I
n years to come. when people with
spinal cord injuries are able to care
for lhemselves with little or no as­
sistance. sland or sit with reasonable
comfort. and live pain-free or even
walk again . it is quite probable that
these advancements will be credited,
at least in part. to Professor Molly S.
Shoichet and her team at the Univer­
sity of Toronto.
Holder of the Canada Research
Chair in Tissue Engineering. Shoichet
is considered a world leader in the
sc ience of regenerative medicine and
is paving the way in devising new
strategies to treat spinal cord injuries.
Among other projects. she and her
colleagues are working on improved
drug delivery by developing a gel to
which drugs or stem cells can be add­
Once intent on becoming a doctor and dedicating her life to
medicine, Professor Molly Shoichet is married with children
and on the way to discovering new medical treatments through
her groundbreaking research.
By Sheila Dropkin
lifestyles magazine
ed and then injected into damaged
spinal cords. Currently. drugs are ad­
ministered by a catheter or external
pump. which is an invasive technique.
open to infection. and not localized to
the injured tissue. Shoichet's new de­
livery system is designed to keep the
drugs within the spinnl cord. doing
the job for which they are designed.
Although the telling is far easier than
accomplishing the deed. thus far. ear­
ly trials show the team to be on the
right track.
PRE·SPRING 2009
59
Dr. Molly Shoichet the treatment of the animals.
"Ourwork is highly interdisciplinary
and collaborative. Good collaborators
have to be asking the same questions
and have to be able to work together;'
she continues. "I want to collaborate
with someone who knows something
I don't. I collaborate with scientists in
the U.S., England, other parts of Eu­
rope and Canada, and right here at
the university:'
Cindi Morshead, assistant profes­
sor in the Department of Surgery at
the university and one of her research
colleagues, says that Shoichet is "bril­
liant, enthusiastic, fantastic. We col­
laborate on a number of projects and
the best thing is that our expertise is
so complementary. She makes ask­
ing questions about what she does so
easy. \"'e're developing a strategy for
stroke and spinal cord repair and re­
generation:'
As if she's not busy enough, a few
years ago Shoichet started research­
ing breast cancer treatment. A major
incentive to helping breast cancer
patients, she explains, can be traced
hack to the death from the disease
Shoichet is also utilizing her train­
ing and expertise in engineering
and polymer science in an attempt
to effectively rebuild damaged spi­
nal cords by creating new pathways
along which the affected nerve cells
can reconnect and regenerate. Poly­
mers, which are substances whose
molecules are composed of a large
number of repeating units that form a
chain, occur naturally and also can be
manufactured.
"We are trying to enhance func­
tional regeneration after injury, to
enhance the quality of life;' she says.
"Sometimes it's as simple as bladder
control. Progress can he measured in
60
PRE-SPRING 2009
a numher of different ways. The spi­
nal cord is the pathway between the
brain and other parts of the body. We
are trying to limit its degeneration, to
save or protect it from further degen­
eration, and, hopefully, to improve it.
One measure [of progress] is the ways
that other people are using our ideas
or are building on them. Our research
looks promising, but we have to do
more. There are huge challenges; what
works in a dish and then in an animal
doesn't necessarily work in people.
A lot of stars must be aligned before
we reach our goal. We test everything
in the lab before going on to animal
studies. There are strict guidelines for
lif es tyl e s magaZi ne
of a close friend who was in her early
30s. "We felt we have important sci­
ence to contribute;' she says. "We are
trying to use our technology to deliver
drugs more effiCiently, whether orally
or intravenously. The drugs, which are
very powerful and toxic, have numer­
ous side effects, including nausea and
toxicity to other organs and parts of
the body. In addition, some breast
cancers, such as HER2. are more ag­
gressive and highly resistant to drugs.
Herceptin was finally approved to
treat this type of cancer hut it can be
damaging to other parts of the body,
including the heart. Blood vessels in
cancerous tissues are not well formed
and the drugs can leak through , so
'Dr. Molly Shoichet we are investigating the use of nano­
technology [tiny parLicles] to selec­
tively deliver Herceptin to the breast
cancer cells."
visiting different parts of the world opens the boys to new experiences. On one
of their trips to Chicago, her husband's hometown, they attended a Star Wars
AS SHE SITS IN HEn SMALL OFFICE
in the Terrence Donnelly Centre for
Cellular and Biomolecular Research
on the University of Toronto campus,
Shoichet is friendly and relaxed, the
antithesis of the stereotypical scien­
tist locked in a laboratory, speaking
ITWOULDBEAPTTO PLACE A "WONDERWOMAl'IJWORKS HERE" PLAQUE
in her office-wife, mother, daughter. chemical engineer, university professor,
medical researcher, award winner, mentor, friend; she is all ofthese things and
more. Anyone planning to print out Professor Shoichet's resume would be wise
to prepare for a long read. In February 2008 the details of her profeSSional ac­
complishments filled 31 pages; Ule list of her publications and patents alone
occupied 17 of them. By the time this profile is published, it will undoubtedly
only to test tubes. In her early 40s, she
is slender and easy on the eyes, even
without makeup. Her office windows
face College Street, a main thorough­
fare on the south side, and the re­
stored buff-colored brick facade of the
be significantly longer.
Shortly before her meeting with Lifestyles, it was announced that Shoichet
was one of 10 researchers nationwide who had been awarded a Killam Research
Fellowship, valued at $70,000 a year for two years. The highly sought after fel­
lowships are granted by the Canada Council for the Arts to "support scholars
engaged in research projects of outstanding merit:' Award winners are selected
by the Killam selection committee, which comprises 14 eminent scientists and
scholars. 1he award will provide Shoichet with an opportunity to devote two
years full-time to research and writing.
over-90-year-old Rosebrugh Building
on the west, which was incorporated
into the 3-year-old Donnelly Cen­
tre. (The L2-story Centre, which was
opened in 2005, houses 400 specialists
performing research on genetics and
disease. It occupies a narrow site that
had been a parking lot and service
corridor, flanked by the Rosebrugh
and Fitzgerald Buildings, which date
hack to the early 20th century. The
juxtaposition of the old with the new
has created a striking structure.) Her
spacious open concept lab, which is
used by her team and others, is just
down the hall from her office.
It's obvious that as enthusiastic as
Shoichet is about work, her family is
paramount in her life. "I love being
with my kids:' she says, "and exploring
lite with them. My children, Sebastian
and Emerson. are clearly a priority.
and my husband [Kevin Bartus. an
engineer by training who is vice presi­
dent of digital media at Rogers Media,
exhibit. which led to discussions about robotics. They have previously visited
Rotterdam and Amsterdam and recently took a family trip to Greece.
In its news release on the award, the university stated that "Shoichet is
known for paving the way in tissue engineering research and hopes to en­
hance the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries. Her research has
also investigated ways of regenerating damaged nerves in the spinal cord and
is looking at designing a nerve regeneration system:' Close to four pages are
devoted to the current and previous postdoctoral fellows, visiting researchers,
and graduate and undergraduate students under her supervision. In reviewing
their names, it is clear they reflect many nationalities and ethnicities; Shoichet
says with a laugh, "I often think
" WAS RAISED
TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES
AND TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THEM. My parents said
they would help open doors
for me, but I would have to
in charge of all the websitesl is won­
derful and fully engaged with them:'
walk through them on my
'Ihe family travels together frequently
and she enthUSiastically explains how
own."
of my lah as the United Nations.
One year. I had a visiting scientist
from Israel and a research associ­
ate from Syria at the same time.
1hey worked very well together.
It's a nice way to bring people of
difterent cultures together.
"Israel is a remarkable country:'
she adds. "The innovation com­
ing out of Israel is outstanding:'
The Weizmann Institute of Sci­
ence in Rehovot, Israel, is among
the international facilities with which she collaborates. Several years ago, she presented a paper at the Technion Institute in Haifa which her mother was able to at­
lifescyles magazine
PRE-SPRING 2009
61
Dr. Molly Shoichet tend. much to their mutual delight.
Although international communica­
tion has been facilitated by the use of
e-mails and other electronic devices.
she still attends conferences and
and patron of the arts Dorothy (a pre­
vious Lifestyles profilee. whom she
considers her "most influential role
wenr out dancing together as a group
one night a few years later and went
model") and Irving Shoichet, a suc­
cessful businessman who passed away
to the best club in the city. Oddly,
when we returned to the same club
months later, it was pretty obvious
in early December 2008. From a very
young age, with her parents' encour­
agement to pursue what most inter­
ested her, she planned on becoming a
doctor. However, an "amazing chem­
that the original magic had nothing
to do with the club! We moved to To­
ronto because Molly's family is here
and, while I've grown attached to the
city, ['m still very much an American.
istry teacher" at the Toronto French
School where she attended high
I still vote and have Americana in my
office:'
interdisciplinary environment where
biologists, chemists, and biological
school set her on a different course.
She went on to earn her undergradu­
ate degree in chemistry at the Mas­
"I was very stubborn, determined,
and inquisitive;' Shoichet answers
and chemical engineers collaborate
together to tackle a variety of impor­
tant problems in regenerative medi­
cine. Working with Molly has allowed
me to learn about and contribute to
sachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). It was there that she also met
her husband, Bartus, who was in resi­
dence at the same fraternity house as
her older brother, Brian, when both
several interesting projects in her lab
that are aimed at treating conditions
were undergraduates. Brian is now a
professor of bio-chemistry at the Uni­
versity of California, San Francisco.
meetings in other countries and was
recently in Finland for such an event.
Yakov Lapitsky. a postdoctoral fel­
low on her team since 2006. says that
"having a background in soft mate­
rials, I came to Molly's lab to learn
about their medical applications. As
a supervisor, she fosters a fruitful and
such as stroke, spinal cord injury,
and cancer. I plan to apply what I've
learned from her toward an academic
career where I will now be able to ap­
ply chemical engineering and materi­
als science to problems in pharma­
ceutics and medicine."
Laura Yu, one of her current gradu­
ate students, adds that "Molly is an
exceptional mentor and supervisor.
Richard, her other brother, holds an
executive position at Skycharter Lim­
ited, their father's charter airline and
airplane service firm, based at Toron­
when asked about her childhood.
"There were 28 kids in my high school
graduating class and I was on every
team and belonged to all the clubs,
including the swim team and the
choir, even though I was a slow swim­
mer and poor singer. I was raised to
seize opportunities and take advan­
tage of them. My parents said they
would help open doors for me, but 1
would have to walk through them on
my own. My mother is amazing and
to's Pearson Airport.
"y..re didn't date while we were at
I feel very privileged to have her as
a mother, and my fath er as a father.
I enljoy the arts but 1 don't have the
school together;' Bartus says, "but we
same passion my mother has for it."
She bas always been encouraging and
supportive, especially through diffi­
cult times during my research project.
Through Moliy, I have the opportunity
to work with other world-renowned
neuroscientists and network with
other professionals in the field . I was
able to achieve what I thought was
impossible before. Her energy and
excitement in her work has inspired
me to extend my expectations and to
achieve higher goals:'
BORN AND RAISED IN TORONTO,
she is the daughter of philanthropist
lifestyl es magazine
PRE-SPRING 2009
63
Dr. Molly Shoichet As a child, however, she made her
own artwork and set up an "art gal­
lery" in the family home and invited
hlmily and friends to shop.
When she realized how much she
loved chemi stry and "aski ng questions
about the medicine of tomorrow;'
Shoichet deferred medical school and
opted for graduate school to explore
medical-based research. She went on
to the University of Massachusetts in
Amherst for a master of science and
doctor of philosophy degrees in poly­
mer science and engineering. "What
was reaUy exciting to me was that it
was very hands-on and I could actu­
ally hold and play with it [polymers] .
I was doing what I enjoyed doing and
tried to involve some biology in my
studies. UMass had the best polymer
program and is still one of the best
places in the world for this discipline;'
she adds. After her husband complet­
ed his engineering degree at NITT, and
earned an MBA at Harvard Business
School, tJley both worked in private
industry in Boston for several years.
When they decided it was time for a
change, the couple had the choice of
several American cities in which to
work but decided on Toronto in order
to be near Shoichet's family.
"I grew up in an atmosphere of
charity:' she says. "vVe have Shabbat
dinner every Friday with my parents
and my brother's family. We all give
tzedakah (charity money) every week,
the kids, too. At the end of the year, we
gathered all of our money and bought
Chanukah gifts for less privileged
children. 1be kids chose the gifts. 11lis
year, we established the 'Grandmoth­
er's Breakfast Club' with JIAS (Jewish
Immigration Aid Services)-an idea
that my mom and her grandchildren
hatched-with our money plus a little
more from friends and family. Instead
of giving out Chanukah gifts to all of
the cousins this year, we gave to JIAS
for this breakfast club:'
In addition , Shoichet and her grad
students participate as a team in the
annual Rick Hansen \-\Theels in Motion
community fundraiser for victims of
spinal cord injury. She explains that
this exercise brings them closer as a
group and also provides them with
greater insight into the plight of the
injured, many of whom also par­
ticipate in wheelchairs. Memorabilia
from the events adorns her office and
the lab.
Lest one think that Shoichet doesn't
have a life outside the laboratory, al­
though she despairs that she doesn't
have time for working out, she skis,
jogs when she can, reads novels, loves
theater and, like her husband , is ad­
dicted to basketball. She spends as
much time as possible on explora­
tions with her boys, including treks
to the zoo and the Ontario Science
Centre, and on developing personal
friendships.
"I have known Molly for over 13
years;' says Dr. Karen Thompson,
Business Unit Director, Specialty
Projects at Wyeth Canada, a major
pharmaceutical and health care prod­
uct developer and manufacturer. "We
originally met through our husbands,
who were both working for the Bos­
ton Consulting Group at the time. We
instantly became good friends "'rith
common footing as recent postdoc­
toral fellows, both newly married and
relocated to Toronto. Since then, we
have shared numerous experiences
together, a vast majority of them so­
cial occasions "'rith our families and
spouses. As both of us have children
of similar ages, we have enjoyed sev­
eral family getaways to Muskoka cot­
tages, skiing in Collingwood and Brit­
ish Columbia, and ",rinter trips to the
Dominican Republic, to name a few:'
"When I was younger, I had
planned my life:' Shoichet says with
a laugh, ""'rith the aim of becoming a
doctor and was determined not to get
married before I was 35. I never did
become a medical doctor and I was
married at 28:' It's obvious, in Molly
Shoichet's case, the best-laid plans
were the ones she never made. lM
lifestyles magazine
PRE-SPRING 2009
65