Message from the Associate Dean of Research

Sketch of Stephane Angers

Message from the Associate Dean of Research

Sketch of Stephane Angers

Despite this past year’s disruptions, it has been inspiring to see the resilience of our research community and our ability to adapt and contribute to the global pandemic response.  While some of our researchers have pivoted their work to address the virus, others continued with ongoing research and some have engaged with news media for non-canonical contributions.  All these examples continue to heighten the impact and visibility of our Faculty and our research enterprise.

This year’s Dean’s Report highlights our research accomplishments over the past year and the way we continue to advance pharmaceutical sciences. In our pursuit to advance science and health through our five research areas, our scientists have attracted over $13 million in new funding. Collectively we have published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, advanced commercialization activities including two new start-up companies, and engaged with media to deliver over 1,300 interviews published by top Canadian and international news outlets. In November 2020, we celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto.  A number of our researchers continue to advance our understanding of diabetes and have contributed to the development of new therapies and technologies.

As we build on our 2020 successes and continue to foster our research enterprise, it is bittersweet for me. As I take on a new role as the Director of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, I reflect on my last 15 years at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.  In this time, I have seen the Faculty grow and expand the breadth and impact of its research activities.  We have created a number of research centres and initiatives, internal funding programs, and expanded the Research Office to help elevate our capacity and impact.  In this next chapter, I look forward to continued opportunities as we keep advancing pharmaceutical sciences.

Stéphane Angers
Director of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research
Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
University of Toronto

Despite this past year’s disruptions, it has been inspiring to see the resilience of our research community and our ability to adapt and contribute to the global pandemic response.  While some of our researchers have pivoted their work to address the virus, others continued with ongoing research and some have engaged with news media for non-canonical contributions.  All these examples…
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Research Facts and Figures

Faculty of Pharmacy Research Funding

2020-2021 Faculty of Pharmacy Research Funding Distribution

2020-2021 Tri-Agency Funding

Faculty of Pharmacy Number of Active Awards

Faculty of Pharmacy Average Award Budget

Research Funding

$13,718,462

total research funding awarded to Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Researchers

  • Tri-Agency $5,927,689 (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC)
  • Private Sector $1,312,925
  • Non for Profit Sector $3,233,578 (including foundations)
  • Government $3,254,270 (NIH, IDRC, Ontario Genomics, etc.)

90

number of applications submitted

44 successful
45 unsuccessful
1 pending

104

active grants

22 Government
27 Not for profit
9 Private Sector
46 Tri-Agency

46

Tri-Agency grants

24 CIHR
16 NSERC
1 SSHRC
5 Other

3

Canada Research Chairs

Researcher Awards

20

researcher awards

6 salary awards
14 awards (honor and others)

Publications

490

publications

This includes:
6 books and chapters
41 editorial reviews

Conferences & Symposia

155

virtual conferences attended

81 International Conferences
44 National Conferences
30 Local Conferences

Presentations by appointed Faculty members and trainees

72

abstracts

83

presentations

Media

More than

1,300

media interviews from March - May 2021

Our experts were featured in top national and international outlets, including:

  • National Geographic
  • National Public Radio (NPR)
  • The Globe and Mail
  • CBC Radio One
  • The Toronto Star

Entrepreneurship

7

start-ups

2 new
(ARMA Biosciences & Liberum Biotechnologies)
5 ongoing
(Antlera Therapeutics, Cellular Analytics, LSK Technologies, Nanology Labs and Nocimetrics)

64

commercialization projects

60 active
4 closed

40

licenses

3 new
36 ongoing
4 exercised /closed

19

patents, licences and invention disclosures

9 patents issues (Hong Kong, Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy, USA, Canada)
13 applications

10

invention disclosures

Inventions Disclosures including a Student

  • 8 include a student
  • 2 PI only

Assignment

  • 4 co-owned
  • 6 assigned to U of T

Centre for Pharmaceutical Oncology (CPO)

177

members

  • 22 Full Faculty
  • 16 Associate Faculty
  • 16 Research Staff
  • 73 Full Trainees
  • 20 Associate Trainees
  • 30 Other (visiting professors, visiting students, health professionals, etc.)

14

graduate student scholarships given

6

bi-weekly seminar series featuring leading national and international experts from University of Alberta, Universite Lavel, Rutgers, UHN, McGill, and LTRI
 

Centre for Practice Excellence (CPE)

8

speaker series presentations

2

symposia

1

four-day summit

Collaborations

  •  
  • The Hospital for Sick Children
  • Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition
  • Banting and Best Diabetes Center
  • Whole Health Pharmacy Partners
  • University of Saskatchewan
  • Ontario College of Pharmacists
  • Shoppers Drug Mart
  • University of Waterloo
  • Dalhousie University
  •  
  • Whole Health
  • Janzen's Pharmacy
  • Bio Pro Pharmacy
  • Therappx
  • University of Alberta
  • Women’s College Research Institute 
  • MedMe Health
  • Northwest Telepharmacy Solutions
  • University Health Network 
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
  • Memorial University
  • University of Canberra
  • Institute for Safe Medication Practices 
  • Center for Effective Practice
  • Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector (WHOCC)

15

research fellows

Research Fellows From

  • Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

  • Dalla Lana School of Public Health
  • Carleton University, School of Public Policy and Administration
  • Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
  • University of Toronto Faculty of Law
  • University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
  • University of Toronto Rotman School of Management
  • UC San Diego School of Medicine

11

collaborative seminars featuring leading national and international experts

Precision Medicine Initiative at University of Toronto (PRiME)

75+

members

150+

trainees across 15 University of Toronto Departments