Khosrow Adeli

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Dr. Adeli is the Head of Clinical Biochemistry in the Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, as well as a Senior Scientist in the Molecular Medicine Program of the Research Institute, at the Hospital for Sick Children. He is also a Full Professor and Vice Chair of Quality in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. He currently serves as the President of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), a worldwide organization with 90 member countries and more than 45,000 laboratory physicians and scientists around the world. He is also the current Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

Since 1988, Dr. Adeli has been actively involved in both molecular and clinical laboratory research. He has over 30  years’ experience in clinical chemistry service, education, and research, with over 600 articles and abstracts published to date. His achievements have been recognized through several distinctions and careers awards (see Publications and Awards below).

Research Synopsis

The Adeli Lab’s basic research program aims to elucidate the cellular, molecular, and physiological regulation and hepatic lipoprotein production in normal and insulin-resistant states. In recent years, the incidence of insulin-resistant states such as obesity and type 2 diabetes have been increasing at an alarming in both pediatric and adult populations. These conditions represent major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, largely due to lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities. The key mechanism underlying this metabolic dyslipidemia is hepatic and intestinal overproduction of atherogenic lipoproteins. Currently, the laboratory is investigating the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating intestinal and hepatic lipoprotein overproduction in insulin-resistant states and the role of the gut-brain-liver axis in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism

Aside from basic research, the Adeli Lab also conducts various clinical research projects. This includes the CALIPER (Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals) program, which aims to establish a comprehensive database of reference or “normal” ranges for medical laboratory tests in children and adolescents. The CALIPER database, which now contains reference intervals for hundreds of laboratory biomarkers, is used by thousands of institutions across Canada and around the world to improve clinical assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring of children with medical concerns.

For more information on the basic and clinical research programs, please visit the Adeli Lab website.

Highlighted publications

Adeli K, Higgins V, Trajcevski K, White-Al Habeeb N. The Canadian laboratory initiative on pediatric reference intervals: A CALIPER white paper. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 2017 Sep;54(6):358-413. doi: 10.1080/10408363.2017.1379945.

Adeli K, Higgins V, Trajcevski K, Palmert MR. Important considerations for interpreting biochemical tests in children. BMJ. 2018 May 24;361:k1950.

Higgins V, Asgari S, Hamilton JK, Wolska A, Remaley AT, Hartmann B, Holst JJ, Adeli K. Postprandial dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and impaired gut peptides/bile acids in adolescents with obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Apr 1; 105(4):dgz261.

Higgins V, Omidi A, Tahmasebi H, Asgari S, Gordanifar K, Nieuwesteeg M, Adeli K. Marked influence of adiposity on laboratory biomarkers in a healthy cohort of children and adolescents. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Apr 1;105(4):dgz161.

Tahmasebi H, Asgari S, Hall A, Higgins V, Chowdhury A, Thompson R, Bohn MK, Macri J, Adeli K. Influence of ethnicity on biochemical markers of health and disease in the CALIPER cohort of healthy children and adolescents. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020 Mar 26;58(4):605-617.

Recent publications

Bohn MK, Horn P, League D, Steele P, Hall A, Adeli K. Pediatric reference intervals for endocrine markers and fertility hormones in healthy children and adolescents on the Siemens Healthineers Atellica immunoassay system. Clin Chem Lab Med. Epub 2021 May 6.

Bohn MK, Lippi G, Horvath AR, Erasmus R, Grimmler M, Gramegna M, Mancini N, Mueller R, Rawlinson WD, Menezes ME, Patru MM, Rota F, Sethi S, Singh K, Yuen KY, Wang CB, Adeli K; IFCC Taskforce on COVID-19. IFCC interim guidelines on rapid point-of-care antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection in asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Clin Chem Lab Med. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Hall A, Bohn MK, Wilson S, Higgins V, Adeli K. Continuous reference intervals for 19 endocrine, fertility, and immunochemical markers in the CALIPER cohort of healthy children and adolescents. Clin Biochem. Epub 2021 Apr 18.

Doust JA, Bell KJL, Leeflang MMG, Dinnes J, Lord SJ, Mallett S, van de Wijgert JHHM, Sandberg S, Adeli K, Deeks JJ, Bossuyt PM, Horvath AR. Guidance for the design and reporting of studies evaluating the clinical performance of tests for present or past SARS-CoV-2 infection. BMJ. 2021 Mar 29;372:n568.

Higgins V, Habeeb NW, Venner AA, Bailey D, Collier C, Adeli K; Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) Working Group on Reference Interval Harmonization. A Snapshot of Lipid Reporting Practices in Canadian Clinical Laboratories: An Urgent Need for Harmonization. Can J Cardiol. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Honours and Awards

Richard G. Hegele Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation, University of Toronto (2020)

AACC Academy Outstanding Research Award (2019)

Graduate Teaching Award, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto (2017)

Senior Investigator Award, Canadian Lipoprotein Conference (2016)

AACC Pediatric-Maternal-Fetal Division Award (2015)

Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists Innovation Award (2015)

Ontario Society of Clinical Chemists Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)