A Brain Tumor Bank for the UofT
 Amira and Michael Dan
The Department of Surgery has received an unprecedented
$2 million gift to establish a Brain Tumour Bank!
Thanks to the generosity and leadership of Michael and
Amira Dan, longtime U of T supporters, the University
of Toronto Brain Tumour Bank network will enable
researchers in our health sciences community to make
more rapid progress towards effective treatment for
people with brain cancer - progress that will prolong
and save tens of thousands of lives in Canada and around
the world.
The Department of Surgery shares Michael’s commitment
to addressing the urgent need for progress in
the fight against brain cancer. With the establishment
of a Brain Tumour Bank - a permanent resource for
researchers and clinicians - we will speed discovery and
improve treatment, saving lives.
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The number of cases of brain cancer treated at Uof
T-affiliated hospitals represents an unparalleled opportunity
to collect and study tissue samples. The volume
of tumour specimens available to Toronto researchers
through a single medical school and university exceeds
that in other large cities where samples are divided
among several schools and institutions.
As you know, we are in an era of advances in genomics,
proteomics, diagnostic technologies, surgical techniques
and pharmacology, leading toward personalized
therapies. The rapid and precise characterization of
patient tumour tissue samples and individual patient
tumour cells will soon be the new standard of diagnosis.
Treatment plans based on this characterization will
define the standard of care. With a vision of personalized
molecular diagnosis and drug screening of every patient’s
tumour, based on systematic banking and analysis, the U
of T Brain Tumour Bank network will be a momentous
step in the development of these personalized therapies
for brain cancer.
A philanthropist and active supporter of initiatives in
global and aboriginal health, as well as neurosurgery,
Michael holds a medical degree from U of T, a PhD
in experimental medicine from McGill and an MBA
from Louisiana’s Tulane University. After five years as
an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Louisiana State
University, he became the CEO of Novopharm Biotech
Inc., a publicly-traded drug discovery company. Today,
Michael is president of Gemini Power Corporation, a
private hydroelectric power generating business focused
on Canada’s First Nations. Amira holds an MA from
OISE at U of T, a PhD in social and political thought
from York University, and is a supporter of the faculty of
humanities at the University of Haifa, Israel.
Darina Landa, Senior Development Officer,
University of Toronto
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