Yigal Dror

Director, Marrow Failure and Myelodysplasia Program

Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology

Dr. Yigal Dror joined the Department of Haematology/Oncology in 2000 after completing his fellowship here. He received his medical degree in 1990 and his paediatric certificate in 1995 from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dror is a clinician-scientist, Head of the Bone Marrow Failure and Myelodysplasia Program and past head of the Haematology Section at SickKids. He is an expert in bone marrow failure syndromes, myelodysplastic syndrome, hematopoiesis and genomics. His lab has made major contributions to the understanding of hematopoietic defects of these conditions, utilizing genomic strategies for diagnosis, elucidating clinical aspects and discovering novel genes and pathway underlying bone marrow failure.

Research

Dror’s main clinical interests are in the area of bone marrow failure and myelodysplastic syndrome. His research focuses on characterization of stem cells and blood cells in these conditions, genetic etiology and clinical outcome. He heads two multicenter pan-Canadian studies and networks: the Canadian Inherited Marrow Failure Registry and the Canadian Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Study.

Education and experience

• 1980–1990: Doctor of Medicine, Hebrew University & Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
• 1991–1995: Paediatric Certificate, Hebrew University & Kaplan Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
• 1997–2000: Fellow, Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2000–Present: Pediatric Hematologist/Oncology, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2002–Present: Director, Marrow Failure and Myelodysplasia Program (MFMP), Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2010–Present: Member, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2010–Present: School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2012–2017: Head, Hematology Section, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2013–Present: Senior Scientist, Genetics and Genome Biology, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 2014–Present: Professor of Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

Achievements

• 2006: Clinical Investigator Award – Canadian Institute of Health Research
• 2006: New Investigator Award – SickKids Foundation
• 2012–2017: Head, Hematology Section, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2015: Dr. Bernard Laski Award, Department of Paediatrics – The Hospital for Sick Children

1. Dror Y, Freedman MH. Shwachman-Diamond syndrome is an inherited pre-leukemic bone marrow failure disorder with aberrant hematologic progenitors and faulty marrow microenvironment. Blood 1999; 94:3048-54.
2. Sen S, Wang H, Nghiem CL, Zhou K, Yau J, Tailor C, Irwin M, Dror Y. The ribosome-related protein, SBDS, is critical for normal erythropoiesis. Blood. 2011:8;118(24):6407-17.
3. Dhanraj S, Gunja SM, Deveau AP, Nissbeck M, Boonyawat B, Coombs AJ, Renieri A, Mucciolo M, Marozza A, Buoni S, Turner L, Li H, Jarrar A, Sabanayagam M, Kirby M, Shago M, Pinto D, Berman JN, Scherer SW, Virtanen A, Dror Y. Bone marrow failure and developmental delay caused by mutations in poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN). J Med Genet. 2015 Nov: 52(11): 738-48
4. Dhanraj S, Matveev A, Li H, Lauhasurayotin S, Jardine L, Cada M, Zlateska B, Tailor CS, Zhou J, Mendoza-Londono R, Vincent A, Durie PR, Scherer SW, Rommens JM, Heon E, Dror Y. Biallelic mutations in DNAJC21 cause Shwachman-Diamond syndrome. Blood. 2017 Mar 16;129(11):1557-1562.
5. Heidemann S, Bursic B, Zandi S, Li H, Abelson S, Klaassen RJ, Abish S, Rayar M, Breakey VR, Moshiri H, Dhanraj S, de Borja R, Shlien A, Dick JE, Dror Y. Cellular and molecular architecture of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors in genetic models of bone marrow failure. JCI Insight. 2020 Feb 27;5(4): e131018.

See a full list of Yigal Dror's publications

Funding

• Canadian Institute of Health Research
• C17 Research Network
• Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplasia of Canada
• Fanconi Anemia Canada
• Diamond Blackfan Anemia Canada