Game-changing Ontario discoveries
Seven Schulich Medicine & Dentistry discoveries are being recognized as life-changing breakthroughs, and they need your vote as part of the Game-Changing Research at Ontario's Universities initiative.
The current list covers 50 discoveries spanning 100 years, and will be narrowed to the top-five favourites based on a public vote.
Dr. Charles Drake (1958) - Developed surgical techniques on the repair of ruptured brain aneurysms.
Dr. David Bailey (1991) - Discovered the dangerous interactions between grapefruit and certain medications.
Dr. Fred Possmayer (1981) - Developed a safe way to extract, purify and sterilize surfactant from animals for use in humans, in particular premature babies suffering from respiratory distress.
Dr. Murray Barr (1948) - Co-discovered an inactive chromatin, known as the Barr Body, linked to genetic disorders such as Down’s, Klinefelter’s and Turner syndromes. This led to a simple diagnostic test for certain genetic abnormalities.
Dr. Henry Barnett (1978) - Led a large international clinical trial to show that Aspirin prevents strokes, changing the way doctors managed heart disease.
Drs. Charles Beer and Robert Noble (1958) - Isolated vincaleukablastine, a powerful anti-cancer drug, from the Madagascar periwinkle plant. The drug turned out to be one of the most useful chemotherapeutic agents.
The online contest, organized by the Council of Ontario Universities' Research Matters Campaign, launched April 1 and voting will be open throughout the summer. The public’s top-five favourites will be announced in the fall.
