Gairdner Foundation

10/08/2026

What happens when understanding how proteins misfold leads to a new way of treating disease?

At "After the Gairdner Award—Where Next?", Dr. Jeffery Kelly will explore how his research on protein aggregation led to the discovery of tafamidis, the first effective drug for slowing the progression of a human amyloid disease.

His work helped establish protein aggregation as a viable therapeutic target, catalyzing the development of additional treatments for human amyloid diseases.

Hear his talk, “Tafamidis Led to 10 Drugs for Treating Amyloid Diseases: What Remains to Do?” during in Toronto or online.

📆 October 22 | 9:00 AM ET
📍 Toronto & Online
🎟️ Free

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/InternationalSymposium2026

Thank you to the Krembil Foundation for sponsoring this event.

10/06/2026

Registration is open for the Gairdner Global Health Panel, “Research and Response: Lessons for the Future,” taking place October 22 as part of Gairdner Science Week.

Join 2026 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award laureates John Clemens and Jan Holmgren, alongside Shaun Morris and Bahaa Abu-Raya, for a conversation about responding to urgent health crises, building capacity for research and vaccine production, and preparing for emerging threats.

📆 Thursday, October 22
⏱️ 11:30 AM ET
📍Toronto & Online
🎟️ Free
🔗 Register: https://www.gairdner.org/session/gairdner-science-week-2026/october-22/global-health-panel---research-and-response--lessons-for-the-future

Thank you to the Institute of Philanthropy for sponsoring this event.

Hear from the 2026 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award laureates as they discuss cholera, vaccine development, and the future of responding to e...

10/05/2026

Congratulations to 2018 Canada Gairdner International Award laureates Karl Deisseroth and Peter Hegemann on being awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, alongside Georg Nagel, for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technology that has revolutionized neuroscience.

Today, they become the 104th and 105th Gairdner laureates to subsequently receive a Nobel Prize.

Revisit highlights from their 2018 Gairdner Science Week lectures and award acceptance speeches: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLawApp1fsNAU

And this October, Gairdner Science Week returns, bringing the 2026 Gairdner Award laureates to Toronto for free events and conversations about their research. Join us October 19–23, in person and online.

Learn more and register: https://www.gairdner.org/event-item/gairdner-science-week-2026

10/01/2026

What can award-winning science teach us about the future of human health?

Our new 2026 Canada Gairdner Awards Collection brings this year’s breakthroughs to life through accessible articles, original illustrations and interactive Kahoot quizzes created with students and young readers in mind.

Written by Gairdner student intern Leanne Cherry in collaboration with the laureates, reviewed by Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) Young Reviewers, and illustrated by Heather Ng-Cornish, the collection explores the science behind discoveries in antibiotic resistance, spinal cord injury, proteins, cells, cholera vaccines, and more.

Explore the collection: https://www.gairdner.org/resource-hub/explore-the-science-behind-the-2026-canada-gairdner-awards

A resource for students, educators and anyone curious about the science shaping human health.

10/01/2026

Que peuvent nous apprendre les travaux scientifiques primés sur l’avenir de la santé humaine?

Notre nouvelle Collection d’articles sur les lauréats primés de 2026 de la Fondation Gairdner présente les découvertes de cette année à travers des articles accessibles, des illustrations originales et des quiz Kahoot interactifs conçus à l’intention des étudiants et des jeunes lecteurs.

Rédigée par une étudiante stagiaire de Gairdner, Leanne Cherry, en collaboration avec les lauréats, examinée par les jeunes réviseurs de la Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) et illustrée par Heather Ng-Cornish, la collection explore la science derrière les découvertes dans les domaines de la résistance aux antibiotiques, des lésions de la moelle épinière, des protéines, des cellules, des vaccins contre le choléra et bien plus encore.

Découvrez la collection en français : https://www.gairdner.org/fr/publication/d%C3%A9couvrez-la-science-derri%C3%A8re-les-prix-gairdner-du-canada-2026

Une ressource destinée aux étudiants, aux éducateurs et à toute personne curieuse de découvrir la science qui façonne la santé humaine.

09/29/2026

We're pleased to announce the titles for each of the presentations at "After the Gairdner Award—Where Next?", taking place on October 22 as part of Gairdner Science Week.

Hear directly from Gairdner Laureates and leading researchers to explore how breakthrough discoveries evolve into transformative therapies and shape the future of medicine.

📆 Thursday October 22
⏱️ 9:00 AM ET
📍 MaRS Auditorium, 101 College Street, Toronto
💻 Online via livestream
🎟️ Free

🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/InternationalSymposium2026

09/25/2026

Register for the Gairdner Global Health Panel, "Research and Response: Lessons for the Future," taking place on October 22!

Join the 2026 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award laureates, John Clemens and Jan Holmgren, alongside Shaun Morris (SickKids) and Bahaa Abu-Raya (IWS Health), as they explore the challenges of urgent health crises, building capacity for research and production, and the emerging threats facing the next generation of researchers.

📆 Thursday, October 22
⏱️ 11:30 AM ET
📍 Hollywood Theatre, The Hospital for Sick Children
💻 Online via livestream
🎟️ Free
🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/GlobalHealthPanel2026

Thank you to the Institute of Philanthropy for sponsoring this event.

Hear from the 2026 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award laureates as they discuss cholera, vaccine development, and the future of responding to e...

09/24/2026

One week left to submit a nomination for the 2027 Canada Gairdner Awards!

Each year, the Canada Gairdner Awards recognize leading researchers around the world whose discoveries and achievements are advancing biomedical and global health research.

Nominations are open until October 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm PDT for:
• Canada Gairdner International Award
• John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award

Know a researcher whose work deserves recognition? Submit a nomination: https://www.gairdner.org/awards/submit-a-nomination

09/23/2026

Last week, the Gairdner Foundation celebrated 2026 Canada Gairdner International Award laureate Ruedi Aebersold at a reception in Zurich, hosted with ETH Zürich and the Embassy of Canada to Switzerland.

A pioneer of modern proteomics, Dr. Aebersold’s work transformed how we understand the proteins that underpin health and disease.

Hear from Dr. Aebersold at the Laureate Lectures Oct. 21 at 9 AM ET, in Toronto or online. Register for free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1994693026538?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/22/2026

What if we could use the immune system’s own regulatory cells to stop harmful immune responses?

At "After the Gairdner Award—Where Next?", Megan Levings will explore the science behind regulating human immunity and the potential of regulatory T cells (Tregs) as a cellular therapy.

During her postdoctoral training in immune regulation, Dr. Levings conducted pioneering work to define what we now know as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and showed their potential to be isolated and expanded for use as cellular therapy to stop harmful immune responses.

Today, her lab continues to advance research into Tregs, most recently using gene editing to re-direct cell specificity and enhance their function.

Dr. Levings is a Professor in the Department of Surgery and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC and a Scientist at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.

📆 October 22 | 9:00 AM ET
📍 101 College Street, Toronto & online
🎟️ Free
🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/InternationalSymposium2026