Jeffrey Henderson Receives Prestigious Connaught Innovation Award

Professors Jeffrey Henderson (right) and Rob Macgregor

Award will support research to advance novel method of modifying cells for testing new gene therapies.

Jeffrey Henderson and Rob Macgregor from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy have received one of U of T’s prestigious Connaught Innovation Awards. The award will support their research examining a new low-cost, scale-independent and efficient method to transfect difficult-to-modify cell types such as stem cells. Improving modifications of such cells will enhance testing of new gene and biological therapeutics.

The new biophysical method uses rapid changes in hydrostatic pressure to introduce genes and other materials into difficult-to-modify primary cells, as well as identifying important differences between normal and cancer-causing cells. This method can be used without specialized equipment or consumables, with direct implementation of high safety measures.

Henderson and Macgregor recently published a paper in Scientific Reports describing the method, demonstrating its comparable efficacy introducing genetic material into cells of both experimentally and clinically significance. With the Connaught Innovation Award, the researchers will be developing a real-time dynamic high pressure microscope resource for University of Toronto researchers and conducting further research into advancing this technology for commercialization.

Eighteen researchers at the university received Connaught Innovation Awards, which provide seed funding to advance technologies that have potential to impact society.

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