DISCOVERING TODAY. CREATING TOMORROW.
From bench to bedside–bringing stem cell discoveries to patients faster than ever.
From cell and molecular biologists to bioinformaticists, to clinical scientists, and methodologists, specialists are coming to Ottawa to be part of something truly special. Collectively, their expertise is resulting in unprecedented breakthroughs that can move from lab bench to bedside faster than ever. This means in new and exciting treatments, improved care, and ultimately better outcomes for our patients.
“We’re entering a new era. More and more we are going to see regenerative medicine use cellular and molecular tools to treat devastating diseases with no current therapy.”
— Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Director, Regenerative Medicine Program and Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research
Innovations thanks to donor support
Stems cells make dream come true
When Jennifer Molson was 21 years old, she dreamed of becoming a police officer, marrying her boyfriend and dancing at her wedding. Those dreams were shattered when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Over a period of six years she had multiple relapses. She was in a wheelchair, unable to work, and looking for a miracle. That’s when Drs. Mark Freedman and Harry Atkins from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute told her about an experimental treatment using stem cells. Jennifer became the sixth patient in a groundbreaking clinical trial during which stem cells were extracted from her bone marrow and transplanted back into her body. Jennifer found her miracle. Today she no longer needs a wheelchair. She is off medication, works full time, and leads an independent life. And, yes, she married her boyfriend and danced at her wedding.
“If you are in the computer business, you go to the Silicon Valley; if you are in oil and gas, you have to be in Alberta; if you are in stem cells, you need to be in Ontario, particularly Ottawa, because that is where the greatest advances are being made.”
— Dr. Bernard Thébaud, neonatologist at The Ottawa Hospital is developing a stem cell treatment to heal the lungs of premature babies.
