U of T Mississauga launches Centre for Medicinal Chemistry
The University of Toronto Mississauga has launched an interdisciplinary centre for the development of new drugs targeting cancer and other diseases, thanks to a $7 million donation from Mississauga-based Orlando Corporation.
The laboratory of Professor Patrick Gunning of UTM’s Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences is the catalyst for the creation of the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry. Gunning’s research team designs lead compounds that have the potential to be turned into cancer-fighting drugs. The core team of the centre will include Gunning and four new principal investigators who will partner in medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, cancer biology and stem cell biology. The centre’s focus will be to create compounds that are purpose-built to interrupt specific biochemical processes while avoiding harm to normal cellular functions.
“On behalf of the entire U of T community, I would like to thank Orlando Corporation for this extraordinary gift,” says Meric Gertler, president of U of T. “It will add more new talent to the brilliant team led by Professor Gunning, propelling them towards breakthrough innovations with the potential to save countless lives.”
In an earlier announcement, Gunning’s research team received $5.9 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.
“The research being conducted by Patrick and the Gunning Group has been truly groundbreaking over the past few years,” says Professor Vivek Goel, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation. “The creation of this centre is the logical next step that will help to bring cancer drugs to patients more quickly and efficiently.”
In just the past five years, the Gunning team has moved four lead compounds to advanced pre-clinical trials. The great promise of this research is to dramatically reduce the time and cost of developing lead compounds, resulting in a much larger pipeline of molecules to fight many forms of cancer as well as other diseases.
“I am profoundly grateful to Orlando Corporation for this incredibly generous investment,” Gunning says. “Through this gift, we have a unique opportunity to dramatically scale the work that has already taken place in our efforts to develop life-saving drugs, and in doing so, also train a cohort of highly-skilled talent in the life sciences.”
“UTM injects over $1.3 billion annually into Peel region, with the bulk of the share going to Mississauga,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie of Mississauga says. “UTM’s rapid growth is proof that Mississauga Council’s unprecedented 10-year-$10-million grant to build the Innovation Complex is working. With plans for the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry, this campus continues to assert its own identity and reputation for research excellence.”
“Orlando Corporation has had a long history of supporting healthcare in the Greater Toronto area and specifically Mississauga,” says Phil King, Orlando’s president. “We are delighted to contribute to the establishment of the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry. The impressive record of the Gunning lab in early research trials promises great things for the future of cancer research. We are pleased to support a centre that will have such a significant impact on the health of so many people around the world.”
CONTACT:
Jane Stirling
Marketing and Communications
University of Toronto Mississauga
905-569-4350
jane.stirling@utoronto.ca
Nicolle Wahl
Marketing and Communications
University of Toronto Mississauga
905-569-4656
nicolle.wahl@utoronto.ca
