OGI News

25 February 2009

Publications by OGI-funded Researchers Make a Splash to Start 2009

Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) funded researchers are off to a strong start in 2009 in leading
international journals with a record of publishing high-impact papers in the life sciences sector.
Five research teams’ insights − in cancer, cardiovascular disease and cellular control mechanisms −
appeared in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Reviews Genetics and Molecular Cell.
Additionally, a new international journal, Genome Medicine, featured inaugural contributions from
OGI-funded scientists at the expanding interface of genomics and medicine.
Taylor et al. (2009) Nat Biotech, 27, 199. link Hegele (2009) Nat Rev Genet, 10, 109. link
Makhnevych et al. (2009) Mol Cell, 33, 124. link Dick (2009) Nat Biotech, 27, 44. link
Caulfield et al. (2009) Genome Med, 1, 8. link Buchanan et al. (2009) Genome Med, 1, 16. link
Leidel et al. (2009) Nature, 14 Jan ’09 (advance on-line). link

“The breadth and depth of the papers published by OGI-supported researchers continue to have a
significant impact on Ontario’s reputation as a global driver of innovation in genomics and, more
broadly, the life sciences sector,” commented Dr. Christian Burks, President and CEO of OGI.
“These insights into the molecular basis of disease also provide entry points for identifying new
treatments as well as more personalized approaches to providing treatment.”
Following their publication in Nature Biotechnology, Ontario researchers garnered widespread
media attention − including across Canada, in Britain’s The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, Brazil’s
national daily Correio Braziliense and in India’s The Hindu. Dr. Jeffrey Wrana, with colleagues
from Mt. Sinai Hospital (Drs. Ian Taylor, Rune Linding (now in UK), Yongmei Liu, Shelley Bull
and Tony Pawson,) and the University of Toronto (Drs. David Warde-Farley and Quaid Morris) as
well as Portugal, unveiled a software tool called Dynamic Network Modularity (DyNeMo), which
analyzes gene expression levels of proteins found in breast cancer tumours to support physicians
evaluating a patient’s treatment options. Their key innovation was filtering the expression levels
through the lens of protein interaction networks in the cell.
In Genome Medicine, Drs. Sarah Ali-Khan, Béatrice Séguin, Billie-Jo Hardy, Abdallah Daar (all of
University Health Network), Stephen Scherer (SickKids) and several Canadian and international
collaborators focused on the challenges, as medicine increasingly draws on human genetic
variation, of treatment of race and ancestry in biomedical research. Additionally, Drs. Janet
Buchanan, Peter Ray, Stephen Scherer and their colleagues at SickKids focused on the important
need for medical infrastructure to stay abreast of genomics technology development to better
benefit human health.

About OGI
The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) is a private, not-for-profit corporation focused on using world-class research to
create strategic genomics resources and accelerate Ontario’s development of a globally-competitive life sciences sector.
Through its relationship with Genome Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI), and other private
and public sector partners, OGI works to: identify, attract and support investment in Ontario-led genomics research;
catalyze access to and the impact of genomics resources; and, raise the visibility of genomics as well as its impact and
associated issues.
For more information on OGI, please visit www.OntarioGenomics.ca or contact Alastair Harris-Cartwright on +1 (416)
673-6582 or aharriscartwright@OntarioGenomics.ca