Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Research News

	New scientist profile: Dr. Yi Liu maps the mind to better understand genes and neurological conditions November 19, 2025 - Dr. Yi Liu, Scientist in the Regenerative Medicine Program and the Neuroscience Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, is uncovering how brain cells know which genes to turn on or off an
	Dr. Bernard Thébaud awarded $1.75M for research to help infants with lung disease June 20, 2025 - Dr. Bernard Thébaud has been awarded two grants from the Stem Cell Network to advance the development of cell- and gene-based approaches to treat infants with lung diseases.
	Ontario’s biomanufacturing sector gets $45M boost from province April 25, 2025 - Ontario’s life sciences sector is getting a boost from the Government of Ontario’s $45 million investment in biomanufacturing infrastructure through the Canadian Biomanufacturing Cooperative, which forms part of the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub
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	Lab study provides new hope for newborns affected by rare lung disease March 21, 2025 - A team led by Drs. Bernard Thébaud, Sarah Wootton and Martin Kang found a way to give multiple doses of gene therapy for a deadly newborn lung disease, dramatically extending the lives of mice with this condition.
	Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital awarded three grants for high risk, high reward and interdisciplinary research June 18, 2024 - The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2023 Exploration competition has awarded $33 million to support 133 research teams across Canada that bring diverse disciplines together in pursuit of breakthrough ideas and high-reward outcomes.
	The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus to become a hub for biotherapeutics research and manufacturing thanks to $59M grant May 6, 2024 - The Ottawa Hospital is receiving $59 million to boost Canada’s capacity to develop and manufacture life-saving biotherapeutics, including vaccines, gene therapies and cell therapies.
	Gene editing strategy shows promise in mice with spinal muscular atrophy December 20, 2023 - Dr. Rashmi Kothary’s team played a key role in identifying a new gene-editing strategy that could someday be used to treat spinal muscular atrophy.
	Molecule triggered by running could help with stroke recovery April 18, 2023 - Research suggests that VGF plays a key role in healing the brain after stroke
	“Dream team” of researchers tackles leading cause of vision loss July 27, 2022 - Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis has assembled a world-class team to bring discoveries with game-changing potential to patients with retinal disease
	$2.4 M grant to help researchers develop gene and cell therapies for a leading cause of blindness September 15, 2021 - A team led by Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis has received $2.4 M from the Ontario Research Fund to develop treatments for retinal diseases, a leading cause of blindness.
	Biomanufacturing partnership boosts Canada’s life-saving treatment and vaccine capacity September 13, 2021 - As Canada seeks to rebuild its biomanufacturing sector and support made-in-Canada solutions to global health challenges, The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Alberta and BioCanRx have collaborated to create Canada’s first full-service, end-to-end b
	Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Faculty of Medicine support three translational research projects through Blueprint Excelerator March 10, 2021 - The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the Faculty of Medicine are providing up to $150,000 in in-kind support to help translate three laboratory research projects into clinical applications. The three projects will receive support from th
	Gene therapy for deadly newborn lung disease shows promise in mice October 26, 2020 - One in a million babies are born with Surfactant Protein B deficiency, a genetic disorder in the lungs that will kill them before their first birthday. The only cure is a lung transplant.
	Experimental stem cell therapy tested for rare lung disease April 30, 2018 - A Canadian-led research team has launched a clinical trial of an experimental stem cell therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. This rare and deadly disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the lungs become so damaged that blood can
	Could stem cells repair the heart, fight infections, mend premature lungs, and heal the brain after stroke? April 11, 2018 - Ottawa researchers closer to finding out, thanks to $999,900 from the Stem Cell Network Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and the University of Ottawa are bringing discoveries made in the lab closer to human trials and therapies, thanks

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Diallo, Jean-Simon PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Cancer, COVID-19, Infectious disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Gage, Blair PhD	Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Bleeding disorders, Diabetes, Liver cancer, Liver disease, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Cell therapy, Disease models, Gene expression, Gene therapy, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research, Transplantation
Ilkow, Carolina PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Breast cancer, COVID-19, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Kothary, Rashmi Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Neuromuscular disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Spinal muscular atrophy	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Genetics, Imaging, Lipidomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Mei, Shirley PhD, MSc	Investigator (Regenerative Medicine)	COVID-19, Infectious disease, Influenza, Lung disease, Septic shock	Basic research, Biomarkers, Cell therapy, Critical care, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research
Parks, Robin Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Gene therapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Viral therapy
Quizi, Jennifer PhD	Investigator (Cancer Research)	Cancer, Infectious disease	Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy