ISCT 2024 took place in Vancouver, Canada, (author’s image). Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed to formally review a revised Biologics License Application (BLA) from Mesoblast for their mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) product, remestemcel-L. The submission represents the third attempt by the company to receive FDA approval for their MSC product...

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Image source: pestleanalysis.com According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2017, total global spending on health reached US$7.8 trillion and, by 2020, this figure had leapt to $9 trillion as governments raced to contain the first wave of COVID-19. The WHO estimates that worldwide spending on health in 2020 amounted to 10.8 per cent...

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CCRM, the publisher of Signals, has enhanced its long-standing relationship with the University of Toronto’s Medicine by Design through a new strategic alliance. This profile is one in a series of profiles that feature “people” of Medicine by Design. Some minor edits may have been made to the original published version. Dr. Blair Gage, Scientist,...

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He’s back! The regenerative medicine (RM) field’s unofficial mascot – Deadpool – is back in theatres and all over media and social media due to what one must assume is a super(hero)-sized marketing budget. Although some may disagree on his status as a mascot, you can’t ignore his regenerative abilities. Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, can...

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An assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden removing himself from the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris has meant the last two weeks have been filled with election news. We can be certain that the coverage won’t stop as the two contenders – assuming Harris is chosen by the...

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Image generated by DALL-E, AI image generator In last week’s post, “The role and impact of IP rights on innovation and investment in RM,” I discussed the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights in regenerative medicine (RM), highlighting how they drive innovation and secure competitive advantages. The discussion covered various aspects, such as the role...

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Intellectual property (IP) rights in regenerative medicine (RM) are crucial for sparking innovation and staying ahead in a competitive market. Protecting inventions through patents and other IP rights encourages investment by giving inventors exclusive market rights. This also ensures that new advancements are eventually disseminated widely. Patents grant an exclusive monopoly for a set period...

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Portrait of cancer patient. Image source: vecteezy.com Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates about 247,100 new cancer cases and 88,100 cancer deaths in Canada in 2024. Ten million deaths worldwide have been estimated to have been caused by cancer in 2020. This number is expected to be over...

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As June comes to an end, so does Pride Month in Canada. In 12 years of blogging for Signals, I realize I have never covered the topic of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and Pride, although I have written about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and featured EngiQueers, founded at McMaster University. In the...

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“Regenerative medicine news under the microscope” is a monthly feature highlighting a selection of impactful research findings and headlines across the many subfields of regenerative medicine. Throughout the past month, I’ve spotted some notable trends emerging in the rapidly evolving field of cell therapy. In this special edition of “Regenerative Medicine News Under the Microscope,”...

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