The Toronto region’s Human Health and Sciences cluster offers specialized scientific infrastructure and globally recognized expertise, and is known for conducting pioneering research in the following areas:

A History of Innovation in Toronto at University Health Network

Life-changing scientific breakthroughs made here include:

• The first clinical use of heparin

•  North America’s first artificial kidney designed and used clinically

• First use of radiation therapy to cure Hodgkin’s disease

• Development of lumpectomy for breast cancer

• First use of total body cooling as a method for making heart surgery safer

• First external heart pacemaker used in an open-heart resuscitation

• Identification of blood-forming stem cells—a discovery that gave birth to the field of stem cell science

• First allogeneic blood stem cell transplant (transplants between unrelated donors)

•  First successful single-lung transplant (1983) and double-lung transplant (1986)

• Discovery of the human T-cell receptor

• First treatment of sleep apnea in patients with heart failure by a mechanical assist device (CPAP) that improves heart function

• First use of deep brain stimulation to help with treatment-resistant depression

•  First transplant using donor lungs repaired outside of the body (ex vivo) using lung perfusion technique

• First human blood stem cell isolated in its purest form—as a single stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system