Strategic Direction 1: Personalized and Precise Treatments
Advance the development of technology to reduce the impact on patients and to deliver treatments that are specifically tailored to their unique biological needs.
In partnership with Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook will continue to focus and invest in Personalized and Precise Treatments. This includes the use of medical imaging technologies such as MRI and ultrasound to both see and treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Objective 1
Translate, implement and evaluate Personalized & Precise Treatments into clinical care and drive commercialization of our research.
Objective 2
Accelerate research and development in molecular and image-guided diagnostics and therapeutics to improve patient care.
Patient stories
Ms. B's story
Ms. B is a 26 year old French teacher who was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at age 19. It was not until her family had heard of focused ultrasound at the Sunnybrook's Harquail Centre that things started to improve.
"The Focused Ultrasound surgery was a life-saving procedure that lifted me out of the three darkest years of my existence and into a fulfilling, productive, and happy life."
Ms. B is a 26 year old French teacher who was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at age 19. Since her diagnosis, she had tried multiple treatments in the United States, overseas and in Canada. However, none of these treatments improved her obsessions, which dominated her life, caused marked anxiety, and led to thoughts of suicide. She had left her work, and was living with her parents full time.
It was not until her family had heard of focused ultrasound at the Sunnybrook's Harquail Centre that things started to improve. With focused ultrasound (FUS) under MR imaging guidance, clinicians were able to more directly identify and develop personalized approaches to the treatment of her illness. These treatments are tailored to specific brain pathways, allowing clinicians to target regions involved, while preserving others.
Ms. B underwent the procedure and was discharged the following morning. Over a period of several months she began to see a gradual resolution of her obsessions. Today, her obsessions are almost entirely gone. She has resumed her job full time as a French teacher, and has applied for graduate work in the United States.
David Onley's story
After being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour, David Onley is receiving treatment with the MR-Linac — a machine that targets tumours with unprecedented precision.
