An international research team, led by CGDN scientists, Drs. Erwin Schurr and Tom Hudson, has discovered that small variations in two genes Parkin2 and PACRG, make people more susceptible to leprosy. This could explain why the disease persists globally even though the bacteria that cause leprosy can be killed with drugs, stated Erwin Schurr in an interview with the Toronto Star in January.

Leprosy, as stated in a recent World Health Organization report, is a disease of the poor, the underprivileged and the marginalized. It currently affects approximately one million people worldwide with its highest incidence in Southeast Asia and Africa. Dr. Schurr and his colleagues hope to use these newly identified genetic variations as risk markers to enable identification of susceptible individuals before they develop the leprosy, so that they may receive preventative treatment.

A team of scientists, led by CGDN Investigators Drs. William Foulkes and Steven Narod, discovered that the presence of either the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation in a patient will significantly impact the pattern of metastasis in breast cancer patients. Traditionally, it was believed that the larger a tumor in a breast cancer patient, the more likely it was that the cancer cells had metastasized into the lymph system. The results of this study demonstrate that the tumor size in a breast cancer patient with the BRCA1 gene mutation is not necessarily correlated with local disease progression.

Hellmuth Prize

Robert Hegele

The Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research and is the University of Western Ontario's highest honour of research excellence.

Steacie Prize

Stephen Scherer

The Steacie Prize, named in memory of E.W.R. Steacie, a physical chemist and former President of the National Research Council of Canada, is awarded to a young scientist or engineer for outstanding scientific research carried out in Canada.