The University of Toronto is Canada's leading research-intensive university and one of the largest in North America. It has over 70,000 students, more than 11,000 faculty and staff, and 400,000 alumni worldwide. U of T’s annual operating budget is over C$1.1 billion and investigators attract research grant and contract support of C$517 million per year. There are three major U of T campuses that cover approximately 3 km2 of land. The university offers 75 PhD programs and has 14 professional faculties. There are ten fully affiliated teaching hospitals associated with the University of Toronto.

The U of T library has more than 15 million volumes and is ranked third among North American university libraries, behind Harvard and Yale. Innovation has long been a hallmark at U of T. During its 179-year history, the university has been home to some of the world's most original thinkers. Its graduates include six Nobel Prize winners, two astronauts, four Canadian prime ministers, the first black Canadian doctor, the first Canadian aboriginal medical graduate and the world's first female aircraft designer. As well, U of T innovation has led to the discovery of insulin and the development of the first electronic heart pacemaker, the artificial larynx, the single-lung transplant process, nerve transplants, and the artificial pancreas. Research at U of T has also led to the discovery of the genes responsible for cystic fibrosis and the most severe form of Alzheimer's disease.

Core Technologies Include

• Neuroscience
• Genomics and Proteomics
• Tissue Engineering/Biomaterials
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biopharmaceutical Discovery and Development
• Molecular Biology
• Computer Science and Bioinformatics

Research Overview

As the nation's top research university, U of T aims to push the frontiers of knowledge on all fronts.

Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CRND)

Through its Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CRND), U of T provides international leadership in research, education and discovery related to neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The CRND is an interdisciplinary research institute that brings together scientific expertise in Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Protein Chemistry, Transgenic Animal Modeling, Neuropathology, Neuronal Function and Neuroimmunology.

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME)

U of T’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) is a unique multi-disciplinary organization where researchers and practitioners from applied science, engineering, medicine, dentistry, and biology collaborate to solve problems in a number of areas including medical and life sciences for the study of living systems, enhancement and replacement of those systems, design and construction of systems to measure basic physiological parameters, development of instruments, materials and techniques for biological and medical practice, and the development of artificial organs and other medical devices.

Banting and Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC)

The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC) has the primary objective of advancing diabetes research, education, and patient care. The BBDC boasts some of the world’s most prolific innovators in the field of metabolic and endocrine disorders.

In addition to these elite established programs, the University is currently developing major initiatives that have the potential to revolutionize biotechnology innovation in the coming years.

Molecular Design and Information Technology (MDIT)

Opened early in 2003, the Molecular Design and Information Technology (MDIT) Centre, a high tech supercomputing facility, will form the heart of a new drug discovery and development program. This initiative designed to nurture and strengthen three-dimensional structure-based molecular research, biomolecular computations, and drug/molecular design. Along with the Faculty of Medicine’s Institute for Drug Research (IDR), MDIT will cement the U of T community as an international hub for research in biopharmaceutical discovery and development.

Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (Donnelly CCBR)

Opened in the fall of 2005, The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (Donnelly CCBR) is establishing a unique organization to facilitate the development of novel and exciting technologies in the areas of medicine, arts and science & applied science and engineering. These technologies will have the potential to transform the current marketplace. The Donnelly CCBR will consist of five primary research platforms: (1) Animal Models of Disease, (2) Biomolecular Engineering, (3) Functional Imaging, (4) Protein Structure and (5) Proteomics and Bioinformatics.