For years, SickKids scientist Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien toiled in his lab, harnessing the power of human antibodies to try and neutralize two of the world’s deadliest diseases: HIV/AIDS and malaria. Then, COVID-19 hit, wreaking havoc across the globe. Very quickly, Dr. Julien pivoted, leveraging what he learned to pursue a new mission: making an antibody supermolecule to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. If successful, it could radically reshape the way we approach diseases like COVID-19 and malaria—before the next pandemic hits.For more information on this episode, visit sickkidsfoundation.com/podcast/pandemic . And to fund research like this, go to sickkidsfoundation.com/donateSickKids Foundation is proud to recognize CIBC as the Premier Sponsor of the SickKids VS Podcast.

In 1990, 20-year-old rower Heather Cartwright was at the peak of her athletic powers. But as she crossed the finish line during a race that summer, she collapsed and nearly died. The cause? Arrhythmogenic right-ventricle cardiomyopathy, or ARVC—a rare, hereditary disease that can cause sudden cardiac death. Many die not knowing they have it. But thanks to SickKids researchers—and supporters like Heather and her family—a new test can detect this often-invisible disease.For more information on this episode, visit sickkidsfoundation.com/podcast/cardiacdeath. And to fund research like this, go to sickkidsfoundation.com/donate.SickKids Foundation is proud to recognize CIBC as the Premier Sponsor of the SickKids VS Podcast.

As a writer for SickKids Foundation, Hannah Bank has interviewed some of the world’s best scientists and researchers. The conversations left her so inspired that she's sharing some of them with you. This is SickKids VS, a podcast about the human side of science and the tumultuous road to discovery. Learn more about how SickKids VS began—and our host Hannah—in this mini episode on the eve of Season 2.

3D-printed hearts to help surgeons practice. Supermolecules to stop COVID-19. Cures for aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers. And much, much more. Welcome to Season 2 of SickKids VS, beginning April 15. Subscribe now. 

Dr. Upton Allen, Chief of Infectious Diseases at SickKids, on how COVID-19 affects children, why scientists around the world underestimated the threat, and his research to better understand the virus. 

When cardiac arrest strikes, it’s dangerous, even deadly. But what if we could see it coming? What if we could turn patient data into a predictive tool? A SickKids ICU doctor and computer scientist are figuring out a way to do just that—with artificial intelligence. 

In the 1950s, most kids with cystic fibrosis died in childhood. Today, things are a lot different. One SickKids patient, Mac Robertson, isn’t just surviving. He’s thriving. He’s a strong, six-foot teenager. He plays elite baseball. And, some days, he forgets he even has it. So, how’d we get here? And what does SickKids have to do with it?

Ten years ago, paediatric care in Ghana was nearly non-existent. There were few paediatricians, and even fewer paediatric nurses. Because of that, children died—many before their fifth birthday. So, SickKids started a nurse training program. Now, ten years later, the change is unmistakable.

Andi was having 200 seizures a day. It was unbearable—for her and her family. But nothing seemed to help. Until they met Dr. George Ibrahim at SickKids. He wanted to try something radical, a treatment which had never been used on a child in Canada: deep brain stimulation.   

Kids diagnosed with a deadly and aggressive cancer predisposition syndrome had no hope—until now. SickKids Drs. Uri Tabori and Eric Bouffet have discovered a way to treat these patients with drugs that unleash the power of the immune system. It’s called immunotherapy. And it’s the closest thing we’ve found to a cure.