Lead Researcher: Dr. Andras Nagy
Organization: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
Breakthrough: Converting adult skin cells into pluripotent embryonic stem cells
Applications: The regenerative capacity of embryonic stem cells, the basic building block of every type of cell in the body, is a crucial component of research into incurable diseases like Parkinson's. But the furor surrounding harvesting stem cells from aborted fetuses has limited their use. Dr. Nagy's discovery allows scientists to sidestep that controversy by harmlessly manufacturing stem cells using adult skin.
Lead Researcher: Dr. Tony Pawson
Organization: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
Breakthrough: Monitoring human cellular communication
Applications: Cells grow by receiving signals communicated from outside to inside the cell. Diseases can occur when those communications go awry - for example, cancer is caused by a misinterpreted signal leading to uncontrolled growth. Dr. Pawson's work can be used to create cancer drugs that block those signals.
Lead Researcher: Dr. Aled Edwards
Organization: The University of Toronto
Breakthrough: Discovering the shape of human protein structures
Applications: Different diseases are made of differently shaped proteins. Drugs for arthritis, for example, work by blocking disease-related proteins of a certain shape. But they also block healthy proteins that look almost identical. By determining the precise shape of different proteins, Dr. Edwards hopes to make drug treatments more effective.
Lead Researcher: Dr. John Dick
Organization: University Health Network, The University of Toronto
Breakthrough: Turning normal blood cells into leukemia stem cells
Applications: Cancer is difficult to study in the human body, because it is usually only witnessed in mid to late stages. By converting human blood cells to beginning-stage leukemia cells in a lab then injecting them into specially designed mice, researchers can watch how the disease develops from beginning to end, potentially leading to a cure.
Lead Researcher: Dr. Steve Scherer
Organization: The Hospital for Sick Children
Breakthrough: Discovered the genetic risk factors for autism
Applications: Leading a team of 120 researchers in 11 different countries, Dr. Scherer discovered that people with autism have long stretches of missing or duplicated DNA, and that those stretches are different for each person. The discovery makes it possible to diagnose 10 per cent of those afflicted at birth, leading to earlier treatments.