RANKINE FAMILY FELLOWSHIP IN NF1

The Rankine Family Fellowship in NF1 is training the next generation of trailblazing NF1 researchers.

Rare and complex conditions like NF1 require talented researchers who are committed to improving care and discovering its cure. That’s why your investment to create the Rankine Family Fellowship in NFI is an especially powerful one, as it trains the next generation of trailblazing NF1 researchers. We are pleased to share that your steadfast support has funded the exciting work of Dr. Chris Lowden, who has led the development of an innovative new method to quickly identify the genes that can inhibit the growth of NF1-driven tumours. Your support has also fueled a project led by Dr. Danian Chen and Christian Liu that is investigating why some cells are resistant to cancer despite RAS protein activation (a hallmark of NF1), while others are prone to developing tumours.

Thanks to generous support from the 2023 Duck & Dodge tournament, Dr. Chris Lowden joined Sinai Health as a Rankine Family Fellow in NF1. Dr. Lowden completed his PhD in the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto. His interest and expertise in functional genomics align seamlessly with the focus on functional genomics and cancer research in the Schramek Lab.

“Dr. Lowden is an outstanding scientist with an incredible work ethic, scientific ingenuity and ‘golden hands’ that have been instrumental in pioneering the new CRISPR screening method for genes. His work has the potential to transform the treatment of NF1- driven tumours,” says Dr. Schramek. Importantly, the preliminary data gathered by Dr. Lowden through this project was crucial in successfully obtaining a $1.065 million CIHR grant to help continue this work over the next five years.

“By leveraging support from the Rankine family to increase our total funding, our quest to unravel the NF1-RAS-MAPK pathway has been propelled forward,” says Dr. Schramek.

“We are truly grateful, thank you.”