Canadian Arthritis Network - Today's Arthritis Research

Dr. Jane E. Aubin wins prestigious international award for bone and mineral research

TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2005 - Dr. Robin Armstrong, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Arthritis Network today congratulated Dr. Jane E. Aubin, the Network's Scientific Co-Director and CEO, on receiving the William F. Neumann Award for 2004 from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Dr. Armstrong said, "We are very pleased that Dr. Aubin's significant contribution to science has been acknowledged by her peers. She has demonstrated excellence in her scientific research and provides strong leadership to the Canadian Arthritis Network."

The award recognizes Dr. Aubin's contributions to identifying bone stem cells, osteoprogenitors and characterizing their developmental pathways, to developing approaches and reagents for studying bone precursor cells and the mechanisms by which they mature to bone-forming cells, and to identifying regulatory mechanisms governing bone formation in health and bone disease. It also recognizes her many professional contributions to the field through peer review activities, advisory committees, and training and mentoring of young investigators not only in her own lab but also more widely.

Dr. Aubin is Professor of the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto, where she is also cross-appointed to the Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Dentistry, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and Institute of Medical Science. Dr. Aubin is also a member of the Collaborative PhD program in Developmental Biology and the Centre for Modeling Human Disease. She received an Honours B.Sc. in Chemistry and Mathematics and the Gold Medal in Chemistry from Queen's University and a PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto. Since completing postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, Dr. Aubin has conducted research on skeletal development and regeneration. In 1998-99, she was the first non-American to serve as President of the ASBMR.

The William F. Neuman Award is the oldest and most prestigious award of ASBMR, the premier bone and mineral research society with over 4000 members worldwide. It recognizes an ASBMR member for outstanding and major scientific contributions in the area of bone and mineral research and contributions to associates and trainees in teaching, research, and administration.

The Canadian Arthritis Network is a not-for-profit organization that supports integrated, trans-disciplinary research and development. CAN is the single point of contact that links 143 leading Canadian arthritis researchers and clinicians, 44 Canadian academic institutions, The Arthritis Society, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government.

The Network funds research and acts as a facilitator, bringing scientific discoveries to market by providing access to cutting-edge techniques for product development and evaluation. It offers pre-clinical as well as clinical research services and facilitates technology transfer and the commercialization of new discoveries. CAN is a member of the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence, Canada's flagship science and technology program.

The recipients were selected by a panel of judges using the following review criteria: excellence and leadership of the nominee; excellence of the nomination, including research carried out and quality of results being transferred; the socioeconomic impact of the transfer of knowledge; and challenges encountered in transferring the knowledge.