News
Re:Pair shines in 2nd place at BBTV pitch competition
Building a BioTech Venture, otherwise known as BBTV, is a program offered at the University of Toronto (UofT), by Medicine by Design. Medicine by design is focused on investing heavily and advancing research programs in partnership with the Precision Medicine Initiative (PRiME), Health Innovation Hub (H2i) and Talk Boutique. On March 27, 2024, six teams […]
March 30, 2024
Hult Prize Competition: A Day of Innovation and Achievement
On 21st February 2024, our team embarked on an extraordinary journey to participate in the prestigious Hult Prize competition, a global platform known for fostering innovation and social entrepreneurship. The event was held at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus at UTSG and brought together some of the brightest minds in the university to share their […]
March 10, 2024
Re:Pair Genomics Presents Poster at the UofT AI Conference
Our team had an incredible day at ConferenceX, held in the MaRS Discovery District! 🚀 The event was truly inspiring, filled with stories from innovative minds across diverse companies, all sharing their insights on the latest AI breakthroughs. A highlight was hearing Geoffrey Hinton, referred to as the ‘Godfather of AI,’ share his valuable experiences and […]
January 28, 2024
Re:Pair Genomics Presents Poster at the Cell & Gene Therapy West Coast Symposium
On September 7, California Life Sciences and Johnson & Johnson Innovation co-hosted a West Coast Symposium focusing on Cell and Gene Therapy – Advancing Next Generation Therapies. This one-day event included poster sessions as well as presentations and fireside chats by representatives from academia, industry, investors, and more! Re:Pair Genomics was selected as one of […]
September 23, 2023
In silico prediction and in vivo testing of promoters targeting GABAergic inhibitory neurons
Impairment of GABAergic inhibitory neuronal function is linked to epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-based gene therapy targeting GABAergic neurons is a promising treatment for GABA-associated disorders. However, there is a need to develop rAAV-compatible gene-regulatory elements capable of selectively driving expression in GABAergic neurons throughout the brain. Here, we designed several novel GABAergic gene promoters. In silico analyses, including evolutionarily conserved DNA sequence alignments and transcription factor binding site searches among GABAergic neuronal genes, were carried out to reveal novel sequences for use as rAAV-compatible promoters. rAAVs (serotype 9) were injected into the CSF of neonatal mice and into the brain parenchyma of adult mice to assess promoter specificity. In mice injected neonatally, transgene expression was detected in multiple brain regions with very high neuronal specificity and moderate-to-high GABAergic neuronal selectivity. The GABA promoters differed greatly in their levels of expression and, in some brain regions, showed strikingly different patterns of GABAergic neuron transduction. This study is the first report of rAAV vectors that are functional in multiple brain regions using promoters designed by in silico analyses from multiple GABAergic genes. These novel GABA-targeting vectors may be useful tools to advance gene therapy for GABA-associated disorders.
February 4, 2023
Pitch Perfect 2022 Recap & Winners Announcement
On Wednesday November 9th, 2022, H2i welcomed founders, students, faculty, mentors and more to Pitch Perfect 2022! Marking H2i’s first in-person event since early 2020, just over 50 attendants gathered in-person or tuned in via livestream to watch the finalists pitch for their chance to win. H2i’s Pitch Perfect Competition is an annual Temerty Faculty of Medicine sponsored initiative focused on celebrating and supporting student innovations on health matters. ​Created to provide pitch competition opportunities specifically for earlier stage startups, it features six early-stage U of T student-led health ventures pitching for a chance to win one of three Student Innovation Fellowships.
November 17, 2022
