It is an honor, certainly, for me to have this chance to say a several phrases at the opening of this crucial global symposium on heparin. A single cannot overestimate the importance of the substance or substances
referred to generically as heparin, for few agents have experienced a additional profound impact on the advancement of drugs and medical procedures. Not only has heparin been the leader in antithrombotic therapy ever since its introduction some forty yrs back initiated a new area of therapeutics, but it also has made possible remarkable advances in cardiac surgery, vascular surgical procedure, acute and persistent hemodialysis, and a wide variety of other healthcare and surgical techniques. Additionally, had been it not for heparin, several experimental reports in animals and on blood, which have been and carry on to be elementary for important medical developments, under no circumstances could have been carried out. Hence, when couple of, if any, have ever advised that heparin be included in any survival package, it would be fascinating to contemplate the character of medication or health care practice these days without having its existence. These kinds of considerations, along with the simple fact that at any time because its introduction heparin has continued to get pleasure from a sustained advancement, equally in volume of use and selection of applications, offer adequate reason that new knowledge, each of a standard and applied nature, be reviewed at proper intervals. This is this kind of a time, especially since a amount of important advancements have happened lately. The site for this symposium is a most fitting a single. It requires place in a region the place heparin was initial introduced for clinical use, and where groundbreaking operate on this compound has ongoing uninterrupted for some two rating yrs and it will take position in an institution whose Section of Physiology has been a globe leader in heparin research by advantage of its several major improvements to our expertise. But, most likely most importantly, it presents the many researchers who have arrive in close proximity to and considerably to attend this assembly the opportunity to honor a senior and elder statesman at the College of Saskatchewan who has devoted his overall analysis job to the investigation of these unique macromolecules, and whose research on this subject are so properly identified internationally that a phrase affiliation amongst heparin and L. B. Jaques has created spontaneously. As often occurs with imortant clinical breakthroughs, serendipity played a major part in Jay McLean’s discovery of heparin. Howell experienced requested him to examine tissue resources of thromboplastin other than brain, and had proposed he consider to extract this sort of a product from the coronary heart and the liver. The heart substance turned out to be a lot less powerful than the controversial mind extract but the liver planning actually prevented clotting relatively than accelerating it. The rest is background! I have no intention to assessment the heparin story. Its early period is nicely coated in past publications by McLean and these kinds of other renowned
heparin pioneers as Erik Jorpes, Charles Greatest, and Gordon Murray, and a finish categorised bibliography of all heparin publications through July 1958 is offered. And as for the period because then, no purpose would be served by my performing this, particulaly given that Professor Jaques will be addressing us afterwards on “Forty Years of Heparin Research: Past and Potential.” This symposium is not created to deal with all elements of our expertise of heparin such an endeavor would be a lot too formidable for a a few-working day conference. Somewhat the organizers, less than the clever management of Dr. McDuffie, have decided on particular subjects of existing desire for big thing to consider. These incorporate the structure of heparin and connected compounds, its interactions in carrying out its practical activity, the mobile position of heparin, and selected factors of scientific application. Prior to concluding these introductory remarks, I would like to say a number of text about the male getting honored by this symposium and for whom the posted proceedings unquestionably will be devoted. As quite a few of you know, virtually two many years went by, adhering to the first discovery of heparin in 1916, before purified preparations of this compound were being manufactured available for clinical investigation in gentleman and this happened virtually simultaneously and independently in Canada and Sweden. It is indeed lucky for us that, just at the time that Connaught Laboratories manufactured such preparations obtainable to Dr. Gordon Murray for patient research, Louis Barker Jaques, who experienced been born in Toronto some 22 several years earlier, determined to go after a Masters Degree in Physiology at the University of Toronto and was assigned to support Murray
in his scientific studies. This collaboration between a brilliant academic surgeon and a dedicated and established scholar, so reminiscent of the Banting and Finest affiliation some 10 yrs before, soon resulted in the first demonstration of the clinical usefulness of heparin, namely, in vascular surgical treatment. From this early path-blazing operate, Jaques has primary tained a commitment and devotion to heparin research which is special he is the only one of the early pioneers who has maintained a complete curiosity in this agent. This desire now spans four many years and involves 128 publications of authentic analysis operate on this substance. Amid Jaques’ firsts are the demonstration of the use of heparin in preventing thrombosis, the use of pharmacodynamic reports for creating dosage, identification of distinctions in heparins among the numerous mammalian species, variability of activity amid commercial preparations, strategies for the dedication of heparin this sort of as protamine titration, metachromatic staining, and clotting instances, demonstration of the platelet aggregating result of business heparin preparations, heparin’s reaction with toluidine blue, identification of iduronic acid as significant element of heparin, and the identification of circulating heparin in canine anaphylaxis. Hence Jaques’ job has spanned not only the
entire active period of time of investigation of this material, but his personal research have protected the overall spectrum of heparin investigation: its chemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics. And in the custom of the “complete” scientist, he has adopted, adapted, and produced methods to resolve issues rather than seeking issues to be solved by a distinct technique. The first 12 many years of Jaques’ study career have been spent in the Section of Physiology at the College of Toronto, but in 1946 at the age of 35, he was summoned to the University of Saskatchewan as Professor and Head of their Department of Physiology, a placement he held for the subsequent 25 a long time. In 1971 he relinquished this accountability, and because then has served as Director of the Department’s Haemostasis- Thrombosis Study Unit. His importance to the College has been identified in quite a few techniques just one proof of this has been his appointment in 1972 as the initially W. S. Lindsay Professor of this University’s School of Medication. Whilst his study accomplishments and the management he has provided to the heparin industry talk for them selves, all of us have admired this person for his particular qualities as nicely. He has taught us all that 1 need to have not be flashy to be impressive—all just one has to do is to have the facts. And in which heparin is concerned, Louis Barker Jaques has far more than everyone else in this planet nowadays. All of us here salute you Professor Jaques and wish you many far more a long time of smart counsel, management, and effective study.