular Imaging and Biology. The outcome was a cutting-edge program that merged early discovery…

Drs. Ralph DaCosta and Mark Minden have been awarded a 4-year CIHR Project Grant to identify new treatment options for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).   AML is a disease of the bone marrow (BM) that spreads throughout the bones of affected patients. Interactions between AML cells and its surroundings play important protective and promotive functions…

Su Min Suh, a candidate of the MScBMC program at UofT, has completed her Masters’ Research Project on the window chamber method as a novel intravital approach of cellular imaging. The animation was created to spread awareness of the window chamber method and to provide a new, effective mode of communication to describe the CXCR4/SDF1…

Congratulations to Helen Jin, who was recently awarded with the prestigious Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), valued at $15,000 and spread over 3 sessions. She has additionally been awarded the following two University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine awards: 1) The David RAE Graduate Student Scholarship, awarded to one student from the Faculty of Medicine studying…

The UHN Office of Research Trainees (ORT) Times is a monthly e-newsletter for UHN trainees that features articles about trainee life, tips on career development, and research training opportunities within and outside of UHN. Partly supported by an ORT Travel Award, Dr. Sara Rapic and Christopher Gibson attended the 12th World Molecular Imaging Conference and…

In alignment with the Government of Ontario’s phased approach for relaxing its emergency measures, the University Health Network has commenced a phased return to research during the coming months in a manner that puts the health and safety of our community at the forefront. UHN’s Research Restart Committe is working within a framework developed by a…

During the outbreak of COVID-19, the DaCosta lab has temporarily halted research projects. Clinical trials will resume when hospital clinics have resumed normal operation. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the lab at dacostalab@uhnresearch.ca. More information on the COVID-19 pandemic at the University Health Network can be found here. Our team will…

We would like to congratulate Safa Majeed on her acceptance into the prestigious MD/PhD Program at the University of Toronto. Safa was a devoted summer student in our lab from 2013 all through 2018, joining our research activities with much enthusiasm and dedication. Starting this fall, she will be training to become a physician scientist,…

Collaborations are a cornerstone of the DaCosta lab. Recently, we have joined forces with Dr. Michael Taylor (SickKids) to study medulloblastoma spread to the brain and spinal cord by providing innovative in vivo optical imaging platforms. Dr. Taylor’s research focuses on the molecular genetics of medulloblastoma and ependymoma, two of the most common malignant paediatric brain tumours.…