Dr. Daniel Drucker, Principal Investigator and leading diabetes clinician-research at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, received two prestigious awards: the Prix Galien Canada Research Award 2008 for his substantial contribution to the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of diseases; and the 2009 Clinical Investigator Award from The Endocrine Society.

Dr. Rayjean Hung, Principal Investigator in the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute’s Prosserman Centre for Health Research, became one of seven Ontario scientists to win a prestigious Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Research Chair program is designed to attract leading new scientists to Ontario and further strengthen the province’s cancer research capacity. In spring 2008, Dr. Hung led an international study that uncovered, for the first time, an important genetic region associated with lung cancer risk.

Dr. Nadine Kolas, Lunenfeld postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Daniel Durocher’s lab at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, was awarded the prestigious 2008 Polanyi Prize. Given to only five postdoctoral fellows in Ontario each year, the prize is awarded to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career by the Ontario Government, in recognition of University of Toronto Professor and Nobel Prize winner Dr. John Polanyi. Dr. Kolas and colleagues recently discovered two genes that help cells avoid mutations and cancer, providing a new understanding of tumour development and new hope for potential cancer treatment.

Dr. Tony Pawson, Lunenfeld’s Distinguished Investigator and world-renowned cell biologist, became the first Canadian scientist to be named a Kyoto Prize Laureate by The Inamori Foundation of Kyoto, Japan. The Kyoto Prize is an international award that honours those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of humankind. Dr. Pawson also received an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree from the University of Alberta.

Dr. Frank Sicheri, Principal Investigator, was awarded the Merck Frosst Prize, recognizing his work in the structure and function of protein kinases. The Merck Frosst Prize is given to an accomplished, outstanding researcher in the fields of biochemistry, molecular or cellular biology, with less than ten years of independent research experience.

Dr. Louis Siminovitch, Director Emeritus, was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. Dr. Siminovitch, the Lunenfeld’s founding Director of Research, is one of 42 Canadian scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their remarkable achievements and contributions to Canadian society. Other notable members of the Hall of Fame include Alexander Graham Bell, Frederick Banting and Maude Abbott.

Dr. Katherine Siminovitch, Senior Investigator, was awarded the Jeanne Manery Fischer Memorial Lectureship, which recognizes outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Siminovitch is a leading geneticist who studies the molecular mechanisms of immunological diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

ScienceWatch.com, a Thomson Reuters media outlet that tracks trends and performance in basic research, named the Luenfeld’s Director of Research, Dr. Jim Woodgett a Rising Star in the field of Molecular Biology & Genetics. Dr. Woodgett’s published research in 23 papers has been cited a total of 2,061 times within ten years. His full record over all fields includes 72 papers cited a total of 5,122 times.