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The Ottawa Hospital welcomes new stem cell research report and alliance


March 9, 2017

A new workshop report, Building on Canada’s Strengths in Regenerative Medicine, released today by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), confirms that Canadian researchers continue to be recognized as scientific leaders in the field of regenerative medicine and stem cell science.

The report brings together perspectives from academia, medicine, funding agencies, industry, and patients and was informed by a workshop, literature review and bibliometric research.

Several researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa played a role in developing the report, including Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Dr. Duncan Stewart and Dr. Harold Atkins. In addition to their roles in Ottawa, Dr. Rudnicki also leads Canada’s Stem Cell Network, while Dr. Stewart leads the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Tina Ceroni, a patient advocate who benefited from stem cell transplantation at The Ottawa Hospital, also participated in the workshop.

The exercise has also resulted in the formation of the new Regenerative Medicine Alliance of Canada (RMAC), with Dr. Rudnicki as Interim Chair.

“I’m delighted to lead this Alliance, which is bringing national, provincial and regional organizations together to build a robust regenerative medicine sector in Canada,” said Dr. Rudnicki. “On behalf of RMAC members, I would like to welcome the Council’s report, which shows that Canada continues to punch above its weight in stem cell research and that Canadian researchers are producing high impact work.”

“Stem cell research has tremendous potential to transform lives and cure devastating diseases,” said Dr. Stewart. “I would like to thank the people of Ottawa for their support, which has allowed us to launch several world-first clinical trials and participate in the important initiatives announced today.”

The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion


The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.

University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas


The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca

Media contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca