Media Releases
Below is a selection of recent press releases. For all the latest news please visit www.utoronto.ca/news
General Inquires +1 (416) 978-0100 Email media.relations@utoronto.ca
Research on gonorrhea uncovers new immune system trigger
TORONTO, ON — Researchers at the University of Toronto have uncovered how Gram-negative bacteria — a broad class of bugs that cause diseases ranging from gonorrhea to diarrhea and pneumonia — can trigger a reaction from our immune system. This discovery could lead to new therapies and treatments that use the immune system to fight infections instead of antibiotics. Graduate student Ryan Gaudet, who works in the lab of Professor Scott Gray-Owen, made the breakthrough while investigating gonorrhea. “This is…
The CKFTA & future of Canadian-Korean strategic partnership
TORONTO, ON – On Thursday, June 11, 2015, Massey College, Munk School of Global Affairs and the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto will be jointly hosting a conference entitled, “Canada-Korea Strategic Partnership” at the Campbell Conference Facility of the Munk School of Global Affairs (1 Devonshire Place). In light of the recent agreement of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, this conference aims to critically examine opportunities, challenges and strategies for strengthening bilateral relationship between…
New map uncovers the traffic of life in a cell
TORONTO, ON - Toronto scientists have recorded, in unprecedented detail, the locations of all proteins in a cell. This new protein map allows scientists to look much more closely into what happens in a cell when disease strikes, and will also help find better treatments. Led by Professors Brenda Andrews, Charles Boone, and Jason Moffat from the University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre, the team built a state-of-the-art automated pipeline to monitor where proteins sit in the cell and to see how they move in…
U of T researchers contribute to award-winning NFB series exploring the universe within highrise apartments
Toronto, ON – Two University of Toronto researchers played a key role in creating the final instalment of the award-winning “HIGHRISE” documentary series, released today by the National Film Board. From hours spent on Skype connecting with loved ones far away to building political movements using WhatsApp, the interactive online documentary “Universe Within: Digital Lives in the Global Highrise” explores the mobile and Internet habits of apartment dwellers across the globe. U of T geography Professor Deborah Cowen and Faculty of…
Helping refugees heal
TORONTO, ON – With people fleeing bloodshed in the Middle East and West Africans displaced by Ebola, the world is facing the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. More than 500 medical leaders will gather at the University of Toronto (U of T) to address the urgent health problems faced by many refugees, from malnutrition and malaria to the psychiatric fallout from watching the murder of loved ones. “In the past year, refugees escaping war and persecution have…
University of Toronto celebrates esteemed honorary graduates
TORONTO, ON – More than 13,000 students will graduate from the University of Toronto at convocation ceremonies taking place from Tuesday, June 2 to Friday, June 19 in Convocation Hall, 31 King’s College Circle on the University’s downtown campus. More than 44,000 people are expected to visit the University during convocation. As part of spring convocation, U of T will be conferring honorary degrees on prominent leaders in science, film, politics, sport – and more. Members of the media are welcome to attend convocation ceremonies but…
Official G7 Germany: the Schloss Elmau Summit eBook launch
Toronto, ON - G7 Germany: The Schloss Elmau Summit, an official eBook authorised by the federal government of Germany for the G7 Summit, produced by the G7 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Trinity College, University of Toronto and edited by John Kirton and Madeline Koch, launched on 26 May. With exclusive and insightful perspectives from government leaders and influential figures, the book and accompanying website (www.g7g20.com) provide the definitive source of knowledge on all…
Writers and human rights experts call on India to repeal laws that threaten free expression in world’s largest democracy
Toronto, ON – Earlier this year, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs used an extensive arsenal of vague and overbroad laws to muzzle the world’s largest environmental watchdog, Greenpeace International. Using seemingly innocuous provisions in the Indian Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, the government effectively silenced criticism of a controversial nuclear power plant by freezing the bank account of Greenpeace India. Officials justified their actions on the basis that Greenpeace was a “threat to national economic security.” In a ground-breaking new report, PEN International…
New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier
Toronto, ON - We live in fear of ‘superbugs’: infectious bacteria that don’t respond to treatment by antibiotics, and can turn a routine hospital stay into a nightmare. A 2015 Health Canada report estimates that superbugs have already cost Canadians $1 billion, and are a “serious and growing issue.” Each year two million people in the U.S. contract antibiotic-resistant infections, and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result. But tests for antibiotic resistance can take up to three…
Collective action by investors leads to better governance: Rotman study
Toronto, ON – When institutional investors join forces to push for change, the companies they target take notice. Researchers from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management looked at the track record of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, a group of leading Canadian institutional investors, formed in 2002. With unprecedented access into private correspondence between the coalition and targeted companies, the researchers found the venture resulted in significant strides in three key governance reform areas between 2005 and 2013.…