The enabling technology of polymer design

by Hamideh Emrani | Feb 10, 2016

Another in the series: “What drives research in the field of biomaterials?” “What makes Canada cool?” asks Dan Taekema of The Toronto Star, and among the handful of influential figures that he writes about is the “rock star” researcher, Professor Molly Shoichet. I was...

Right Turn: An estimated 22,465 people died from cancer yesterday

by Stacey Johnson | Feb 5, 2016

According to the World Health Organization, there were 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012 so by my calculations, that’s over 22,000 each day. Cancer has been on my mind a lot this week, and not just because yesterday was #WorldCancerDay. On February 1st, the...

RoosterBio: Helping researchers scale up cells for patient delivery

by Guest | Feb 2, 2016

John Farrell is a science and technology blogger for Forbes online. John was invited to cover proceedings at the 2015 Till & McCulloch Meetings and this is his third and final report. This blog also appears on Forbes and is reprinted here with permission. One of...

Right Turn: In a year of cool tech, regenerative medicine made the list

by Erin Sugar | Jan 29, 2016

January is a month of resolutions. Whether it be dieting, exercising or finally taking up that project that you said you would begin a year ago, it is a month that typically sparks improvement. (By the way, how are your visits to the gym going?) While January marks...

Organ transplantation: Using biomaterials to prevent immune rejection

by Guest | Jan 26, 2016

Samantha is a PhD student in the Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry department at the University of Toronto. She has previously investigated regeneration in a non-mammalian gecko model during an MSc program, and now currently combines stem cell biology and...

Right Turn: Regenerative medicine debuts on The Late Show

by Stacey Johnson | Jan 22, 2016

Does it seem like regenerative medicine is having its moment in the sun? Last week, the news that GE Healthcare and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) are building a centre for advanced therapeutic cell technologies, with $20 million...

Stem cell community loses a treasured friend

by Guest | Jan 18, 2016

Joe Sornberger is Director of Communications Programs for the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation and author of Dreams & Due Diligence: Till and McCulloch’s Stem Cell Discovery and Legacy. This post is published here with his permission. The stem cell community is...

Right Turn: New $40M centre will solve cell therapy manufacturing challenges

by Stacey Johnson | Jan 15, 2016

It was huge news in Canada on Wednesday (January 13) when the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and GE Healthcare announced their partnership in the development of a new centre for advanced therapeutic cell technologies. GE Healthcare is...

Gene Therapy To Treat HIV In Clinical Trial

by Guest | Jan 14, 2016

John Farrell is a science and technology blogger for Forbes online. John was invited to cover proceedings at the 2015 Till & McCulloch Meetings and this is his second report. This blog also appears on Forbes and is reprinted here with permission. One of the more...

Right Turn: “Rock star” researcher awarded $2.4 million to create new skin

by Stacey Johnson | Jan 8, 2016

Jakub Tolar, the University of Minnesota researcher who shared stage time with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, has been awarded $2.4 million, by the Schulze Family Foundation, to support his work creating new skin for people suffering from burns and skin diseases, such as...