Government funding for regenerative medicine is making a difference

by Stacey Johnson | Jun 2, 2023

The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program has been on my mind lately. Yes it’s true, although it may seem odd to admit. The Government of Canada’s innovative program, launched in 1989, was intended to “mobilize Canada’s best research, development and...

One pioneer’s dogged pursuit of personalized cell therapy

by Don Gibbons | May 25, 2023

A recent Wall Street Journal article reminded me of the work of someone I came to know well while at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM): Jeanne Loring of the Scripps Research Institute. The article detailed a cell therapy for Parkinson’s Disease...

ARM Sector Snapshot: Gene editing takes centre stage and 2023 approvals near

by Cal Strode | May 18, 2023

Regular readers of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) sector reports may have noticed that the organization is taking a new approach to sharing insights on the cell and gene therapy sector. In April, ARM launched a new format for distilling key data and trend...

A breath of fresh CRISPR? Innovative technologies unleash the superpowers of gene editing capabilities

by Francesco Zangari | May 10, 2023

CRISPR-Cas9 is not only a revolutionary technology, it is also a topic that never ceases to intrigue. From gene editing to agriculture, the possibilities are seemingly endless. In medicine, CRISPR-Cas9 has shown promising results in curing genetic blood disorders and...

On DNA Day: Seeking a more complete genetic picture of the world

by Don Gibbons | May 4, 2023

For people like me working in the biological science sector, the annual DNA Day (every April 25th) is always a cause to raise a toast, but this year was special. It marked the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix by Watson and Crick (and Franklin) and...

Counting iPSheep: Challenges keeping CGT leaders up at night

by Cal Strode | Apr 27, 2023

The first Science Huddle panel discussion of 2023, Cell & Gene Therapy: Maximizing Commercialization, delved into challenges keeping leaders in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) commercialization space up at night. Moderating the event was Dr. Christian K....

Finding the perfect match: breaking down the science of organ and stem cell transplant matching

by Sara M. Nolte | Apr 18, 2023

One of the major limitations of using stem cell donors is the challenge of finding an adequate match, which is why I always get excited about therapies that use a patient’s own tissue. But why is the issue of a “match” such a big deal? You may have come across terms...

Exploring the potential of fish skin for wound healing and regeneration

by Guest | Apr 14, 2023

Peace Chukwu is a medical writer and fourth-year medical student at the University of Nigeria. She also serves as the national Editor-in-Chief for SCORA, a magazine published by the Nigerian Medical Students Association. She tweets @Makuopeace. As a medical student,...

Current state of affairs: An overview of seven Canadian cell therapy companies

by Guest | Apr 6, 2023

Stephie Leung is currently an Associate Scientist at Artisan Biotechnologies. Stephie started her career in cell and gene therapy with GE Healthcare Lifesciences, working at the Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies, a collaboration between CCRM and GE...

A new kind of influencer: Dr. Peter Zandstra on engineering cell fate decisions

by Cal Strode | Mar 29, 2023

Few people have made bigger contributions to the Canadian regenerative medicine ecosystem than Dr. Peter Zandstra. He is co-founder of two companies advancing cutting-edge biotechnologies for therapeutic use (Notch Therapeutics and ExCellThera, both of which are...