Iacovos Michael, PhD
Sunnybrook Research institute and University of Toronto

BTSI

The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) congratulates Iacovos Michael, PhD, Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute and Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, as the 2023 recipient of NANETS’ Basic/Translational Science Investigator Award (BTSI). Dr. Michael was awarded this scholarship for his proposal: Development of MicroRNA-based Liquid Biopsies for Small-bowel NETs.

Dr. Iacovos Michael joined the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as a Scientist after completing his postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Douglas Hanahan at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Dr. Simron Singh, his mentor, played an instrumental role in the recruitment of Dr. Michael to the Sunnybrook Institute.

“One of our key priorities is to assess the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers used in liquid biopsies for NETs, which is the focus of this grant,” said Dr. Singh. “I am thrilled to be mentoring Dr. Michael in this area. This grant may be the beginning of the development of a larger career for Dr. Michael in translational science and bench-to-bedside research.”

The proposed project covers two important research areas: to identify new pathways involved in the progression of NETs and to evaluate miRNAs as biomarkers for NET liquid biopsies. The project will take advantage of the established Biobank at Sunnybrook and the biospecimens available from the two clinical trials, STOPNET and NET-RETREAT, led by Dr. Simron Singh. Dr. Michael, in collaboration with Dr. Hon Leong, Dr. Neil Renwick, and Dr. Kathrin Tyryshkin, will evaluate the role of a set of miRNAs for diagnosing and monitoring small-bowel NETs. Overall, this project is expected to provide novel insights into the role of miRNAs as drivers and biomarkers for small-bowel NETs and instigate future projects in the Michael lab.

The BTSI award is a two-year, $100,000 grant made possible through generous support from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF). The purpose of the BTSI Award is to encourage scientists at the end of their fellowship who have secured a faculty appointment or scientists beginning their faculty appointment to pursue research focused on neuroendocrine tumors.

NANETS is grateful to NETRF, whose tremendous investment and support of this annual research grant have made a difference in the NET medical community and the patients we serve. The NANETS Scientific Review & Research Committee establishes the award criteria, reviews process, and independently selects the recipients.