Dr. Sergio Grinstein
Recipient of the 2001
G. Malcolm Brown Award

On June 22, 2001, Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, presented the 2001 G. Malcolm Brown Award to Dr. Sergio Grinstein, head of the Cell Biology Research program at The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute.

The G. Malcolm Brown Memorial Fund, created in memory of the first president of the Medical Research Council of Canada, is intended to promote research in the health sciences in Canada. In consultation with the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, awards take the form of annual lectureships bearing Dr. Brown's name, in conjunction with meetings of these major national organizations. The award includes a certificate as well as a cash award of $ 1,500.

Dr. Grinstein is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of cell biology, the study of processes within cells and of the interactions between them. Since arriving at the Hospital for Sick Children in 1979, Dr. Grinstein's research has focused on understanding the role of inorganic ions in cellular function, with particular emphasis in cells of the immune system. He has been particularly interested in the process whereby white blood cells engulf and kill invading microorganisms by secreting acid. Interference with these processes leads to devastating infections. His studies have also addressed the mechanisms of sodium absorption in the kidney and intestine, which are relevant to hypertension and diabetes.

Dr. Grinstein's collaborative research has led to important insights into the basis of a variety of disorders, including cystic fibrosis, and those involving the immune system. He has discovered basic mechanisms of cell function and has contributed to the development of novel methods for measuring and manipulating the ionic concentrations in microscopic compartments within intact cells by non-invasive procedures.

His work has been recognized with numerous honours including the prestigious Distinguished Scientist Award from the former Medical Research Council of Canada, the Pitblado Chair in Cell Biology and, twice, the title of Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar.

Dr. Grinstein's Malcolm Brown Lecture was presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies in Ottawa.

The Hospital for Sick Children
Canadian Federation of Biological Societies