‘Research at Unity Health has thrived’: Annual Research Month recognizes success of research in 2021
Predicting which patients will suffer from long-COVID. Evaluating which painkillers are more effective and less lethal than opioids. Using virtual reality and simulation to understand the impact of stress during COVID-19 on health-care workers. Developing new approaches to minimizing COVID-19 infections.
Over the past year, researchers at Unity Health Toronto have tackled these research questions and more — integrating COVID-19 into their work and changing lives by contributing to changing practice guidelines for patients, influencing public policy and creating exciting innovations. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Unity Health scientists have amassed more than $34-million in funding for research and published nearly 400 articles in academic publications for COVID-19 related work.
This year also marked the launch of a new Research Strategic Plan that maps out the next five years. Research Month, which kicked off this week, recognizes the researchers across Unity Health and encourages our hospital staff and the public to learn more about their important work.
“For Research Month, we have a lot to be proud of,” said Dr. Ori Rotstein, vice-president of Research and Innovation. “This is the time to celebrate our accomplishments and recognize the exceptional people who contributed to our success. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Research at Unity Health has thrived and will continue to do so with the strategic plan as our guiding light.”
This Research Month, we’ll be highlighting the four pillars of Research at Unity Health in action: Brain Health & Wellness, Organ Injury & Repair, Critical Care, and Urban & Community Health. To kick things off, we’re highlighting a story from each pillar – stay tuned throughout the month for more:
Pillar: Brain Health and Wellness
In an effort to protect long-term care residents from COVID-19, many long-term care homes in Canada, including the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence had to limit visiting and in-person interaction for their residents. The result was a slight uptick in the use of antipsychotic medication to keep residents, who may be distressed, as calm as possible.
Dr. Ashley Verduyn, Medical Director at the Houses of Providence, turned to research led by her colleague at Unity Health Toronto, Dr. Jennifer Watt, a Geriatrician and Scientist at St. Michael’s. Dr. Watt’s study suggested non-drug interventions led to more positive outcomes among patients with dementia displaying aggression and agitation.
Working together, the team at the Houses brought the research to life by implementing hand massages, life story reminiscing that resulted in signage posted on the residents’ doors, music therapy, and stuffed toy therapy (to replace therapy animals). Read more about the positive results of this collaboration.
Pillar: Organ Injury and Repair
Can we help cells defend themselves from the SARS-CoV-2 virus?
Dr. Katalin Szaszi and Dr. Andras Kapus, Scientists at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, had long been interested in cells under stress and the defenses they mobilize – particularly in kidney disease. When COVID-19 arrived, they decided to study how a cell recognizes a virus entering and how the virus prevents the cell from fighting back. The long-term question is whether there’s a way to boost the natural antiviral defenses of the cells, preventing widespread infection.
Dr. Warren Lee’s lab studied how flu and coronaviruses impact the lung. He had created a coronavirus lab model to replicate what happens when a virus hits the body. Collaborating with him, Dr. Szaszi and Dr. Kapus have been able to expand their cellular exploration with a model of the virus.
Decoding how to stop a virus from interfering with a cell’s core functions could help the team design an intervention, like a drug, that would boost the cell’s antiviral defenses. Though these are long-term investigations, Dr. Szaszi said a better understanding of the virus we’re working with now could lessen the blow of future pandemics. Learn more about the way these scientists pivoted their work to deal with a new and emerging threat.
Pillar: Critical Care
Unity Health’s role in a global trial has made its mark
Groundbreaking collaboration on an innovative clinical trial by scientists around the world has led to discoveries at breakneck speeds and changed the treatment of COVID-19 patients globally.
Dr. John Marshall, Scientist at the Keenan Research Centre, is the Canadian lead on the global REMAP-CAP trial. REMAP-CAP, which stands for Randomised, Embedded, Multifactorial, Adaptive Platform for Community Acquired Pneumonia, is a new type of clinical trial that allows scientists to test multiple treatments simultaneously in the same patient groups and to randomize patients to receive the treatments that seem to be faring the best.
As one example, the REMAP-CAP team found that Hydrocortisone, a commonly available corticosteroid used to treat illnesses like eczema, asthma and arthritis, is beneficial for patients with severe COVID-19 on mechanical ventilation. Read more about the trial’s findings and the global impact they’ve had on critical care research and practice.
Pillar: Urban and Community Health
Clinical trials published in high-profile medical journals rarely report on income or other key sociodemographic characteristics of study participants, according to a new study that suggests these gaps may create blind spots when it comes to health care, especially for disadvantaged populations.
The study, led by researchers from St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s, analyzed 10 per cent of 2,351 randomized clinical trials published in New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, The BMJ, The Lancet and Annals of Internal Medicine between Jan. 1, 2014 and July 31, 2020. The most commonly reported sociodemographic variables were sex and gender (in 98.7 per cent of trials) and race/ethnicity (in 48.5 per cent). All other sociodemographic data, such as income, literacy or education level, language or housing status were reported in less than 15 per cent of the trials. The authors – Dr. Nav Persaud, Dr. Andrew Pinto, and Dr. Aaron Orkin, argue that experiences and outcomes of a disease across cultures, races, income levels, living situations, genders, and other variables will be different. Read more about this research, which aims to impact trials that study the health of diverse populations.
By: Ana Gajic