Today’s Research

An idea can change the world—but only when it is nurtured in fertile ground. When it comes to addressing the complex health challenges facing us today—from diabetes to dementia to cancer and COVID-19—there are few institutions in the world with the multi-disciplinary impact, or the breadth and depth of talent, to make a real difference. The University of Toronto is one of those institutions.

COVID-19

A photo of U of T PhD candidate Ali Punjani

Startup’s technology plays role in ‘critical breakthrough’ in coronavirus research

Anxiety over COVID is negatively impacting Canadian workers, U of T study finds

A photo of Associate Professor Jean-Philippe Julien

How AI is enabling COVID-19 research

Diabetes

Diabetes drug could prevent brain damage in children receiving radiation for tumours: U of T study

Outline of body showing pancreas

Insulin 100: How the road to a diabetes cure is yielding better treatments

Researchers from IBBME developed a method to improve the transplantation success rate of artificial islets. From left: PhD student Sean M. Kinney, alumnus Alexander E. Vlahos, and Phd student So-Yoon Won. (Photo by Qin Dai)

U of T researchers develop method to improve transplantation of artificial insulin-producing cells

Drug Discovery and Design

Photo of genetic testing

U of T and health industry leaders urge investment in biomedical innovation

An illustration of DNA: a shape like a ladder twisted into a spiral, with the rails and rungs made up of tiny spheres.

‘Genome Archeologists’ at U of T and UHN activate immune response against cancer

Patrick Gunning, a principal investigator at U of T Mississauga's Centre for Medicinal Chemistry

Advancing Drugs to Fight Cancer and Other Diseases

Global Health, Public Health and Health Systems

Professor Tom Chau, a University of Toronto pediatric rehabilitation engineer, works with two graduate students to develop a brain-computer interface for children

Two U of T researchers to receive Governor General’s Innovation Award

Getting to net-zero emissions – what role does the health-care sector play?

Panoramic skyline of the far north. Ice covers the ground and a lone man is seen in the distance.

When Cancer Strikes, and You Live in Nunavut

Metabolism and Nutrition

photo of Stanley Zlotkin

How this U of T pediatrician came up with a solution to treat malnourished children around the world

Photo by Fredrik Rubensson via Flickr

Your bread is too salty – much too salty, says global survey

Woman Snacks on Mixed Nuts

Nuts are not linked to weight gain: U of T study

Mind and Brain Health

Cofounder and Scientific Advisor to Winterlight Labs, Frank Rudzicz

‘We want to change lives for the better’: U of T researcher probes the mind for signs of cognitive decline

An image from a brain scan shows a cross section of the head as seen from above, with a plum-sized mass on the middle left.

Brain cancer linked to tissue healing: U of T researchers

A photo of Bryan Stewart

Biology professor gets funding boost to develop new ways to test rare muscle disorder

Molecular Medicine and the Biology of Disease

U of T researchers discover how to get more cancer-fighting nanoparticles to where they’re needed

The 3D hydrogel created in University Professor Molly Shoichet’s lab was modelled to mimic the environment of lung cancer, enabling more effective and quicker drug screening (photo by Roberta Baker)

New way of growing cancer cells, developed at U of T, could speed up the search for new drug treatments

A surgeon's hand reaching for a scalpel, being offered by a robotic hand

AI and the MD: Doctors will soon use artificial intelligence to help diagnose and treat patients, opening up new possibilities for better health

Regenerative and Precision Medicine

A photo of Michael Laflamme and Gordon Keller

Interdisciplinary research team at U of T tackles remaining hurdles to using stem cells to reverse heart failure

Portrait of Amy Wong looking serious

U of T’s Medicine by Design invests $1 million to advance new ideas in regenerative medicine

Gut organoids are three-dimensional balls of intestinal tissues grown in the lab from stem cells that allow researchers to examine the role different types of cells play in bowel health. The red stain marks cell outlines, while DNA is shown in blue

From designer microbes to stem cells, U of T researchers are investigating new strategies to treat bowel disease