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

In a lab, a jet of something bright and hot shoots out of a hose and through a metal box.

Copper-coated face masks could help slow transmission of COVID-19: U of T researchers

A photo of U of T PhD candidate Ali Punjani

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

U of T alumna – and medical resident – honoured with one-of-a-kind Barbie doll

Diabetes

Dr. Daniel Drucker was awarded the EASD-Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence (photo courtesy of U of T Medicine)

U of T’s Daniel Drucker celebrated for diabetes research with ‘remarkable global impact’

A woman pricks her finger with a palm-sized device for measuring blood sugar levels.

Virtual symposium celebrates U of T’s discovery of insulin, looks to future of diabetes research

Developed by U of T researchers, first-of-its-kind skin patch aims to prevent low blood sugar in diabetes

Drug Discovery and Design

The researchers say drugs derived from natural compounds, as opposed to the synthetic ones, tend to be more effective because "they were honed by evolution to work on living cells" (photo via Wikipedia Commons)

Drugs from nature: Researchers from U of T, Japan mine microbial compound library for new therapeutics

U of T prof’s AI startup, Deep Genomics, raises US$180 million: The Globe and Mail

Ruby Sullan, an assistant professor at U of T Scarborough, says her team has designed an approach that can curb the onset of drug resistance in bacteria (photo by Ken Jones)

Nanoparticles show promise in defeating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, U of T researchers find

Global Health, Public Health and Health Systems

Illustration by Adam Hale, The Daily Splice

The deadly global fungus: Leah Cowen’s lab aims to understand how C. auris works and how to stop it

a photo of Nav Persaud

The High Price of Pills

A pregnant woman, looking down at her belly, is silhouetted against a curtained window.

Pregnant Inuit women exposed to higher levels of chemicals found in consumer products: U of T study

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

Woman Snacks on Mixed Nuts

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

PROFESSOR DEBORAH O'CONNOR

Antibiotics Affect Breast Milk Microbiota in Mothers of Preterm Infants, U of T Study Shows

Mind and Brain Health

U of T researchers find key differences in symptoms between early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s

What the Zebrafish Can Tell Us

WALTER SWARDFAGER AND CHE-YUAN (JOEY) WU

U of T researchers find diabetes medication may slow memory decline in Alzheimer’s patients

Molecular Medicine and the Biology of Disease

A cancer cell is surrounded by immune T killer cells (photo courtesy of National Institutes of Health)

U of T researchers identify genes that enable cancer to evade the immune system

Pushing the boundaries of micro-robotics, U of T researchers create ‘RoboWorm’

To speed discoveries, U of T lab launches free library of virtual, AI-calculated organic compounds

Regenerative and Precision 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

U of T researchers’ lab-grown muscles used to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy, develop treatments

A photo of Shana Kelley

‘This is like finding a needle in a haystack’: U of T researchers develop liquid biopsy technology for prostate cancer