As vice-dean of research for the University of Toronto's faculty of medicine since 2002, Peter Lewis was front row centre for this city's research discoveries. Here is his Top 10 list of the most important medical research advances made in this city over the century's first decade, as suggested to the Star:

Discovery of Cancer

Stem Cells

Lead by John Dick, a senior scientist at the University Health Network, a Toronto research team showed the existence of stem cells for colon cancer in late 2006, bolstering the theory that all cancers have stem-cell origins.

Gene Copy Number

Variation

Standard genetic theory long held that individuals had two copies of any given gene, one each from their father and mother. Dr. Stephen Scherer, director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at Sick Kids, helped turn this thinking on its head, showing that many individuals possess varied numbers of genes and that this variation can be linked to common ailments.

ALZHEIMER GENE

In 2007, renowned Alzheimer's researcher Peter St. George-Hyslop, director of the U of T's Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, and an international team isolated the gene SORL1, associated with many forms of the disease.

Cancer Diagnosis on a Chip

Revealed this year by U of T researchers Shana Kelley and Ted Sargent, the BlackBerry-sized device will detect and diagnose prostate cancer in 30 minutes. It could be in doctors' offices in three years.

Yeast Genetic Network

Charles Boone, a U of T molecular biologist, leads a project that is mapping the function of genes in the yeast genome.

Diet LowerS Cholesterol

David Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital helped show in 2004 that a vegetarian diet can lower cholesterol just as well as a drug treatments.

Of Mice and Men

heart genes

In 2003, U of T biochemist David MacLennan showed the same gene in mice and humans led to heart failure in both species.

Molecular Basis of

Metastatic Cancer

Jeff Wrana, of Mount Sinai's Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, showed many cancers begin with disarray in biological pathways. This year he unveiled a screening tool that analyzes breast cancer tumours to determine treatments.

PROTEIN for memory

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A discovery this year by Sick Kids scientist Dr. Rod McInnes suggests that people born with inherited learning disorders may one day have these deficits restored by medication.

Family Breast Cancer risk

In 2008, Dr. Steven Narod of the Women's College Research Institute showed women with a strong family history of breast cancer but no associated genes have a fourfold higher risk of getting the disease.