Dr. Andras Kapus and Dr. Boris Hinz

Unity Health Toronto is hosting an international symposium on organ repair and fibrosis in October, bringing together the world’s leading fibrosis researchers, scientists and students to share knowledge, establish key commonalities and lay the framework for future research on fibrotic diseases. 

Approximately 200 people are set to attend the symposium, which runs from Oct. 18-19. The meeting, led by scientists at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science at St. Michael’s Hospital, will feature talks by nine of the world’s top fibrosis researchers, a keynote address, and a networking event. There will also be a satellite event for students and trainees that will include poster presentations and discussions with invited guests. The symposium is generously supported by the Keenan family and the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation.

“Our goal as scientists in this field is to better understand the basic mechanisms of fibrosis and find a cure for organ injury caused by fibrosis, which causes between 40-45 per cent of deaths in the Western world,” said Dr. Andras Kapus, St. Michael’s scientist and scientific director of the Organ Injury and Repair Research Pillar.

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Fibrosis is a condition where our body produces an excessive amount of fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue. The buildup of this connective tissue can lead to scarring and stiffness, with the affected organ becoming less flexible, seriously impairing over time. Fibrosis can occur in any tissue or organ in the body, including the lungs, liver, kidney and heart, and is associated with many common diseases such as diabetes and hypertension – often as an end-stage condition.

St. Michael’s is the ideal place to host this symposium, as it has grown into a leading research hub, with many established researchers dedicated to investigating fibrosis and related diseases, says Dr. Boris Hinz, St. Michael’s scientist and Keenan Research Chair in Fibrosis.

“I came to St. Michael’s and Unity Health Toronto because there was already a critical mass of excellent researchers working here. We work together and collaborate,” Hinz said. “Our team wanted to organize a stimulating meeting and bring together some of the world’s top scientists, and also showcase our own excellent research.”

Dr. Ori Rotstein, vice president of Research and Innovation, said the symposium aligns with the research institute’s goal of accelerating fibrosis research.

“Organ fibrosis is a major contributor to chronic disease. At the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, we are committed to prioritizing research which will improve our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis. Such insights will lead to the discovery of novel approaches to preventing/reversing organ fibrosis and chronic disease,” Rotstein said.

“This gathering of outstanding scientists will foster sharing of ideas, which will hasten the achievement of this lofty goal. We are thrilled to be at the centre of this, by hosting this symposium.”

Breaking down silos

While scientists have known about fibrosis for roughly 100 years, the field was relatively atomized, with researchers working in silos categorized by organ systems, said Hinz. So, for example, heart researchers would study how fibrosis can impact cardiac function, and kidney researchers would study how scarring of kidney tissue impacts its ability to filter blood, he said.

Now, there’s a growing recognition that these different groups of researchers all work on the same kind of disease, said Hinz.

“The field of fibrosis itself is old, but this recognition is new. In the last decade, people have been making collaborative efforts to understand the commonalities of these diseases rather than remaining in their silos,” he said.

In addition to this ideological shift, there has also been huge growth in the number of fibrosis research papers published in recent years, said Kapus.

“For a long period of time, although it is as deadly as cancer, there was a lot less attention paid to fibrosis. I think we should change that,” Kapus said.  “Discoveries in one organ system may be readily applicable in another one, thereby accelerating the overall progress to find a solution.”

After the symposium, Kapus and Hinz plan to publish a review paper which will outline the most important points that emerge from the meeting.

“The paper will focus on what’s believed to be the most pressing questions in fibrosis research, according to leading scientists,” they said. “Given the gravitas of the speakers and attendees, the paper will likely have a large impact on the field.”

It’s an exciting time for Unity Health and for researchers, adds Research Project Manager Kathleen-Rose Zakoor. “Every conversation here could spark the next big breakthrough, helping us better understand fibrosis and ultimately shape the future of patient care,” she said.

By: Marlene Leung

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