The Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) was founded in 1966 by Dr. Bernhard “Hardi” Cinader. A pioneering figure in immunological research across Canada, Dr. Cinader was inaugurated as the organization’s first president and founded the Institute of Immunology in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto in 1971, prior to the birth of...

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Despite having its statehood established relatively recently in 1867 and hosting a relatively small population of just over 40 million inhabitants, Canada has an illustrious history of major contributions to science and medicine.  Perhaps most well-known among Canadian contributions to medicine is the discovery of insulin and associated methods for its purification by Frederick Banting...

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“Years ago there were no drugs and we used herbs. In our way of life we depended on traditional medicine, and we helped ourselves…Today, modern medicine and doctors have taken over.“ – Stoney Creek Nation Elder, British Columbia; excerpt from “Traditional Medicine for Canada’s First Peoples”, Raymond Obomsawin, Ph.D. As a department immersed in biomedical...

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Canada is globally renowned for its excellence in research and science, with a legacy that includes groundbreaking discoveries such as that of insulin. This strong scientific foundation attracts venture capital and private equity investors, who appreciate the reliability and proven success of Canadian science. With world-class research and science, hundreds of biotech start-up companies and...

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The Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event reflecting on its remarkable journey and the significant contributions it has made to the field of immunology since its inception in 1984. The event spanned an entire day and took place at the historical Hart House on campus grounds....

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Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin during the summer of 1921 at the University of Toronto. Since then, this seminal discovery has saved millions of diabetic patients. Before the discovery of insulin, from 1915 to 1922, physicians Frederick Madison Allen (Univ. of California) and Elliot Proctor Joslin (Harvard Medical School) promoted a strict diet...

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Vaccines are a life-saving tool that prevent infection by training your immune system to fight against viruses and bacteria. Canada played a significant role in the creation of an Ebola vaccine. Ebola virus (EBOV) is a deadly virus found in regions of Africa that causes hemorrhagic fever and has high mortality rates. Work on an...

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James Arthur Gairdner was not a scientist – rather, he was a World War I veteran who had served in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, a track-and-field athlete, landscape painter, and chairman of profitable businesses. Although not formally trained in the sciences, Gairdner recognized the value of biomedical research, and sought to celebrate and encourage continual...

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For this issue of IMMpress Magazine on Canadian Immunology, we take our readers to April 2024 when immunologists across Canada gathered at scenic Banff, Alberta for the annual spring conference hosted by the Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI). Home to nine CSI spring conferences since 1997, the snow-capped Rockies were the backdrop for four days...

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In keeping with the theme of this seasonal edition, I sat down to interview an integral member of our Canadian immunology community here at the University of Toronto (UofT). Dr. Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker was the UofT’s Department of Immunology Chair from 2012 to 2023. He has left a lasting legacy on our community, and here...

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