Research Summer Student 2026

UHN is Canada’s #1 hospital and the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

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Position Summary:
This research project investigates the role of MTP, a regulator of myocardial energy metabolism, during prolonged cardiac surgery. The student will work with existing tissue samples collected from a clinically relevant pediatric pig model of prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamping, designed to mirror long and complex heart surgery. The student will gain practical experience in molecular and biochemical techniques, analyzing how ischemia-reperfusion injury during prolonged cardiac surgery affects myocardial metabolism. Key activities will include examining MTP expression levels with Western Blot, assessing MTP enzyme activity using specialized tissue assays, and exploring potential cardioprotective effects of a MTP-treatment. The project integrates a large-animal model with mechanistic mitochondrial biology to identify novel metabolic targets and therapeutic strategies for preventing myocardial injury during cardiac surgery.

Completion of Western Blot analysis on myocardial tissue samples to quantify MTP protein expression across experimental groups; Comprehensive assessment of MTP enzymatic activity using established tissue assay protocols; Detailed summary report of findings comparing MTP expression and activity between ischemia-reperfusion and treatment conditions; Data summary and preliminary analysis of metabolic outcomes related to treatment interventions; Presentation of results in a formal seminar format to laboratory members; Contribution to a research manuscript describing the findings and their implications for cardiac surgery outcomes.

Duties:

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

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We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.