The Chrysalis Affair will celebrate 40 years of the Lupus Clinic and Databank Research Program at the Toronto Western Hospital and recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Dr. Murray Urowitz to the field of lupus research and education. Dr. Urowitz established the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic and Lupus Databank Research Program in 1970 - one of the largest such databanks in the world, with more than 1,500 patients and over 38,000 clinic visits. The Clinic has allowed for numerous findings which have changed the way lupus is diagnosed and managed.
 
The fundraising gala event will raise funds to establish the Murray B. Urowitz Fellowships in Lupus Research at the Toronto Western Hospital.

The event will be held at the Four Seasons on Saturday April 2, 2011. There will be approximately 400 guests in attendance, including a number of Dr. Urowitz’s past trainees who have become internationally recognized for their work in the Lupus research field.   Guests are assured an elegant evening of great food and wine and spectacular entertainment.

About Lupus
Lupus, an autoimmune disease that affects more than 50,000 Canadians, 1.5 million Americans and more than five million individuals worldwide, belongs in the family of diseases that includes rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes, and scleroderma. It is a complex and baffling condition that mainly affects women in their child bearing years, but also affects men, children and the elderly.
Researchers and scientists have begun to unravel the mysteries of Lupus – their work leading to improved tests and techniques for diagnosis, better methods for living with the disease and improved patient care and more recently newer and potentially more effective pharmacologic therapies. More research will hopefully lead to the discovery of the cause of the disease and a cure. 

About University Health Network
University Health Network consists of Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, and genomic medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information: www.uhn.ca.