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"The United States spends more on health care-related research and development than any other country. In 2003, it was estimated that the Federal government alone spent over $26 billion. Pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers and other private companies invested over $10 billion more. At its best, the American health care system is capable of delivering care unsurpassed anywhere else in the world. Yet, a 1999 Institute of Medicine study estimated that as many as 98,000 Americans die each year from hospital related medical errors. A recent study by the Rand Corporation (a non-profit think tank) concluded that less than 50 percent of encounters with doctors and hospitals resulted in optimal, evidence-based treatment. Studies show that as many as 42 million Americans - almost 15 percent of the population - lack health care insurance. Surveys reveal that patients do not feel they have adequate information about their conditions, and that their experience with health care ranks below that of most other sectors, in fact below that of the post office. In the aggregate, the country is spending nearly $2 trillion on health care, and yet the nation's health care system does not meet acceptable thresholds for safety, quality, access or cost. In 2005, VHA Health Foundation's board of directors sought to better understand the reasons behind this paradox. The foundation commissioned Larry Keeley and his associates at Doblin Inc. to apply the rigorous analytical methods that are used in their evaluation of other American industries and companies. The project set out to discover when, where and how innovation was taking place in health care. It also sought to identify organizations that were developing model innovation processes, and to explore where opportunities for successful innovation might lay."

"Jack Stewart a biotechnology entrepreneur, is about to start a human trial for a drug developed from a compound found in shrew spit that could treat ovarian, breast and prostate cancers without many of the side effects of chemotherapy." Veronika Litinski, a Senior Advisor at MaRS in the Life Science and Health care practice says it is difficult to run trials with a clear robust criteria.

MaRS Innovation (a sister company of MaRS Discovery District) brokers a deal between scientists at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Sanofi-Pasteur Canada. The product helps wounds heal more quickly -- potentially benefiting diabetics whose wounds tend to reopen. It's an example of how commercialization of medical technologies is moving from lab to real health outcomes.

John Goddard, Business Reporter from The Star states "A tax introduced with U.S. health care reforms helps boost Toronto's attractiveness to U.S. medical device manufacturers, says a consultant's report to be released this week.""Toronto's MaRs Centre represents Canada's largest bioscience research cluster, anchored by Sunnybrook Health Research Centre, York University Life Sciences Centre, the University of Toronto and more than two dozen affiliated research institutes."

By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty-four, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world-class researchers to solve one of science's greatest mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. Never has a scientist been so truthful in capturing in words the flavor of his work.

Are you working to solve a health-related issue? Apply to join Rock Health, a group of dedicated individuals working to catalyze innovation in the interactive health space, and become one of the first start-ups to access the community of experts and seed-accelerator program.

Jay Somerset, Globe and Mail reporter states "McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto is hosting an international conference and DEW Line Festival exploring art, media and culture... November 5th." The article discusses how change is better conveyed through emotions within art rather than science. MaRS Discovery District is an innovation hub that promotes innovation in social innovation, cleantech, life sciences and health care, and in ICE.

MaRS life sciences and health care practice client, Dr. Hamid Tizhoosh, founder of Segasist, is interviewed for CityNews. He talks about how he became and entrepreneur and how this shapes his life.

The New Atlantis attempts to clarify the nation's moral and political understanding of all areas of technology-from stem cells to hydrogen cells to weapons of mass destruction. They hope to make sense of the larger questions surrounding technology and human nature, and the practical questions of governing and regulating science. Challenging policymakers who know too little about science, and pushing scientists who often fail to think seriously or deeply about the ethical and social implications of their work.

Robert Lawton Burns focuses on the key role of the 'producers' as the main source of innovation in this wide-ranging analysis of business trends in the manufacturing branch of the health care industry. Written by industry academics and executives, the book provides a detailed overview of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, genomics/proteomics, medical device and information technology sectors. Most importantly, it describes the growing convergence between these sectors and the need for executives in one sector to increasingly draw upon trends in the others.

Harper committed the cancer funding, starting April 1 2012, while visiting Toronto's MaRS Discovery District. The funding announced today will help doctors detect cancer sooner and give health care workers, support groups and survivors the help they need to fight back against cancer. The funding builds on the program's progress on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and hope, on a path to a cure.

Canada's lead federal funding agency for health research, this website collects funding news and developments from all over Canada, including: * Funding opportunities * How to apply for funding * Funding enquiries

Canada's lead federal funding agency for health research, this website collects funding news and developments from all over Canada, including:\n\n * Funding opportunities\n * How to apply for funding\n * Funding enquiries

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is applying the newest concepts in life sciences-stem cell therapies, personalized medicine-to one of the oldest diseases.

The Ontario Genomics Institute has given funding to MaRS life sciences client, ArcticDX. They'll use the money for studies in preparation for a Food and Drug Administration approval for their product. The funding comes through its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF)

The Scientist spoke with researchers who are automating and commercializing the latest technologies to aid life science work. Ameer Taha, founder, Certo Labs, Toronto and Veronika Litinski, health-care and life sciences practice lead at the MaRS Centre, a Toronto-based innovation cluster that engages researchers in commercializing their inventions were interviewed. Litinski states that "Before people start spending money on [developing] a product, we want them to think about the value chain and how the industry ecosystem is organized."

ACTION Ontario, a non-profit organization comprised of doctors, other health-care professionals, researchers and patients, is bringing people together to create awareness about the cost of chronic pain and to develop possible solutions to help address this debilitating problem on Nov 3 from 1-4pm at the MaRS Centre.

Brain fitness games are all the rage today with an aging population, but how do I tell which ones are best for helping me stay mentally sharp so I'm on top of my game at work?

Raymond Hui, a principal investigator with the University of Toronto's Structural Genomics Consortium, has transformed himself from a robotics engineer to a genetic engineer and now searches for cures for some of the world's most devastating diseases.

Toronto's Baycrest centre is staking a claim to a piece of the booming brain fitness market with a new company, Cogniciti, and a new generation of brain games aimed at helping baby boomers keep their minds sharp and boost their productivity in the workplace well into old age. Alvaro Fernandez, a researcher on aging, says the new games are designed to keep older brains nimble. Hon. Milloy states "The McGuinty government is proud to support the work that both MaRS and Baycrest are doing to improve quality of life and tackle the challenges of an aging population. Ontario is supporting innovators across the province to ensure this kind of success is the rule, not the exception." Dec 2, 2009