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SickKids

Jiri Vajsar

Title: Project Director, Neurosciences and Mental Health
Designations: MD, M.Sc., FRCPC
Phone: 416-813-6300
Alternate Contact Name: Wendy Bennett
Alternate Phone: 416-813-5668
Alternate Email: Wendy.bennett@sickkids.ca
U of T Positions: Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Paediatrics

Hospital Positions

Staff Physician
Division of Neurology

Biography

Having completed an M.Sc. in neurophysiology at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Vajsar joined the Division of Neurology at SickKids in 1993. Vajsar has a long-standing interest and expertise in paediatric neuromuscular diseases and neurophysiology. His research and publications deal with spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophies, Guillain-Barre syndrome and juvenile myasthenia gravis. He is interested in the development of novel treatment strategies in acute and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies. His research has been funded by MDAC, NIH and SMA Foundation as well as by Industry.

Publications

  1. Finkel RS, Chiriboga CA, Vajsar J, Day JW, Montes J, De Vivo DC, Yamashita M, Rigo F, Hung G, Schneider E, Norris DA, Xia S, Bennett CF, Bishop KM. Treatment of infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy with nusinersen: a phase 2, open-label, dose-escalation study. Lancet. 2016:388:3017-3026. 
  2. Finkel RS, Mercuri E, Darras BT, Connolly AM, Kuntz NL, Kirschner J, Chiriboga CA, Saito K, Servais L, Tizzano E, Topaloglu H, Tulinius M, Montes J, Glanzman AM, Bishop K, Zhong ZJ, Gheuens S, Bennett CF, Schneider E, Farwell W, De Vivo DC; ENDEAR Study Group. Nusinersen versus Sham Control in Infantile-Onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy.N Engl J Med. 2017 Nov 2;377(18):1723-1732.
  3. Campbell C, Selby K, McMillan H,  Vajsar J, Korngut L, Brais B, MacKenzie A , Oskoui M. Response to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux decision regarding nusinersen for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Can J Neurol Sci. Published online: 24 July 2018.
  4. Gonorazky HD, Dowling JJ, Volpatti JR, Vajsar J.  Signs and Symptoms in Congenital Myopathies. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology. 29:3-11, 2019 04.
  5. Katzbery H, Vajsar J, Vezina K, Qashqari H, Selvadurai S, Chrestien N, Khayat A, Ryan C, Narang I.  Respiratory Dysfunction and Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children with Myasthenia Gravis. Journal of Child Neurology. 2020.
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