Overcoming the limitations of allogeneic transplants to treat incurable diseases, TMM2023

A schematic visualizing the differences between an autologous and allogeneic cell therapy (adapted through a CC license: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dendritic_cell_therapy_not_annotated.png#filelinks) Cell therapies that replenish a healthy cell niche have long been an attractive approach to treat a variety of diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, which are incurable and characterized by the loss of critical cell functions. The...

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HeLa Ethics: Toward a more equitable future of regenerative medicine

Rebecca Ihilchik is Manager, Communications at CCRM supporting OmniaBio Inc. Drawing on a decade of experience in healthtech, non-profits, and higher education, she is most passionate about the storytelling aspect of professional communications. Rebecca holds a BA Hons in Creative Writing from York University, an MA in Religion from the University of Toronto, and a...

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A bench-to-bedside story of BlueRock’s investigational stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease

Dr. Stefan Irion presented on the development of BlueRock’s investigational cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease at the 2023 Till & McCulloch Meetings BlueRock Therapeutics has generated considerable media buzz with their announcement of positive Phase I clinical trial data on bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01), an investigational, stem cell-derived, dopaminergic therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The trial is the...

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Empowering women in science: Three strategies for success in academia and industry, TMM 2023

Milica Radisic and Nafiseh Nafissi (L-R) presented at the Women in Science Breakfast at the 2023 Till & McCulloch Meetings Working in science, whether in academia or industry, can be a rewarding yet challenging experience. For women pursuing careers in these fields, there are unique considerations and issues to be mindful of. As such, the...

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The PhD afterlife: Evaluating the postdoc as a next step

It was a strange feeling, completing my PhD defense. After immersing myself for years in a highly specific research area, the months leading up to my defense felt like a storm rolling in: my mind became increasingly clouded with technical details, emerging concepts in the field, and new hypotheses. And then in a flash, the...

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The social media shift: Where scientists and engineers connect today

Image: canva.com In today’s digital age, scientists and engineers are more interconnected than ever before, thanks to the power of social media. If you’re a scientist or engineer working in the regenerative medicine field who’s not yet using social media to engage with other professionals, these platforms can provide a huge untapped network for you...

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Right Turn: Blue Rodeo is aging like the rest of us

Blue Rodeo performing at Massey Hall, October 10, 2023. Photo courtesy of the author. Blue Rodeo is an iconic Canadian band that performs “countrified rock” and has been around for four decades. It has received multiple awards and accolades, including being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and lead singers/songwriters Jim Cuddy and...

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Learnings from First Nations’ traditional medicine could enhance the effectiveness of regenerative medicine

This blog post was written by Jimmy Yu (see LinkedIn page) with supervision by Dr. Chih Wei Teng.  Traditional or natural Aboriginal medicine. Source: Wikimedia. Traditional medicine and the practices of Australia’s First Nations – Australian Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander – embody a world imbued with ancient wisdom, intricate rituals, and spiritual beliefs...

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Biotechnology sectors are shaped by different government approaches to investment

This blog post was written by Jimmy Yu (see LinkedIn page) with supervision by Dr. Chih Wei Teng. Countries that responded better during the COVID-19 pandemic showed good, coordinated efforts between different government agencies and departments. Known as the “whole-of-government approach,” this model would help Australia become more self-sustainable in research, manufacturing and commercializing medicine...

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After agonizing delay, UK rejoins Horizon Europe funding scheme

Anis Fahandej-Sadi is a Business Development Associate at OmniaBio Inc., with more than three years’ business development experience across laboratory and GMP instrumentation, and now manufacturing services in the cell and gene therapy space. After receiving his Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Alberta in 2018, Anis taught English in Korea for one year....

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