$5.7M grant to help researchers grow 3D organ models and develop novel brain and neuromuscular treatments
A team of researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto has been awarded $5.7 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for cutting-edge research infrastructure aimed at the developing novel treatments for brain and neuromuscular conditions.
Their innovative approach involves growing donated human skin and blood cells in the lab, reprogramming them to become powerful “induced pluripotent” stem cells and then coaxing these into three dimensional models of human tissues (organoids). These tissue models will be used to study how conditions such as stroke, neurodevelopmental disorders and muscular dystrophy develop, and to discover and test new treatments.
The team is led by Dr. Pierre Mattar and Dr. Michael Rudnicki, both part of the Regenerative Medicine Program at The Ottawa Hospital.
“Organoids represent a groundbreaking frontier in biomedical research,” said Dr. Mattar, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “Our goal is to harness the full potential of this technology to create more realistic models of neurological and neuromuscular disorders and develop novel therapies.”
Neuromuscular organoids include nerves (green) and muscle cells (red) growing together in a 3D structure in lab dishes. These kinds of organoids can be used to study how neurological and neuromuscular diseases arise and to develop new therapies. Photo courtesy of William Batoff, Bill Stanford, Alexa Derksen and Hanns Lochmuller.
The funding is part of a recent $552 million investment by the Canada Foundation for Innovation in research infrastructure to accelerate discovery and economic growth in Canada.
“This funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation will not only help us bring novel therapies to Canadian patients, but will also support the next generation of Canadian scientists and fuel economic growth and jobs,” said Dr. Rudnicki, senior scientist and Director of the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at The Ottawa Hospital, professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa and Scientific Director of the Stem Cell Network.
The team also includes Drs. Blair Gage (The Ottawa Hospital, uOttawa), Penney Gilbert (University of Toronto), Mireille Khacho (uOttawa), Diane Lagace (uOttawa), Armen Saghatelyan (uOttawa), Ehsan Habibi (The Ottawa Hospital, uOttawa), William Stanford (The Ottawa Hospital, uOttawa) and Jing Wang (The Ottawa Hospital, uOttawa).
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The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
