NETWORK SCIENTISTS RECEIVE WORLD-CLASS SCIENCE AWARDS

Vancouver - February 27th, 1997: The Canadian Genetic Diseases Network (CGDN) is pleased to announce that six network scientists have been awarded internationally recognized awards for their outstanding achievements in science.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has today awarded a total of $15 million dollars in research grants to 47 leading biomedical scientists in Canada and in Central and Latin America. Among the twenty Canadians recognized are network researchers Dr. Philippe Gros of McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Robert Korneluk of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Dr. Rod McInnes and Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and Dr. Peter St George-Hyslop of the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases in Toronto. The grants support outstanding scientists in the Americas who are advancing knowledge of how organisms develop, how the immune system functions, how our brains make sense of the world and other areas involving human health and disease. Many of these recipients are scientific leaders not only at home but worldwide.

The 1997 Killam Prize for Health Science has been awarded to Dr. David MacLennan of the Banting and Best Institute in Toronto. Awarded annually by The Canada Council, the Killam prizes are the country's most distinguished annual awards in the natural sciences, health sciences and engineering. As a biochemist and biophysicist Dr. MacLennan has conducted pioneering work in the understanding of the mechanism of ion transport. As a human geneticist, he has led teams that have defined the genetic basis of malignant hyperthermia, central core disease and, most recently, Brody disease.

The Michael Smith Award of Excellence was recently presented to Dr. Peter St George-Hyslop for his groundbreaking work in the field of Alzheimer disease. The award has been established by the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC) in honour of Dr. Smith, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. St George-Hyslop mapped and cloned a new family of genes called "presenilins" which, when mutated, are responsible not only for the aggressive early form of the disease, but also play an important role in all of its other forms.

Dr. Michael Hayden, Scientific Director of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, said: "The network is extremely proud of the outstanding recognition, both nationally and internationally, awarded our scientists. This is a clear indication of the excellence in research being carried out in the network and across the country."

The Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, a consortium of 37 of Canada's leading geneticists who are linked with 11 universities, 8 hospitals, and 10 core facilities across the country. The Network performs leading-edge research on common genetically transmitted diseases and works with industry partners on methods of detection and treatment of the diseases. Core funding for Network programs is provided by the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence Program through the Medical Research Council of Canada.