Sanat Khanna holds a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from India and recently completed an Advanced Diploma in Biotechnology at Centennial College. He has hands-on experience in scientific research, project coordination, and science communication, having worked in both academic and applied lab environments. Sanat is also involved in student-led biotech initiatives focused on marketing and public outreach. Passionate about the intersection of AI and biotechnology, he is committed to making complex science accessible, engaging, and impactful for diverse audiences. Connect with Sanat on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sanatkhanna.
AI-generated image, provided by the author
Last year, an artificial intelligence (AI) model helped design a gene therapy that cured a rare childhood disorder, in just six months. What once took years of trial-and-error experimentation is now being accelerated to unprecedented speeds.
This isn’t science fiction. AI is fundamentally transforming regenerative medicine, from reimagining how therapies are discovered to redefining how they’re manufactured and personalized. The global race to lead this revolution is underway and Canada has a rare opportunity to be the driving force.
With cutting-edge infrastructure, exceptional scientific talent, and organizations driving clinical translation, Canada is uniquely equipped to integrate AI into every stage of regenerative medicine. This is our moment to lead, and it starts with bold action and strategic vision.
Breakthroughs reshaping the field
AI is no longer a supporting tool; it’s becoming the backbone of biomedical innovation.
AlphaFold 3, developed by DeepMind, doesn’t just predict how proteins fold, it now models interactions among proteins, DNA, RNA, and small molecules. This leap forward is turbocharging drug discovery, allowing scientists to simulate therapeutic candidates before they ever reach a lab bench.
Microsoft’s Bio GPT adds another layer, making biomedical literature searchable with natural language. Researchers can now ask complex clinical questions and receive precise, data-backed insights drawn from millions of published studies, instantly.
Meanwhile, NVIDIA’s Clara platform is revolutionizing biomanufacturing by integrating AI into medical imaging and therapy production pipelines. Real-time simulations allow for scalable, consistent, and quality-controlled manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.
These platforms aren’t theoretical, they’re actively shaping how treatments are discovered, tested and delivered.
Innovators driving global momentum
The AI-biotech frontier includes visionary companies charting new territory.
Isomorphic Labs, a spin-off of DeepMind, is reimagining biology as an information system. By simulating molecular interactions with generative AI, Isomorphic designs novel drugs from first principles, avoiding traditional trial-and-error entirely. Their work builds on AlphaFold’s success and signals a future where therapeutic discovery becomes computationally driven.
Closer to home, Toronto-based Re:Pair Genomics is radically compressing gene therapy timelines. Their AI-powered platform engineers gene enhancers and promoters in just days, accelerating development and opening new doors for rare disease treatment.
U.S.-based Recursion Pharmaceuticals has deepened its footprint in Canada, opening a major office in Toronto and acquiring AI-driven biotech firms Cyclica (Toronto) and Valence (Montréal) in 2023. These moves strengthen its integration of advanced AI models and high-throughput cellular imaging within its drug discovery pipeline.
Meanwhile, Organovo partners with pharmaceutical and academic institutions to leverage its ExVive™ 3D bio printed liver and kidney tissues for in vitro drug testing. The company is also advancing implantable tissue patches, demonstrating the real-world utility of its AI-guided bioprinting platform. Together, these innovators, both domestic and global, form a vibrant constellation of AI-driven breakthroughs poised to redefine medicine.
A patient-centred future
Imagine parents in Winnipeg learning that their child’s rare genetic condition has a promising new treatment, designed faster, tested smarter, and customized to their child’s DNA.
This is the future AI can deliver.
AI is helping us shift from reactive care to precision-based interventions, where therapies aren’t just available, but individually optimized. It brings hope not only for breakthroughs, but for access, equity and long-term sustainability.
Leading the revolution
Canada’s future in regenerative medicine will be shaped not only by scientific breakthroughs, but by the generosity of its ecosystem, openness with data, collaboration across borders, and a deep commitment to patient care. To lead globally, Canada must redefine innovation as a collective pursuit. That means startups sharing insights instead of guarding them, investors aligning success with long-term health outcomes, and industries collaborating to solve problems too big for any one player.
Organizations like the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO) are already laying this groundwork by connecting entrepreneurs with commercialization pathways and fostering cross-sector partnerships. The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, through the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, supports a network of researchers exploring everything from health system reform to equitable access to innovation. The MaRS Discovery District nurtures emerging ventures by helping ideas move from concept to scale, all while anchoring them in purpose.
At the heart of Canada’s regenerative ecosystem, CCRM is perfectly positioned to become a global AI hub. By building dedicated AI capabilities across its operations, CCRM can drive transformation across research, development, manufacturing and regulation. Its subsidiary, OmniaBio Inc., is already integrating AI and robotics into its manufacturing facility through The Intelligent Factory™.
This is Canada’s edge, not just talent and infrastructure, but a culture of trust, inclusion and momentum capable of building a regenerative future powered not only by science but guided by generosity.
That generosity, when paired with innovation, has transformative power. From discovery to delivery, it will reshape how therapies are developed, how patients are treated, and how institutions will operate.
Canada, with its deep scientific foundations, strong innovation ecosystem and expertise in AI, can lead this revolution. By investing in AI integration now, it will be possible to accelerate breakthroughs, enhance manufacturing, streamline regulation, and transform patient outcomes.
Not just for today’s breakthrough, but for the generations whose health, hope and futures will depend on them.
Guest
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