Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research

The Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics research program was launched in 2021. Specializing in medical imaging and laboratory medicine and molecular diagnostics, this program supports the advancement of new and evolving molecular and minimally invasive image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases in nearly every organ of the body. 

Program director: Dr. Michelle Downes 

Featured Projects

Augmented Precision Medicine lab

In 2021, Sunnybrook established the Augmented Precision Medicine lab, with support through a $1-million donation from the TD Bank Group. Directed by radiologist and affiliate scientist Dr. Alex Bilbily, the lab is focused on diagnostic and screening tools for medical imaging applications at Sunnybrook. A spin-off AI company, 16 Bit, has developed an algorithm to screen for osteoporosis. This algorithm has been translated into the clinical realm and is now Health Canada-approved. The tool has successfully been used to screen more than 18,000 patients since 2022.

Biobanking

In 2019, Sunnybrook launched the Hematology Biobank in a collaborative effort between Laboratory Medicine, SRI and the Odette Cancer Centre. Initial work focused on biobanking in the complex malignant hematology program and has now expanded to COVID-19 samples, neuroendocrine neoplasms and cerebrospinal fluid cytology, with future sites preparing to join this patient-centered initiative. Patient-derived organoids and xenografts from biobanked samples are also being used to screen and match patients with appropriate targeted drug therapies.