Sunday, January 24, 2016

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs commercialization of stem cell research by U of T and partners copy.


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs commercialization of stem cell research by U of T and partners
Researchers are “pushing the frontiers of science and innovation,” Trudeau says, but “we must do more to prevent diseases.”
Alan Christie, with files from Tyler Irving

Professor Peter Zandstra, seen here with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U of T President Meric Gertler and Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland, is the new executive director of Medicine By Design (all photos by Johnny Guatto)

Regenerative medicine is the way of the future for Canadian health care, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, and two new initiatives are helping strengthen the commitment of U of T and its partners to stem cell research and manufacturing.

Trudeau announced at the MaRS Discovery District on Jan. 13 that the federal government will give a $20 million grant to the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) to establish and operate a new Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies.

At the same time, Vivek Goel, vice-president, research and innovation at U of T, announced that ProfessorPeter Zandstra, chief scientific officer for the CCRM, has become the inaugural director of Medicine by Design.

The CCRM is the commercial arm of Medicine by Design, a program created last year through a $114 million grant from the federal government.
Read more about Medicine by Design



The Prime Minister said he has “great respect” for scientists involved in stem cell research, not only because of what they are doing for the health of Canadians but how “they are pushing the frontiers of science and innovation.”

The bottom line, he said, is that “we must do more to prevent diseases” and the collaboration between public institutions like U of T and its partner hospitals, the private sector and government is crucial in “accelerating the development” of stem cell manufacturing technologies.



GE Healthcare is also committing $20 million to the new centre. Kieran Murphy, CEO of GE Healthcare’s life sciences business, said in a news release that “it is increasingly clear that cell therapies and regenerative medicine will transform health care globally, but successful industrialization is now crucial to widespread adoption.

“This new centre,” Murphy said, “will enable us to work with cell therapy companies to push beyond existing technical limits and problem-solve. Toronto’s concentrated and collaborative clinical infrastructure, combined with the strong guidance of the internationally-renowned CCRM, make it an ideal location for the centre.”

It is expected that the global market for cell-based therapies will surpass $20 billion U.S. by 2025. The main targets for cell-based therapies are cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, musculoskeletal disorder and autoimmune diseases.

Trudeau noted that the new centre will be the first in the world to use a collaborative approach between research institutions and industry to solve cell therapy manufacturing challenges. He said the centre will create jobs, strengthen Canada’s knowledge economy and position Ontario as a global hub for the cell therapy industry.

“Regenerative medicine is the future,” Trudeau said. “Not only is it the future, it's a branch of medicine that Canada and the province of Ontario are actually quite good at.”




The mandate of Medicine by Design is to undertake transformative research and clinical translation in regenerative medicine, enhance capability in synthetic biology and computational biology and foster translation, commercialization and clinical impacts.

It was formed as a result of the University of Toronto’s success in the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). The $114 million will be spread over seven years, and will allow U of T and its partners to build on years of support for U of T’s regenerative medicine researchers from federal granting councils, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and support from the Canada Research Chairs and Canada Excellence Research Chairs programs.

Zandstra will lead and provide over-all scientific direction to the Medicine by Design initiative. May, CEO of the CCRM, said the new centre is a “significant milestone” in the fight to find cures for diseases and to create companies that will bring those cures to the marketplace.

And he reminded everyone that the incredible advances in stem cell therapy and its application “trace back to the discovery of stem cells 65 years ago” by U of T scientists James Till and Ernest McCulloch.
See more photos from the tour

Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2016

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Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Prime Minister announces support to Canadian Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies - copy



Toronto, Ontario


13 January 2016


The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) will receive $20 million – under the Advanced Manufacturing Fund (AMF) – to establish and operate the Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies.






This will be the first cell therapy development facility in the world to use a collaborative approach – between research institutions and industry – to solve cell therapy manufacturing challenges. The new, world-class facility will create good jobs, strengthen Canada’s knowledge economy, and position Ontario as a global hub for the cell therapy industry.






Every year, thousands of Canadians die as a result of cancer, heart conditions, and other medical disorders. Regenerative medicine has emerged as a promising approach to disease prevention and treatment, harnessing the power of stem cells to repair, regenerate, or replace damaged cells, tissues, and organs affected by disease.






The Government of Canada will therefore provide funding to the CCRM, who will collaborate with GE Healthcare and other industry partners, to establish a centre that will accelerate the development and adoption of cell manufacturing technologies.






Quotes






“The health of Canadians is a priority. We believe that supporting this new, world-class facility will have significant benefits for innovative health-related technology in Canada and around the world. It will also generate new jobs and make Ontario an even stronger competitor in the bio-tech industry.”


- Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada






“This is wonderful news for CCRM, Canada, GE Healthcare and the global regenerative medicine community. The new centre will provide jobs for highly skilled workers and help the cell therapy industry overcome critical manufacturing bottlenecks. Most importantly, the outputs of this centre will enable access to revolutionary medical treatments for patients from around the world.”


- Michael May, President and CEO, Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine






"We are pleased the federal government is investing in the new advanced therapeutic cell technologies centre at MaRS. Ontario provided seed funding for the Centre for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine to support research and commercialization in regenerative medicine, which we know will continue to be a key driver in the province's life sciences sector. Today's announcement will further grow Ontario's reputation as a global leader in this field, which offers incredible potential for continued growth in the future."


- Hon. Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation‎






Quick Facts:






The project, which has a total cost of $43.8 million, has the potential to make Ontario a global hub for the cell therapy industry.


The $20 million in Government of Canada funding will be provided once the CCRM meets the terms and conditions outlined in the contribution agreement. All project activities must be completed by December 31, 2018.


The Government of Canada funding will be used to support improvements to the new facility and the purchase of specialized equipment. Furthermore, funding will support the development of at least five new patent applications, the commercialization of 30 new products or processes, and the creation or maintenance of 389 high-quality jobs by project completion in December 2018.


Associated Links






Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine


Advanced Manufacturing Fund






- See more at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2016/01/13/prime-minister-announces-support-canadian-centre-advanced-therapeutic-cell#sthash.XfuG0fpB.dpuf

Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy 2016

Happy New Year!