“I am extremely humbled to be included in this illustrious list of scientists. For a researcher, this is one of the top honours you can receive,” -Dr. Michael Rudnicki Dr. Michael Rudnicki has been formally admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest and most prestigious scientific institution. He is one of only 12 Canadians to be admitted.

Founded in 1660 and composed of about 1,600 fellows, the Royal Society is a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists. During a ceremony in London England, Dr. Rudnicki signed the charter book which has been signed by all past Fellows, including Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Dr. Rudnicki’s work in stem cell research has transformed our understanding of muscle regeneration. One of his key discoveries was the identification and characterization of muscle stem cells, a finding that has fuelled the development of possible approaches to the treatment of muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders.

His team also made the landmark discovery that the inherited muscle disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy affects muscle stem cells, not just the muscle fibers. They recently discovered a new way to treat the loss of muscle function caused by this disease in mice.

“I am extremely humbled to be included in this illustrious list of scientists. For a researcher, this is one of the top honours you can receive,” said Dr. Rudnicki.

Dr. Rudnicki is a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and Director of the hospital’s Regenerative Medicine research program and Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research. He is also a professor at the University of Ottawa, an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and Scientific Director & CEO of the Stem Cell Network.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.