Angels Den 2024

Dr. Mohammad Qadura

Clinician Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Vascular Surgeon, St. Michael's Hospital

Muzammil Syed

Research Staff, St. Michael’s Hospital

THE CHALLENGE: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally. Although millions of people are prescribed medications to treat their condition, more than 30 percent don’t get the right dosages or medication. One reason is that factors such as weight and genetics that impact how well a medication performs are normally not considered.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Mohammad Qadura and Muzammil Syed have developed Cardio MedCheck. The device is a convenient urine test that measures the amount of cardiovascular drugs in your system to assess whether your body can absorb the medication, if you have the right amount, or if you need a different medication.

Dr. Fahad Razak

Clinician Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and General Internal Medicine Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital

Dr. Amol Verma

Clinician Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and General Internal Medicine Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital

THE CHALLENGE: Delirium is a state of confusion that affects one in three hospitalized adults. Patients experiencing delirium have two times the mortality rate and stay in the hospital for an average of eight days longer. Up to 40 percent of delirium cases can be prevented through interventions that improve sleep, mobility, cognition and nutrition. However, our overburdened healthcare staff often do not know who is at high risk of developing delirium.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Amol Verma and Dr. Fahad Razak want to develop an AI tool that predicts which patients are at high risk of developing delirium. The tool will alert healthcare workers in real-time so they can intervene and prevent delirium from occurring. Not only will patients fare better, but costs to the healthcare system will be significantly reduced.

Dr. Rola Saleeb

Clinician Investigator, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, and Pathologist, St. Michael’s Hospital

Dr. Kelsie Thu

Scientist, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Canada Research Chair in Lung Cancer Therapy Response

THE CHALLENGE: Every year, over 85,000 people in North America are diagnosed with kidney cancer. It’s a silent killer that can go undetected for years; one in four will die. Since there are many different types of kidney cancer, each with its unique biology, the current one-size-fits-all approach to therapy doesn’t work.

THE SOLUTION: Dr. Rola Saleeb and Dr. Kelsie Thu want to tailor kidney cancer treatment. They have identified a gene that defines the second most common type of kidney cancer which may make these tumours respond to a safe and Health Canada approved allergy medication. By testing this therapy, they hope to slow down kidney cancer growth and provide an alternative to chemotherapy.

Dr. Sunit Das

Clinician Scientist, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, and Neurosurgeon, St. Michael’s Hospital​

THE CHALLENGE: Thirty to 50 percent of patients with breast cancer will develop intracranial metastatic disease (IMD), which occurs when a cancer that starts in one part of the body spreads (metastasizes) to the brain. The development of IMD has a significant impact on a patient’s survival and their quality of life. Women with metastatic HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer, in particular, are at a higher risk of developing IMD. The big question is why?

THE SOLUTION: We will analyze tumour tissue from patients with HER2+ breast cancer and IMD in order to determine if the development of brain metastasis is associated with loss of HER2 expression or resistance to medicines that target HER2. The study will give us insight into disease mechanisms that lead to IMD in these patients, and help researchers identify new targets for more effective treatments.