Innovation Profile: Stem Cell Research in the Toronto Region
It all began in the early 1960s when Toronto researchers Drs James Till and Ernest McCulloch dazzled the world with their discovery of stem cells. Today, there are about 100 principal investigators here and the region is widely known for the calibre and breadth of its stem cell research, partnerships and investment. Read about stem cell research in the Toronto Region.
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Dr Mick Bhatia | Dr Janet Rossant Chief of Research The Hospital for Sick Children |
Building on Success: World-Centre for Stem Cell Discovery
It all began in the early 1960s when Toronto researchers Drs James Till and Ernest McCulloch dazzled the world with their discovery of stem cells. Today, there are about 100 principal investigators here and the region is widely known for the calibre and breadth of its stem cell research, partnerships and investment.
| Why Stem Cells | Why Toronto Region | Why Now | Who's Here | What's Available |
Stem cell research has deep roots in Toronto. "We have history on our side here dating back to the late 1950s and early 1960s when James Till and Ernest McCulloch made their seminal discovery on blood stem cells. Toronto has been a force in stem cell biology ever since," says Dr Gordon Keller, a prominent researcher in the field of regenerative medicine who made headlines when he returned from the US to head up the prestigious McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine at University Health Network in Toronto.
Dr Keller is part of an outstanding community of world-leading stem cell scientists based in the Toronto Region. According to an ISI citation analysis of 15 top regions worldwide between 1990 and 2008, Toronto Region leads the list when it comes to the number of citations in leading academic journals. On the whole, stem cell research in Ontario ranks among the top global regions for scientific quality.
Toronto Region scientists also speak about the region's unique collaborative environment. Strategic alliances, such as the Toronto Stem Cell Initiative, bring bright minds together. A collection of laboratories at the University of Toronto and at hospital research institutes, this initiative allows researchers to share know-how across the spectrum of stem cell research.
Industry-academic collaborations in Toronto Region include the development of technologies to improve the current use of stem cells (in bone barrow transplantation), and move other stem cells into the clinic. For instance, the academic-industry consortium Advanced Regenerative Tissue Engineering Centre, based at Sunnybrook Research Institute, is producing new technologies for soft tissue regeneration and reconstruction. In 2008, the McEwen Centre and VistaGen Therapeutics announced an alliance aimed at identifying advanced techniques to differentiate stem cells into mature cardiac, liver and pancreatic cells.
Partnership is also the foundation of the University of Toronto's Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine which supports the development of technologies that accelerate the commercialization of stem cell- and biomaterials-based technologies and therapies. The CCRM partners with MaRS Innovation (and its membership of 16 academic institutions) and an industry consortium that has more than 15 industry partners ranging from emerging biotechnology companies to large multinationals.
Located in one of North America's largest health sciences clusters with over 60 hospitals and 37 medical institutions, it all adds up to a very fertile setting for researchers, students and companies interested in commercial opportunities.
Learn more information about stem cell research in the Toronto Region:
Toronto Region Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Fact Sheet
Edge: The Stem Cell Issue - University of Toronto Research and Innovation Magazine
© 2011 Toronto Region Research Alliance