Print 
Share 
Text 
To reset, hold the Ctrl key, then press 0.
The Ottawa Hospital has become a world leader in stem cell research.
Bringing stem cell research to patients – that’s the common goal that has united research specialists from a wide range of disciplines under The Ottawa Hospital’s Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research.
Over the past 10 years, the centre has become the hub of the world-renowned group of researchers who make up the hospital’s Regenerative Medicine Program.
“We are entering a new era of medicine,” said Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Director and senior scientist at the Sprott Centre and professor at the University of Ottawa. “More and more we are going to see regenerative medicine using cutting-edge disruptive technologies to treat many devastating diseases that have no current therapy. With the expertise we have built in Ottawa, we are leading the way with significant discoveries and their translation to the clinic.”
The Sprott Centre supports the work of stem cell researchers with facilities that can analyze cells’ proteins and genetic profile. It also has clean rooms used to manufacture cells for early stage clinical trials.
Discoveries from the Sprott Centre have led to several first-in-human clinical trials and the creation of several biotechnology companies. Some of these discoveries include:
- Dr. Michael Rudnicki discovered stem cells in adult muscle. His work has opened the door to developing drugs to help repair muscles in patients with muscular dystrophy.
- Dr.Marjorie Brand showed that blood vessel stem cells grown in the lab can be encouraged to repair blood vessels more quickly after transplantation in a patient if they are treated with drugs that turn genes on and off. She is exploring which molecular pathways to target to further optimize this process.
- Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth identified several key proteins needed to control the conversion of muscle stem cells into mature muscle. He is looking at how this could be used to treat different muscle-wasting diseases.
- Dr. Lynn Megeney demonstrated that scissor-like proteins normally involved in cell death play a key role in converting muscle stem cells into mature muscle. He is exploring how drugs that block the scissor-like function of these proteins can be used to improve muscle regeneration.
- Dr. William Stanford re-programmed connective tissue cells from patients with Progeria, a genetic condition that causes rapid premature aging, into a kind of stem cell that gives rise to any type of cell in the body. His work helps us better understand how our cells change during aging, and how they might be rejuvenated.
The Ottawa Hospital’s leadership in stem cell research promises even more discoveries in the decades to come.
Comment on this post
Support patient care and research at
The Ottawa Hospital
You might also like…
Ever have a tough time making a medical decision? These tools can help you
When faced with a medical condition, there may not be one clear path forward — but we have something to help you with that. The Ottawa Hospital is home to the largest collection of decision aids in the world, covering everything from various cancers to depression to allergies.
After a traumatic brain injury, this physician is on a mission to improve inclusion of docs with disabilities
Motivated by his own experience, Dr. Michael Quon has helped create a new accessibility and accommodation policy for physicians with disabilities in The Ottawa Hospital’s Department of Medicine.
A special video message for International Women’s Day
Every year on March 8, we recognize International Women’s Day to celebrate how far we have come with equal rights and opportunities for women, and to acknowledge how far we still have left to go. This video is a short-but-sweet reminder that the women who work for our organization are driven, caring, innovative and powerful.
New Research Chair in Gay Men’s Health is setting out to break down barriers to care
As both a researcher and a gay man, Dr. Paul MacPherson knows all too well the stigma that gay men often face in the health-care system. Now, as the Clinical Research Chair in Gay Men’s Health at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, he’s on a mission to make quality health care more accessible to this often overlooked patient population.
Made-in-Ottawa tool helps decide when critically ill patients can breathe on their own
Over the past two years of the pandemic, more Canadians than ever have required mechanical ventilation to help them breathe. The Ottawa Hospital is the first hospital in the world to evaluate an innovative medical device that uses artificial intelligence to predict when critically ill patients are ready to breathe on their own.
Dream vacation becomes nightmare after COVID-19 strikes
Sun and sand turned to fear and uncertainty when Jim and Joanne Booth, married for 57 years, tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. Read about their journey back home to receive life-saving care at The Ottawa Hospital.
My sister will be giving birth next month and she wants to donate the stem cells from the umbilical cord/ placenta to me. I have MS and trigeminal neuralgia how would I go about doing this? She will be giving birth at the General Hospital in Ottawa. Please get back to me as soon as possible thank you
Maria
Hi Maria,
Thank you for reaching out! It’s best for your sister to speak to her doctor about this, and for you to discuss it with your doctor as well.
Thanks,
TOH Communications