It’s that time of year when we look back at what was popular on Signals over the past 12 months, according to views. I am always curious to see what you are reading and perhaps you are as well? As we head into our 14th year of publishing Signals, I’m very aware of all that is competing online for your attention and really appreciate your loyalty. Also, Happy New Year!
Our number one blog post in 2025 comes from Peach Chukwu, a medical student at the University of Nigeria. She has made the list before, and I’m not surprised this blog post was a hit. It’s not a topic we have covered previously, and clearly you were interested in learning more. Here is Menstrual stem cells and their promise. Although it didn’t make the Top 10, Peace also blogged about “menstrual stem cell implication in endometriosis,” if you missed that one.
Our second most-read blog post comes from my colleague Laine Bodnar. I’m a little surprised that so many of you are interested in learning about regulatory affairs careers, but it’s also possible you are friends and colleagues of the two women featured in the post: Zoe Anderson-Jenkins and Tracy Porter. If you missed Laine’s helpful post, you can read it now: Regulatory affairs careers: What scientists need to know. By the way, Laine had the number one blog post in 2024, and given the topic maybe I shouldn’t be surprised about this year’s ranking. There is a loose theme happening here.
Another blogger who has made our list before – actually, he has been on it every year since he began blogging for Signals – is Kevin Robb, a scientist interested in mesenchymal stromal cells. Apparently, you are too. Coming in at number three is Mesenchymal stromal cell product joins FDA’s list of approved cell and gene therapies. If you clicked on Laine’s post from 2024 above, the theme continues.
For a complete change of pace, I’m happy to welcome Krystal Jacques to the list at number four. In her Master’s degree at the University of Toronto, she studied the embryonic origin of pancreatic stem cells. Here she writes about Freeze-thawing neural stem cells. The next blog for 2026 has been written by Krystal. Please watch for it.
At number five, we are back to a favourite blogger, as Cal Strode has been on this list before. Cal offers up a summary and his thoughts on the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s annual state of the industry briefing, something he has covered in the past. Here is Cal’s From innovation to international impact: ARM’s 2025 “State of the Industry Briefing” showcases maturing CGT industry.
Laya Kiani has been a blogger with us since 2024. She tackles the business and commercial factors shaping the regenerative medicine field, and her blog post Beyond cryptocurrency, how blockchain is transforming science, research and biotech funding has appealed to many of you, coming in at number six on our list. Her blog about investment patterns was number four on the 2024 list, before Laya was invited to become a regular contributor.
Some of you may know Anis Fahandej-Sadi from his popular newsletter on LinkedIn. We have been fortunate to have blogs from him a few times. His post, Lowering CAR T costs: Paths to more affordable cell therapies, is seventh on our list.
As they say, all good things must come to an end. I am happy to see Lyla El-Fayomi’s post, Regenerative Medicine News Under the Microscope – Post-Holiday Edition (December 2024, January 2025), reach number eight on the list, but sad that her time as a blogger with Signals is over. Lyla deserves a participation badge for all of her contributions since 2019! From occasional posts to wanting to contribute in a more meaningful and regular way, Lyla’s “Regenerative medicine news under the microscope” posts were thoughtful summaries and analyses of big news stories in our field, and she provided them almost monthly, until her work and academic commitments prevented that. I really appreciate her commitment to Signals and what she brought to the community. I wish Dr. El-Fayomi much success in her career and welcome the occasional blog post from her in the future, when inspiration strikes.
It’s not unusual for a blogger to be on the list in two or even three spots. This time, that honour goes to Laya Kiani for The impact of IPOs on biotech market expansion: Strategies and projections, which made the number nine spot, and Cal Strode, who takes number ten for Headwinds and tailwinds for cell and gene therapy under the second Trump administration. Congratulations to both of them.
That’s a wrap on another great year of blogging. A big thank you to these bloggers and all the others who contributed in 2025 and brought us interesting, educational and thought-provoking content. Thank you, readers, for sticking around. If you like our posts, please share them with others. We are committed to enhancing public understanding of science in Canada, and CCRM covers the expenses so we can share our posts for free.
You are invited!
If you are in the Toronto area, CCRM will be receiving an “excellence in science communications” award at a special event on January 29, 2026. CCRM, MaRS Discovery District and RCIScience will be hosting a public event entitled “Healthy skepticism: Combatting medical misinformation,” featuring a panel discussion to hear from leading communicators in science, social media and journalism. Register for the first “MaRS Mornings” of 2026 here. Molly Thomas, the host of Big [If True] on TVO, will be the moderator and confirmed panellists include Samantha Yammine, Krista Lamb and Megan Ogilvie. I hope you will join us for this worthwhile event.
Stacey Johnson
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