Breakthrough Stem Cell Research & the Power of Regenerative Medicine – 2023 Panel Presentation and Kiosk Luncheon Event

Breakthrough Stem Cell Research & the Power of Regenerative Medicine – 2023 Panel Presentation and Kiosk Luncheon Event – with Co-Host the Stem Cell Network

Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Wellington Building
Ottawa, Ontario

DAY AT-A-GLANCE

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

10:00 am – 10:30 am: Refreshments and Networking Opportunity

(Research Canada’s Members, Supporters, and Partners)

10:30 am – 11:55 am: Panel Presentation – Access and Affordability of Cell and Gene Therapies: Moving from Research to Reality
(Research Canada’s Members, Supporters, and Partners)

Panelists

MODERATOR: Ms. Cate Murray President and CEO Stem Cell Network	Ms. Cate Murray is President and CEO for Canada’s Stem Cell Network. Ms. Murray is an experienced not-for-profit executive with a background in public policy and communications. She has been leading and growing the Stem Cell Network since 2017 when she took on the role of Executive Director. Ms. Murray began her career as a Ministerial policy advisor. After leaving politics, she joined the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) where she combined her knowledge of government and communications to support Canada’s health research community. Today, Ms. Murray leads a team of talented professionals, Board members and stem cell and regenerative medicine students and scholars who are passionate about delivering Canadian innovations to patients.
Dr. Harold Atkins, MD, FRCPC Senior Clinician Investigator, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Physician, Transplant and Cell Therapy Program, The Ottawa Hospital Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa	Dr. Harold Atkins is a Senior Clinical Investigator at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and a Staff Physician in the Transplant and Cell Therapy Program of The Ottawa Hospital. His research has examined the role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a treatment for autoimmune diseases, particularly those attacking the nervous system like Multiple Sclerosis. He also participates in a consortium developing point-of-care gene-modified cellular immunotherapy (CART) for cancer to improve access for Canadian patients.
Dr. Nevicia Case, PhD, MSc, PMP Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Law University of Alberta and Stem Cell Network	Dr. Nevicia Case is a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, where she works with Dr. Ubaka Ogbogu on a Stem Cell Network-funded grant. She maps and analyzes regulatory policies and frameworks for clinical translation and market authorization of regenerative medicine products and therapies. She is also a cognitive scientist. Her doctoral training is in psychiatry research at McGill University and her Master’s is in medical science with a focus on clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary. As a former One Young World Scholar with Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Case has led research on impact frameworks for clinical research.
Dr. Jeff Round, PhD Chief Scientific Officer University of Alberta, Institute of Health Economics, Professor, Health Economics, Department of Pediatrics	Dr. Jeff Round is currently Chief Scientific Officer at the Institute of Health Economics and Professor of Health Economics at the University of Alberta. He has over 15 years of experience in supporting clinical research, particularly in the design and conduct of economic evaluations. Dr Round has received funding for his research from among others CIHR, the UK National Institute for Health Research, and the UK Medical Research Council. His primary research interests cover both methodological and applied topics, with particular interests in child health, palliative care, and the use of real-world evidence to inform reimbursement decisions.
Dr. Ali Tehrani, PhD Partner, Amplitude VC Stem Cell Network	Dr. Ali Tehrani is a venture partner at Amplitude VC and was recently named one of British Columbia’s Top 500 Influential Business Leaders by Business in Vancouver. He encourages innovation through risk-taking and is a passionate advocate for the development of Canada’s biotech sector. In 2003, Dr. Tehrani co-founded Zymeworks and set the company’s vision and growth strategy to become a leader in Canadian biotechnology. With an emphasis on a corporate culture of caring, diversity and inclusiveness, he led the company through many key corporate achievements, including the development of multiple protein engineering platforms and the advancement of 2 internal multi-specific antibody therapeutics into clinical trials.

12:00 – 1:30 pm: Parliamentary Health Research Caucus Luncheon – Breakthrough Stem Cell Research & the Power of Regenerative Medicine
Hosted by Dr. Brendan Hanley, MP (Yukon), Chair of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, Co-hosted by Vice-Chairs, Dr. Stephen Ellis, MP (Cumberland—Colchester), Ms. Carol Hughes, MP (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing) and Senate Representative, The Honourable Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia (Newfoundland and Labrador)

(Research Canada Members, Supporters and Partners and Parliamentarians – By Invitation Only)

Presenters

Dr. Yasaman Aghazadeh, PhD Assistant Professor University of Montréal, IRCM	Dr. Yasaman Aghazadeh received her Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from McGill University in 2014, where she studied endocrine hormone regulation and manipulations using small molecules. Dr. Aghazadeh joined the faculty at Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), University of Montreal in 2023 as an assistant professor, affiliated with the University of Montreal, Department of Medicine. The Aghazadeh laboratory focuses on the study and modeling of beta cell niche with a particular focus on the vasculature, for use in cell therapies to treat type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Jeff Biernaskie, PhD Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Surgery, Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary	Dr. Jeff Biernaskie’s research program is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote scar formation instead of regenerative healing with the goal of developing treatments to restore organ function following injury or disease. His group is interested in how skin and brain stem/progenitor cells are regulated during homeostasis and how factors like injury, advanced aging and the immune system impact their function.
Dr. Jenny Bruin, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biology Carleton University	Dr. Jenny Bruin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Carleton University. She is part of a research team working to generate insulin-secreting beta cells from stem cells for treating patients with Type 1 diabetes. Dr. Bruin’s research investigates how environmental factors influence the function and longevity of stem cell-derived beta cells after transplantation into patients. Her team is also working to engineer stem cells that are resilient to environmental stress.
Dr. Nevicia Case, PhD, MSc, PMP Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Law University of Alberta and Stem Cell Network	Dr. Nevicia Case is a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, where she works with Dr. Ubaka Ogbogu on a Stem Cell Network-funded grant. She maps and analyzes regulatory policies and frameworks for clinical translation and market authorization of regenerative medicine products and therapies. She is also a cognitive scientist. Her doctoral training is in psychiatry research at McGill University and her Master’s is in medical science with a focus on clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary. As a former One Young World Scholar with Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Case has led research on impact frameworks for clinical research.
Dr. Kristin Hope, PhD Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre BD Biosciences Canada, University Health Network	Dr. Kristin Hope’s is a Senior Scientist at the University Health Network and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on studying healthy and cancerous stem cells of the blood system to uncover new treatment strategies for blood diseases. Her lab has discovered methods to promote blood stem cells for improving regenerative therapies and has uncovered vulnerabilities of leukemia-driving stem cells upon which she is advancing promising new treatments for leukemia.
Dr. Maria Cristina Nostro, PhD Harry Rosen Chair in Diabetes Regenerative Medicine Research Senior Scientist, McEwen Stem Cell Institute Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto	Dr. Maria Cristina Nostro is a Senior Scientist at the McEwan Stem Cell Institute at University Health Network, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and holds the Harry Rosen Chair in Diabetes Regenerative Medicine Research. Dr. Nostro received a PhD in Biomolecular Sciences from The University of Manchester in 2004. Her work is focused on the generation of pancreatic islets from human pluripotent stem cells with the goal of developing novel treatment for type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Mahmoud A. Pouladi, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Medical Genetics Provincial Health Services Authority	Dr. Mahmoud A. Pouladi is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. He holds BSc and MSc degrees from McMaster U and a PhD from UBC. In 2020, Dr. Pouladi won the Michael Smith Scholar Award for his research using human pluripotent stem cells and genome engineering for the study and treatment of neurological disorders such as Huntington’s dementia, multiple sclerosis, and fragile X syndrome.
Dr. Michael Rudnicki, OC, PhD, FRS, FRSC Senior Scientist and Director, Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Scientific Director, Stem Cell Network Professor, Departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Ottawa	Dr. Michael Rudnicki is an internationally recognized thought leader in molecular genetics and regenerative medicine. One of his key discoveries was the identification and characterization of muscle stem cells, a finding that has fueled the development of possible approaches to the treatment of muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders. His team made the landmark discovery that the inherited muscle disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy affects muscle stem cells, not just the muscle fibers.
Dr. Bernard Thébaud, MD, PhD Senior Scientist and Director, Regenerative Medicine Program Stem Cell Network, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute	Dr. Bernard Thébaud is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa, a Neonatologist at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and The Ottawa Hospital, and a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and CHEO Research Institute. Dr. Thébaud’s research is focused on the role of stem cells for lung diseases. He is now translating innovative cell and gene therapies from the lab into patients to improve outcomes.
Dr. Amy Wong, PhD Scientist, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Cystic Fibrosis Canada	Dr. Amy Wong is a Scientist in the Program of Developmental & Stem Cell Biology at the Hospital for Sick Children and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Wong pioneered the first method to generate human lung cells from pluripotent stem cells and her lab now leverages these lung models to 1) understand how the human lung forms and what are the molecular drivers of diseases and 2) identify and test novel therapeutics for CF and respiratory viral infections.
Dr. Evelyn Yim, PhD, PEng University Research Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering University of Waterloo	Dr. Evelyn Yim studies the underlying mechanisms of topology-induced cell behavior, creating versatile techniques to improve the design of stem cell, cell therapy, and tissue engineering devices for a broad range of diseases – from vascular repair to corneal reconstruction and neuronal stem cell generation. Dr. Yim is a pioneer in the study of how changes in the extracellular matrix topography influence cell behaviour and stem cell differentiation and is turning this research into engineering applications.

This Event’s Co-Host:

The Stem Cell Network (SCN) is a Canadian not-for-profit that supports three main objectives: stem cell and regenerative medicine research; training the next generation of highly qualified personnel; and supporting the knowledge mobilization and transfer of stem cell and regenerative medicine research.