About this Event
Join us on October 22 from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET for our annual Gairdner Science Week International Symposium. This year’s International Symposium celebrates the pioneering work of Drs. Michael J. Welsh and Paul Negulescu, recipients of the 2025 Canada Gairdner International Award. Their research into the molecular mechanisms of cystic fibrosis has led to the development of breakthrough therapies that have profoundly changed patient outcomes. Join a global lineup of leading scientists as we explore new therapeutic innovations and the power of curiosity-driven research to change lives.
Can't attend in person? Join us via livestream at https://bit.ly/GSW_2025_Watch_Live.
About the Speakers
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM
Introductory Remarks
Host: Janet Rossant, Gairdner President & Scientific Director
🕑: 09:05 AM
Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene
Host: Lap-Chee Tsui
Info: Lap-Chee Tsui, PhD, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Emeritus University Professor, University of Toronto
🕑: 09:35 AM
Pursuing CF
Host: Michael Welsh
Info: Michael Welsh, MD, Roy J. Carver Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Director, Pappajohn Biomedical Institute; Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
🕑: 10:10 AM
The Journey to Discover CFTR Modulators for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis
Host: Paul Negulescu
Info: Paul Negulescu, PhD, Senior Vice President, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA, USA
🕑: 10:10 AM
The Chemistry Behind CFTR Modulators
Host: Sabine Hadida
Info: Sabine Hadida, PhD, Senior Vice President, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA, USA
🕑: 10:55 AM
Microbe-Interfacing Nanomaterials to Study & Treat Bacterial Biofilm Infection
Host: Joel Finbloom
Info: Joel Finbloom, PhD; 2025 Gairdner Early Career Investigator; Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia
🕑: 11:10 AM
Health Break
🕑: 11:30 AM
Antibody approaches to overcome viral diversity for global health
Host: Jean-Philippe Julien
Info: Jean-Philippe Julien, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Structural Immunology; Senior Scientist, Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute; Associate Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology, University of Toronto; Toronto, ON, Canada
🕑: 12:00 PM
Turning genes into medicines: Successes & limitations of in vivo gene therapy
Host: Katherine High
Info: Katherine High, MD, Visiting Professor, Allen and Frances Adler Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology, Rockefeller University; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA, USA
🕑: 12:30 PM
Exploration of Biological Diversity
Host: Feng Zhang
Info: Feng Zhang, PhD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, James and Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience, MIT; Core Institute Member, Broad Institute; Cambridge, MA, USA
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
MaRS Centre Auditorium, Lower Concourse, Toronto, Canada
CAD 0.00
