Podcasts about clinical evaluative sciences ices

In this conversation, Kieran Quinn, a general internist and palliative care clinician-scientist at Sinai Health in the Department of Medicine and at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and James Downer, a critical care and palliative care physician in Ottawa, discuss virtual end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://pcpcrc.ca/ - The Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative is a national network of researchers, healthcare providers, community stakeholders, and patient and caregiver partners who are passionate about palliative care research. Dr. Kieran Quinn is a General Internist and Palliative Care Clinician-Scientist at Sinai Health in the Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). His research focuses on using advanced analytic methods and large administrative datasets to improve access and delivery of high-quality end-of-life care for patients with terminal noncancer illness, such as heart failure and dementia, and improving the recognition and care of people with post COVID-19 condition (long COVID). Dr. Quinn was awarded the Governor General's Gold Medal for Academic Excellence and the John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology and Medicine. He is co-lead of Canada's national research network on post COVID-19 condition and co-chair for the development of clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of post COVID-19 condition. He served as the Assistant Director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, the Ontario Public Health Emergencies Science Advisory Committee, and as an Expert Member of the Chief Science Advisor's National Task Force on the Post COVID-19 Condition. His early research success includes over $28 million in competitive grant funding and 7 CIHR grants as the nominated principal applicant. He has mentored 12 trainees who have published and won several awards for their work together. He has 103 peer-reviewed publications, including 52 as first author or senior author in high-impact journals such as JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, and BMJ. Dr. James Downar is a Critical Care and Palliative Care physician in Ottawa. He graduated from McGill Medical School and completed residency training in Internal Medicine, Critical Care, and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto. He has a Master's degree in Bioethics from the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. He is currently the Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University of Ottawa and a Professor in the Department of Medicine. He is the chair of Palliative and End-of-Life Care at the University of Ottawa, the co-chair of the Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative, the chair of the Ethical Affairs committee of the Canadian Critical Care Society, and the co-chair of the Ontario Palliative Care Network's Provincial Education Steering Committee. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, has been principal investigator on more than 20 peer-reviewed grants, and is a former Associated Medical Services Phoenix Fellow. Dr. Downar also led several provincial and national efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was involved in planning for medication shortages for both critical care and palliative care and led the development of a critical care triage system for the event of major surge in critically ill patients His research interests include communication and decision-making for seriously ill patients and their families; Palliative Care for the Critically Ill; and Palliative Care for Noncancer Illnesses. http://amshealthcare.ca/

Henry talks with Nancy Baxter, a Canadian surgeon and public health researcher. She is the Head of Melbourne University's School of Population and Global Health, while continues to maintain her appointment as Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. [1] She is a scientist with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute[2] and is a Senior Scientist in the Cancer Theme Group with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). Baxter has achieved board certifications through the American Board of Surgery (2000) and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (2002). She is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She served as the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs[3] at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health from 2016 to 2020. She was Provincial GI Endoscopy Lead[4] for Ontario at Cancer Care Ontario from 2013 to 2020. This conversation was originally broadcast on 3SER's 97.7FM Casey Radio in March 2022. It was produced by Rob Kelly.

In this episode we spoke with Mahshid Yassaei about Tali, an innovative NLP-based information retrieval algorithm that is built for purpose to help clinicians at the point of care. Prior to Tali, Mahshid also co-founded Evenset, a custom medical and healthcare software development company focused on helping entrepreneurs and established companies bring innovative ideas to life through a fast-paced, agile software development process. Evenset's clients include startups such as textile computing company Myant, multibillion dollar corporations such as Essity, and government agencies such as Public Health Agency of Canada and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Ontario. We also talked about the team at Tali, the challenges of finding a certain type of talent and Mahshid's journey immigrating to Canada where she offers a unique perspective. We loved this talk and hope you will too! Check the full episode-webinar on our MedTech Trends Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/Al2zblNK2Z0 *****

Yona Lunsky, Ph.D., C.Psych, joins us to discuss creating space for patient partners in research, barriers to care for individuals with developmental disabilities, her personal connection to her work, and so much more!Dr. Lunsky is the Director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, and the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) Program at CAMH. She is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Scientist at Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), and has focused her research on the mental health needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families. Dr. Lunsky is the principal investigator of several studies examining clinical and systems issues related to health services. She is also involved in a number of projects focused on improving primary, emergency and mental health care. In more recent years she has become more involved in a number of partnership projects bringing together both researchers and clinicians with people with disabilities and their families to design innovative approaches to improving health care.Follow Dr. Yona Lunsky on Twitter. Find out more about the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) and other resources mentioned in the full show notes!This episode of Accidental Intellectual is produced by Bronwyn Lamond, Rachael Lyon, Harrison McNaughtan, Stephanie Morris, Lee Propp, and Ariana Simone. Our theme music is by Alexandra Willet and our branding by Maxwell McNaughtan.To learn more about the Accidental Intellectual podcast and get full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit our website at www.accidentalintellectual.com.

Dr. Yona Lunsky discusses state of mental health and developmental disability, how to notice mental health challenges, and different treatments.   In this episode, I welcome Dr. Yona Lunsky on to the podcast to talk about developmental disability (DD) and Mental Health. Dr. Yona Lunsky is Director of the Azriei Centre for Adult Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Mental Health, and Director of the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) Program at CAMH. She is Professor and Developmental Disabilities Lead in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). In this episode we discuss Dr. Lunsky’s journey into the field of mental health and developmental disability (DD), the state of mental health in the developmental disability community, how to notice mental health challenges, and the different treatment options available.     Below is a summary of some of the highlights from my conversation with Dr. Yona Lunsky. If you find this read interesting you can listen to the conversation in its entirety by clicking play on the player below, or searching ‘Empowering Ability’ on your podcast player, such as, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play.     On the podcast, Yona shares that she has an older sister who has a DD, and she tells us about her family experience. She also shares what led her down her career path to support people with developmental disabilities experiencing mental health challenges. Take a listen to the podcast to hear more of Yona’s Journey.   Why should we be talking about health in the Developmental Disability (DD) community?   Paraphrasing from the podcast, Yona shares, “When we are healthy we get to enjoy our lives. When we are unhealthy it restricts us; work, where we can live, how much money it costs day-to-day [living expenses], and the activities we can do. We know people with DDs are less healthy, and have more health problems than people that don’t have DDs. There are lots of reasons why they [People with a DD] are less healthy. It isn’t necessarily the disability, the disability itself is not a sickness, but how they manage their health, and the barriers that come up for people with DDs can impact their health.”     Mental Health in the DD community.   Yona shares, “The likelihood of having a mental illness is much greater for a person with a DD than without. In the general population 1 in 5 people experience mental health challenges. Through H-CARDD we looked at the number of people under 65 [years of age] with a DD that were given a psychiatric diagnosis over a two year period, and found it was 2 in 5 people. These problems are more common for people with DD, and they are less likely to get the help that they need. People with a DD are less likely to understand their emotions, and [are less likely] to be able to put language to it. This puts them at a disadvantage.”     What Does Dual Diagnosis Mean?   Having a DD and also having a mental health problem at the same time.   Diagnostic Overshaddowing   Yona explains, “If someone with a DD presents with symptoms of depression, the clinician might but look at the person and say oh that is your disability, and miss that the depression is actually there, and it may go untreated.”     Why might mental health be a larger challenge for people with a DD?   Yona explains, “What makes us feel healthy? Are we engaged in meaningful activities?, Do we have strong friendships?, Are we included?, Do we have opportunities to contribute?. People with DD are at a disadvantage here and this all impacts mental health. If the person themself can’t recognize there is a problem, then it becomes up to others to recognize there is a problem and we are worse at recognizing there is a problem when someone has a DD. By the time we do notice, it can be pretty late in the game, and this makes it even more difficult to help them.”   I ask, so what are the antidotes to poor mental health?   Yona shares first there are things we can do to prevent mental health challenges:   Things like bullying are clearly related to mental health, and we can give people skills so they know that to do in these situations. Building positive social relationships. These are reciprocal relationships and they are not stressful or demanding too much of you.   Doing things that are meaningful and important for you.   Yona explains the importance of taking action on these prevention steps for young adults with a DD, “There are many people who have mental health issues who are hospitalized in young adulthood. I don’t think this is a coincidence that this happens since when you finish school your activities, your friends and the people who know you really change. Not having anything to do during the day, and watching tv in the basement, losing friends, failing because there isn’t the right supports, all of this impacts your mental health.”   How do we help someone that might be experiencing a mental health challenge?   Yona shares, “Be a detective and notice what has changed. What is different now than before and be able to provide examples in daily life. It is important to notice the change, and it is easier to treat when there is a small mental health issue emerging.”   Yona promotes using the ‘HELP’ model when examining an individual’s mental health.   Yona explains the model on the podcast:   H - Health. First we need to look at what is going on in terms of health that could have changed. Is there a physical change? One thing that looks like depression is hypothyroidism, but this has nothing to do with depression. Constipation is one of the biggest issues leading to aggregation and discomfort for people with DD. And, this is often missed because the person might not be able to put the language to it.   E - Environment. What is going on in the environment? What are the supports and expectations right now? Are things stressful? Too demanding?  Are people expecting too little? Is there a good match between her situation, and what she feels she is able to do? If the match is poor than address it.   L - Life Events. What has happened in the past that might be contributing to this issue? Bullying, ostracized, loss (experiencing grief), etc..   P - Psychiatric. Once health, environment, and life events are examined - could it be depression or anxiety? Treatment for these mental illnesses could include engaging in activity, seeing a counselor, medication, etc.   Families can use this model in order before going to get help from a medical provider, and families can use this model with their mental health professional.     Treatment with Medication:   Paraphrasing from the podcast Yona shares:   “The research shows that the likelihood of being prescribed several medications at the same time is not small [for people with a DD]. These medications interact with each other, and cause other problems. These medications can help, but they can also harm.   In Ontario Canada, medications are paid for (antidepressants, etc) under the disability program. But, other services such as psychotherapy are not covered. The likelihood of fulfilling prescriptions are high, and the most commonly prescribed drug to people with DD are not for cholesterol, diabetes, or asthma, they are for psychiatric issues. The most commonly prescribed drug are antipsychotics. These are pretty heavy duty drugs which require a lot of monitoring.   If doctor prescribed medication to me, I would go on the computer and look at it, get a print out from the pharmacy, I would look at the side effects, and tell the doctor right away if I was noticing any of them. [However,] people with DD aren’t always able to notice the side effects, or to understand why they are taking the medication.”   ** Disclaimer: Do not just stop taking any medication that your doctor may have prescribed to you. Let this be a prompt to you to have a conversation with your doctor about your experience using your medication(s).     Let’s Talk About Mental Health   Yona’s final message is, “It is important to talk about it [mental health]. If we don’t talk about it we don’t solve anything by avoiding the problems. Mental health is just as important as any physical aspect of our health.”   On the podcast we discuss some practical ways on how to start the conversation on mental health. Take a listen!   If you received value from reading this blog or listening to this podcast episode, consider sharing it with someone else you feel would benefit. Coming soon there will be a way for you, or your organization, to contribute to this work. Stay tuned for the details.     Love & Respect, Eric Goll         Resources:   - Talk to Dr. Yona Lunsky on Twitter @yonalunsky   - Books beyond words   - H-CARDD Health Tools for people with disabilities and caregivers   - More on The HELP model   - Dual diagnosis resources from CAMH   - A Family guide to dual diagnosis    - Video of Dr. Yona Lunsky discussing the HELP ideas             If you received value from this content please leave me a review on iTunes. By leaving a 5 star review on iTunes you make the Empowering Ability Podcast more discoverable, and more families will benefit. Click Here To Leave a Review on iTunes       The Empowering Ability Podcast is available on iTunes and various other apps so that you can listen while on the go from your smartphone!   Click Here To Listen on iTunes

Show Topic: When Cultures Collide to Heal Co-Hosts:  Judy Gaman, Mark Anderson, Walter Gaman Guest: Jason Elias Segment 1 Today we are venturing out. We will be talking about when cultures collide to bring ultimate healing and we have on with us a special guest later this hour, Jason Elias, a healer that has studied all types of different cultural ways of healing. (Connect) Discuss how you use a combination of western medicine, herbs, and alternative medicine to treat patients (give examples) Why we need a combination or hybrid of medicine How the FDA is behind the times (Inspire) talk about the blessings that come with the world's ability to share information on new and old remedies – not just what you learn in medical school. MUSIC FOR DOC SHOCK (JIM) Concussion study out of Canada looking at the link between concussion and suicide. Researchers from the University of Toronto, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Sunnybrook Research Institute, all of Toronto, in Canada. Looked at 235,110 patients who had a concussion over a 20-year period. The patients were aged 41 years on average, evenly split between genders, and most lived in cities. The majority had no suicide attempt, hospitalization or past psychiatric disorder. In the 9.3 years following the concussion, 667 suicides occurred. Weekday concussion incidents were associated with 519 suicides, or 29 per 100,000 people. This was triple the rate for the general population of Canada, and higher than that for military personnel. There were 148 suicides among weekend concussion patients. At 39 per 100,000, this was four times the population norm. Basically, a concussion triples or quadruples the risk of suicide. Read the study! Follow us on Facebook! Tweet us on Twitter! Download the show on iTunes! Visit our website! Call us at  844-well 100   Segment 2 Coming up – A very interesting guest. We are big on bringing medical information from all angles. Today we will visit with Jason Elias. He is a practitioner with his own interesting story of healing.   ANDERSON - Immortal minute “This Immortal Minute is brought to you by - Solis mammography – exceptional experience and exceptionally accurate results”   Jason's Certification and Professional Training includes National Certification as a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine and a Diplomate of Chinese  Herbalism (NCCAOM—1991), a Licensed Acupuncturist (NYS—1983), a Licensed Massage Therapist, Swedish Institute (NYC—1974), and a MA in Pschology (New School for Social Research, NYC—1973).  He trained in Western herbal medicine in New York and England with Simon Mills, Director of Complementary Health Studies, Exeter University, UK—1980-1983.  Jason has also trained Internationally with experts in Shiatsu and Aikido in Japan; with a prominent Chinese acupuncturist and herbalist in Hong Kong; with spiritual healers in the Philippines; and with an Ayurvedic master in India. You had an interesting journey of healing that you discuss in your latest book Kissing Joy As It Flies: A Journey in Search of Healing & Wholeness How do you feel that western medicine, Chinese medicine, and herbs can all work together in the healing process?   SHOUT OUT TO MILITARY, Facebook (stay young media group) , download podcasts – follow us on twitter @StayYoungMedia coming up  - The steps you can take today to reach your health potential.   Segment 3 Coming up, Dementia Defender 844-WELL100 Discuss: We are visiting with Jason Elias, a healing practitioner with an amazing story to tell. He has a new book out Kissing Joy As It Flies: A Journey in Search of Healing & Wholeness and if you are just tuning in – be sure to catch this episode in its entirety on iTunes – you can subscribe for free to Staying Young Show 2.0 and catch this and all our shows. Discuss other book The A to Z Guide to Healing Herbal Remedies Why the website Five Element Healing is so good – Conditions addressed A to Z – in-depth analysis and simple solutions. Impressed on the information you have on Lymes! What take away message do you have for our listeners? Judy tease DD – grab a pen!  844-well100. Coming up Medical Mania Trivia and then at the end of the show -  Dementia Defender Riddle of the day – your chance to win a free copy of the book Age to Perfection. Follow us on Twitter @StayYoungMedia   Segment 4 MEDICAL TRIVIA  - Addy H How often does the epidermis, the outer layer of our skin replace itself? (About once every four weeks.) If you have a perfusionist in your operating room, what type of operation are you most likely having? (Open heart. The perfusionist runs the machine that keeps oxygen running through your blood while they work on your heart.) What do the letters CAT represent in CAT scan--the three dimensional composite image that can be taken of the body, brain or lungs? (Computerized axial tomography) What is the name of the protein--the most abundant in the human body--that holds our skin together? (Collagen) How many bones are there in the human hand? (27) Open discussion. DEMENTIA DEFENDER   End Show   Thank you for listening to the Staying Young Show! With all the mixed messages on health, you need information that you can use and that you can trust. Listen in as the experts discuss all topics health related. It's time to STAY YOUNG and stay healthy! Each week we tackle a topic and often with leading scientists, best-selling authors, and even your favorite celebrities! As a listener of our show, your input is important to us. Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey so we can serve you better - Survey For more information on The Staying Young Show, please visit our website, and subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. You can also reach out to our host, Judy Gaman on www.judygaman.com for book purchasing, and speaking opportunities in your area!

Welcome to another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I am your host – Michelle Currie – here to give you the rundown on the Canadian biotech scene. This week I’ll be discussing how the regenerative medicine community is abuzz, expanding personalized medicine, and the very recent announcement from the Ontario government that brings great news to the life sciences sector.   +++++  The regenerative medicine field, which includes cell and gene therapies (CGTs), is still abuzz with the fall approvals of three CGTs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Novartis’ Kymriah, Gilead/Kite Pharma’s Yescarta and Spark Therapeutics Inc.’s Luxturna.  At the Cell and Gene Therapy World conference in Miami, Florida (January 22-25), many of the talks were either about the approved treatments or congratulating the industry on these significant milestones.  Reni Benjamin, of Raymond James Financial, reminded delegates that the pharmaceutical industry is also feeling confident about cell and gene therapes s. Acquisitions in 2017 were worth billions: Gilead acquired Kite for $11.9 billion, Takeda bought Ariad for $5.2 billion and Roche acquired Ignyta for $1.7 billion. As the conference was just getting underway, the news was announced that Celgene is buying Juno Therapeutics for $9 billion.  Illustrating the future of the field are the more than 1,300 currently open clinical trials listing stem cells (from sources other than blood) as the primary therapeutic, the 1,000 clinical trials in gene therapy, and clinical trials involving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (a type of immune system cell) accounted for around half of clinical trials in 20162.  As such, global investment in the cell and gene therapies and regenerative medicine industry is booming. For example, public and private investment in immuno-oncology has grown to $1.5 billion2. When it comes to gene therapies, the forecast for the year 2025 ranges from $4.3 billion to $10 billion2 due to recent advances in the understanding of genetic disease, and innovation in genetic engineering tools. Altogether, it is estimated that the regenerative medicine industry will explode to a valuation of up to $20 billion by the year 2025.     So, where does Canada sit in terms of being an innovator in these advanced therapeutic technologies?     Let’s start with the good news. Canada is a prominent force in this emerging global field. We have a strong backbone of Canada-based researchers who are recognized scientific leaders, and a robust system for the development of highly-qualified personnel through Canada’s universities. We have also benefited from strategic investments in research, collaborative networks and infrastructure, and are developing a deep understanding of how to translate these advanced therapies from the bench to the bedside.  One way to sustain Canada’s leadership position is to nurture the right skills and education within our borders. Encouraging STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education from a young age is a necessary first step. Extending STEM-based education with biomedical engineering programs at the university level is a good strategy for supporting the growth of Canada’s CGT and regenerative medicine industry. Biomedical engineering – where engineering design principles and mathematics are applied to medicine and biology, allowing students to make significant contributions to improving human health by finding new diagnostic or therapeutic solutions – is an area Canadian universities are increasingly focusing on.  An illustration of how biomedical engineers are already impacting the regenerative medicine field can be found at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and at Medicine by Design. The 55-year-old IBBME fosters a multidisciplinary research community where students and investigators in engineering, medicine and dentistry collaborate to develop innovative solutions that address global challenges in human health. Their impact can be seen in the development of breakthrough biomedical devices and new biomaterial products.  Funded in 2015 with a generous federal grant, Medicine by Design builds on IBBME’s successful multidisciplinary model to conceive, create and test strategies to address critical problems in regenerative medicine. By working across disciplines and generating and using emerging methods, like genome editing, computational modelling and synthetic biology, Medicine by Design is generating a deeper understanding of core biological concepts controlling stem cell fate, and devising new therapeutic approaches that will improve health outcomes.  This successful approach is now receiving a significant boost in Vancouver, where the University of British Columbia (UBC) has launched a new School of Biomedical Engineering as a partnership between the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Applied Science.     Centre of commercialization and regenerative medicine, a Toronto-based leader in developing and commercializing regenerative medicine technologies, understands how the intersection of engineering and medicine, introduced by biomedical engineers, can help provide the tools that will advance the industry now and into the future.  One area where Centre of commercialization and regenerative medicine employs biomedical engineers is in its Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies (CATCT), a joint investment by GE Healthcare and the Government of Canada. Biomedical engineers work on process development strategies and solutions, and on projects involving reprogramming and engineering cells, immunotherapies and gene therapies. Operational for over a year, Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies was created to accelerate the development and adoption of cell manufacturing technologies that improve patient access to novel regenerative medicine-based therapies. The team introduces new technologies to solve emerging technical challenges and closes gaps in current and future workflows.      Our next challenge is to make certain that we have the people, technologies, processes and infrastructure to ensure Canadians have equitable access to these potentially game-changing therapies. Biomedical engineering programs are a start. Engineers are trained to look for efficiencies through cost reductions and improved technologies.  We need to build a Canadian innovation cluster that will attract talent and business expertise to capture the intellectual property developed in Canada and mobilize it for the benefit of Canadians.  We also need to work with government to position our health-care system as part of our competitive advantage. A big part of getting to this step in getting to this solution is starting to look at health economic models that integrate therapeutic costs and savings from development through to long term patent treatment costs.  Together, Canada’s companies, networks, researchers, start-ups and innovative centres are starting to deliver on the promise of regenerative medicine. With the technical know-how and a spirit of collaboration, biomedical engineers are a driving force in the country’s quest to lead the regenerative medicine industry into the future.  +++++  Personalized medicine is becoming a very popular term heard amongst researchers and the scientific community. It is a more tailored approach to preventing disease that is based on an individual’s predispositions. Whichever way you put it – personalized medicine, genomic medicine, precision medicine – it is reshaping healthcare.  Dr. Richard Kim, a scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute and clinical pharmacologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), has received $4.4 million to study an expanded personalized medicine program at London Health Sciences Centre. One-third of the funding comes from the provincial government’s Ontario Research Fund (ORF) while the remainder is contributions from Thermo Fisher Scientific and donor funding through London Health Sciences Foundation.  Personalized medicine uses pharmacogenomics – the study of genetic changes that alter the way a person responds to individual drugs. The new funding will enable researchers to follow patient outcomes and assess the cost-effectiveness of London Health Sciences Centre’s personalized medicine program, providing evidence on the relationship between the cost of the program and how patient care is improved.  London Health Sciences Centre’s personalized medicine program involves the full integration of research into patient care and was the first in Canada to implement personalized medicine as a clinical strategy. The practice began in 2008 through Dr. Kim’s research on warfarin – a blood thinner prescribed to treat blood clots.  Adverse drug reactions in patients is a significant problem. Some drugs do not metabolize with every patient, and can even lead to toxicity. It is the fourth leading cause of death among hospitalized patients and costs the Canadian health care system over $5 billion a year.  Dr. Kim explains, “For every medication, there are patients who should be prescribed lower or higher than the recommended standard dose and patients who should be prescribed an entirely different medication. Personalized medicine studies a patient’s unique DNA to ensure he or she is prescribed the right dose of the right medication at the right time.”  The team’s research continues to grow since inception and is providing testing for several other drugs. For example, they can now offer testing for cancer patients that have been prescribed 5-fluorouracil – a highly toxic form of chemotherapy – but is integral in treating bowel, stomach, head, and neck cancers.  Oncologists at London Health Sciences Centre’s London Regional Cancer Program can now refer patients to get tested for their potential reaction to 5-fluorouracil to better predict if they may or may not have an adverse reaction. A blood sample will be taken and tested with genotyping, and a full report given to the recommending oncologist. If a patient’s predicted to react poorly with the drug, they can follow clinical guidelines to either reduce the dose or find a method of treatment.  The team will study the outcomes of any patients referred to the program, including hospital stays, emergency department visits, and physician visits. These patients will be compared to others in the province using provincial health care data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The team hopes to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of implementing personalized medicine in a large acute-care hospital in Ontario.  +++++  The most recent announcement from the government of Ontario this past week was that it is investing $50 million in venture capital funds focused on life sciences.  Ontario is moving forward with their plan for a venture capital fund to aid life sciences firms access the capital they need to grow their business, create jobs, and grow on a global level.  The Ontario Capital Growth Corporation (OCGC) would like to identify fund managers to partner with other institutional investors such as corporations, banks and pension funds. Ontario’s new life sciences venture capital fund is designed to respond to the challenges faced in raising capital by innovative, high-potential life sciences companies to scale up and reach global markets.  The Hon. Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation says, “Providing much needed capital to growing life sciences companies is a crucial step towards a strong and sustainable life sciences ecosystem. Supporting high-potential life sciences companies will create good jobs and help commercialize technologies and services for improved healthcare at home and around the world.”  Ontario’s new venture capital fund focused on life sciences is designed to respond to the challenges faced in raising capital by innovative, high-potential life sciences companies to scale up and reach global markets. It will also help businesses foster new discoveries, including new technologies, treatments and cures for illnesses while supporting high quality, knowledge-based jobs for people across the province. It will also drive Ontario’s ability to attract and retain talent.  The Ontario Capital Growth Corporation, venture capital agency of the government of Ontario, was created to promote and develop the venture capital sector in Ontario, so that more high-potential technology companies have access to the capital needed to grow and prosper.  Supporting innovation in the life sciences is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.  Ontario is the largest life sciences jurisdiction in Canada with more than 50 per cent of overall Canadian revenue. The province includes an incredible 1,840 firms employing close to 61,000 people across the province. This fund will open many doorways for Canadians and Ontarians.   +++++  Well, that wraps up another episode of Biotechnology Focus radio. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a story idea or would like to be on the show, please email me at press@promotivemedia.ca. To see the articles in full check out the website biotechnologyfocus.ca ca so you don’t miss a beat! Have a momentous week. From my desk to yours – this is Michelle Currie.

David Juurlink is a physician, pharmacologist, and drug safety researcher. He's affiliated with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Though he deals with many drug classes in his daily work, his perspectives on opioid prescribing and the "opioid epidemic" in particular have received a lot of attention. You can find his posts about opioids and many other topics on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DavidJuurlink. In this episode we discuss opioid prescribing, the long-term risks and benefits of opioids, and his policy opinions. You can learn more about Dr. Juurlink here: https://www.ices.on.ca/About-ICES/ICES-Scientists/J/David-Juurlink ---- How you can support TDC: https://thedrugclassroom.com/support/ ---- Music credit: Lee Rosevere (BY)

Interview with Dr. Natasha Saunders, general paediatrician and associate scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children and health services researcher at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), in Toronto. In their research article, Dr. Saunders and her co-authors wanted to verify the immigrant paradox, which states that even though immigrants may be more socially disadvantaged, they tend to have better health outcomes than nonimmigrants. Dr. Saunders and her co-authors discovered very high rates of firearm injuries among children and youth in Ontario. She explains their research findings in this podcast. Full research article (open access): www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.160850 ----------------------------------- Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page. Our podcasts are also released on www.cmaj.ca and on www.cmajblogs.com.

Live from the floor of Digestive Disease Week in Washington DC, GI Insights presents two interviews focusing on screening, surveillance, and therapeutic updates for colorectal and liver cancers, hosted by Dr. Barry Mennen. Guests on this program include: Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Vice President of Prevention and Cancer Control at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. Dr. Rabeneck speaks on global initiatives to increase awareness about colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. Dr. Kris Kowdley, Director of the Liver Care Network and Research Director of the Organ Care Program at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Dr. Kowdley summarizes key takeaways on recognition of liver cancer and other related diseases of the liver in American populations today.

Live from the floor of Digestive Disease Week in Washington DC, GI Insights presents two interviews focusing on screening, surveillance, and therapeutic updates for colorectal and liver cancers, hosted by Dr. Barry Mennen. Guests on this program include: Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Vice President of Prevention and Cancer Control at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. Dr. Rabeneck speaks on global initiatives to increase awareness about colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. Dr. Kris Kowdley, Director of the Liver Care Network and Research Director of the Organ Care Program at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Dr. Kowdley summarizes key takeaways on recognition of liver cancer and other related diseases of the liver in American populations today.