Physical sciences
SRI platforms
Senior scientist
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Ave., Room S6 57
Toronto, ON
M4N 3M5
Administrative assistant: Anzu Hara
Phone: 416-480-5712
Email: anzu.hara@sunnybrook.ca
Education:
- B.Sc., 1971, honours physics, University of Manitoba, Canada
- M.Sc., 1973, physics, University of Manitoba, Canada
- PhD, 1978, medical biophysics, University of Toronto, Canada
Appointments, Affiliations and Honours:
- Senior scientist, Physical Sciences, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Professor, departments of medical imaging and medical biophysics, U of T
- Co-director, Imaging Research Program , Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
- Director, Imaging Validation Core , Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
- Chief scientific officer Centre for Imaging Technology Commercialization of Research
- Member of the Order of Canada
- Honorary degree recipient, Doctor of Science (honoris causa), University of Manitoba
- Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
- Edith Quimby Lifetime Achievement Award – American Assiation of Physicists in Medicine
Research Focus:
- Digital imaging for medical diagnosis and management of disease
Research Summary:
Dr. Yaffe’s research is directed toward development and improvement of imaging techniques for the detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, with a strong focus on breast cancer. His team is also interested in methods for analyzing image patterns to predict breast cancer risk and using these as tools to study the causes of breast cancer and to help develop preventive measures.
Activities in the lab range from developing image-processing strategies for improving the quality of diagnostic images and methods of quantifying the quality of medical images, to developing and evaluating 3-D imaging (tomosynthesis) and contrast-enhanced imaging methods.
His team has established a comprehensive program in biomarker imaging research, which includes development of new techniques for 3-D pathology. These techniques will be used for validation of new in vivo imaging methods, as well as for investigating approaches to improving accuracy of pathology, and adding prognostic and predictive information in management of cancer.
Selected Publications:
See current publications list at PubMed.
- Alonzo-Proulx O, Mainprize JG, Harvey JA, Yaffe MJ. Investigating the feasibility of stratified breast cancer screening using a masking risk predictor. Breast Cancer Res. 2019 Aug 9;21(1):91.
- Yong JHE, Mainprize JG, Yaffe MJ, Ruan Y, Poirier AE, Coldman A, Nadeau C, Iragorri N, Hilsden RJ, Brenner DR. The impact of episodic screening interruption: COVID-19 and population-based cancer screening in Canada. J Med Screen. 2020 Nov 26;969141320974711.doi: 10.1177/0969141320974711.
- Yaffe MJ, Seely JE, Gordon PB, Appavoo S, Kopans DB. The Randomized trial of mammography screening that was not – A cautionary tale. Journal of Medical Screening, 2021
- Cheung AM, Wang D, Liu K, Hope T, Murray M, Ginty F, Nofech-Mozes S, Martel AL, Yaffe MJ. Quantitative single-cell analysis of immunofluorescence protein multiplex images illustrates biomarker spatial heterogeneity within breast cancer subtypes. Breast Cancer Res. 2021 Dec 18;23(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s13058-021-01475-y. PMID: 34922607; PMCID: PMC8684264.
- Yaffe MJ, Mainprize JG. Overdetection of breast cancer. Published online in Current Oncology. 30 May, 2022.
Related News and Stories:
- The Importance of early and regular cancer screening (Dec. 8, 2021)
- Eyewitness Accounts Cast Doubt on Mammography Guidelines (Dec. 8, 2021)
- New commentary finds flaws in study that shaped current breast cancer screening guidelines (Nov. 23, 2021)
- New report on contentious breast cancer screening study divides researchers (Nov. 23, 2021)
- Calls for new breast cancer screening guidelines (Nov, 2021)
- Canada’s breast cancer screening policy based on flawed study: researchers (Nov. 25, 2021)
- CIHR responds to revolt while releasing results: peer rebellion brings promise of change to granting agency (July 18, 2016)
- Individualizing breast cancer therapy: New technologies can deliver highly specific information about a therapy’s effectiveness in days, not months; and help women with DCIS decide on the best course of action (SRI Magazine, 2016)
- Do 3-D mammograms improve screening? First large clinical trial compares 3-D mammography to current standard (Oct. 15, 2014)
- Scientists garner national grants in inaugural competition: Foundation invests in technologies for the early detection of breast cancer (Aug. 15, 2012)
- $4M for imaging technology: Centre supports imaging researchers in commercializing technology (April 23, 2012)
- A glimpse of tomorrow's medicine: Research day celebrates the promise of image-guided therapies (Nov. 25, 2011)
- Sunnybrook Research Institute celebrates milestone in imaging research: State-of-the-art laboratory will advance innovative work in histopathology (Oct. 25, 2011)
- New centre moves innovations from lab to clinic: Sunnybrook and University of Western Ontario awarded $13.3 million grant (Dec. 7, 2010)
- Breast cancer research at Sunnybrook spurred by federal investment: CFI gives green light to integrated data bank (June 26, 2009)
- Groundbreaking health research gets boost: SRI's "The 1 mm Cancer Challenge" gets funding (June 24, 2009)
- Yaffe takes up challenge: Imaging researcher takes on OICR appointment to find smaller cancers, earlier (March 18, 2008)
- Wind at their back: SRI joins forces with GE Healthcare (Sunnybrook Research Institute Research Report, 2004–2006)
- Enter another dimension: Digital tomosynthesis demystified (Sunnybrook Research Institute Research Report, 2004–2006)
- Digital detection of breast cancer: Martin Yaffe is part of a crack team of scientists using digital technology to detect and diagnose tumours with better accuracy than ever before (Jan. 1, 2004)
- Spotlight on breast cancer research: let's get digital (Sunnybrook Research Institute Research Report, 2002–2004)
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