The ever-expanding optogenetic toolkit

by Lyla El-Fayomi | May 22, 2019

A mouse with mysterious cables attached to its head explores an enclosure, casually walking past a small wooden stick, uninterested. Cut to another scene of the same mouse as it walks past the same stick – only this time, a light atop its head begins to glow. Without...

Right Turn: Disappointing news about regenerative medicine funding in Ontario

by Stacey Johnson | May 17, 2019

It was announced publicly this week that the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (OIRM) funding will not be renewed after March 2020. Closing OIRM would be a significant loss to the regenerative medicine community in Ontario, where so many of Canada’s stem...

CCRM’s inaugural investor symposium: Recap and key takeaways

by Guest | May 8, 2019

Matthew Mistry is a Market and Equity Analyst at CCRM, where he conducts investment diligence, market analyses, participates in company creation activities and supports strategic business development. He joined CCRM from the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization...

Navigating the regulatory complexity of regenerative medicine in Canada

by Guest | Apr 30, 2019

Siofradh McMahon is Senior Manager, Clinical Translation and Regulatory Affairs at CCRM. Síofradh works with academic and industry partners to advance promising products and technologies to commercialization. Having worked worldwide, Síofradh brings more than a decade...

How to use Instagram to communicate real science really well

by Guest | Apr 25, 2019

Scott Gardner is on a communications placement at CCRM to complete his post-graduate program at Centennial College. He has experience in corporate communications for educational institutions in Ontario. A former journalist in Belleville Ontario, you can find Scott...

Study reveals large differences at the molecular level between stem cells grown on different biomaterials

by Jovana Drinjakovic | Apr 18, 2019

This article was first published here. It is reprinted with permission of the Donnelly Centre. Depending on the type of surface they adhere to in a lab dish, stem cells can exhibit vast differences at the molecular level with implications for research and therapy. The...

Right Turn: A letter to Joe Rogan about stem cells

by Stacey Johnson | Apr 12, 2019

Dear Joe, My worlds collided the other day when I stumbled upon your many, highly viewed stem cell videos on YouTube. You see, my husband is a huge fan of yours. He regularly watches UFC, he practices mixed martial arts and he boxes. He loves your podcast and watches...

How manmade liver pieces could help patients with cystic fibrosis

by Jovana Drinjakovic | Apr 4, 2019

As the most common fatal genetic disorder, cystic fibrosis (CF) has been at the forefront of genetic research since the gene responsible for it was discovered 40 years ago. But with more than 300 known disease-causing mutations, or variants of the CF gene, disease...

Raman spectroscopy for monitoring therapeutic cell manufacturing – Part 2

by Sowmya Viswanathan | Mar 28, 2019

In this month’s installment of the “Bioprocess and Bioanalytics” blog, we get part II from Drs. Robin Turner and James Piret on Raman spectroscopy and how this method can be utilized to tell us new information about cell therapy products. Both are Professors in the...

Right Turn: Stem cells, elite athletes and adventurous eaters

by Stacey Johnson | Mar 22, 2019

I’m sold. I just watched a fantastic documentary called The Game Changers and I am ready to significantly reduce my meat intake. It may take time to be completely animal-free, but I can certainly consume less meat and farmed fish. I predict that when this documentary...