News

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 in leukemia growth, maintenance, and spread. Current laboratory experimental systems are not yet able to recapitulate this dynamic relationship outside of the body, and animal studies cannot visualize the changes in AML progression until death of the animal. Such methodologies are blind to important aspects…

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 axis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. To complete this project, Su performed literature reviews and media audits on the topic. She then proceeded to script, storyboard, and animate 2D motion graphics and 3D visualizations to effectively communicate the story. Su’s animation includes high-end 3D visualizations, using…

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 in the areas of leukemia and lymphoma. The award totals $5,900 for one year. 2) The Sona Naran PANCHA Graduate Award in Leukemia Research, awarded to one student from the Faculty of Medicine demonstrates excellence and outstanding achievement in the area of leukemia research. The…

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 5th Canadian Cancer Research Conference, respectively. Their respective conference reports were featured in the ORT Times’ May and June editions, go and read about their experiences!  

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 Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) Research Committee Working Group to ensure a harmonized approach for restarting research across Toronto-area hospitals and the University of Toronto. At the DaCosta lab, our goal is to resume our suspended onsite research activities to the greatest extent possible,…

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 be assisting the amazing UHN hospital staff as much as possible during this time by volunteering for screening and other services. Stay Safe!

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, which will prepare her for both highly competitive and productive research and clinical practice. We wish Safa much success in her future training and career!

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. Through a better understanding of the molecular biology of these tumours, his lab has made great strides to devise novel, more effective treatment strategies. We are excited to contribute our intravital imaging expertise to the research of this critical disease affecting children’s health globally.

Dr. Sara Rapic was invited to the University of Ottawa to teach a 2-day course on In Vivo Optical Imaging. She shared her expertise in optical imaging systems and provided insight into experimental techniques and image analysis required for scientific success.

We would like to welcome Arcturus Phoon to the DaCosta Lab. He has joined the lab as part of the clinical research team and will be assisting with the ongoing breast cancer and diabetic foot ulcer clinical trials. He completed his Undergratuate Studies at UofT in 2019 and worked with UHN’s THETA group before joining the DaCosta Lab.