The 2013 OSCI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Awardees

Congratulations to our 2013 competition winners!

• Thomas Gonatopoulos Pournatzis from the Blencowe lab at the University of Toronto whose fellowship will focus on, “Identification and characterization of alternative splicing events that regulate translational output in embryonic stem cells”.
• Danny Jeyaraju from the Schimmer lab at the University Health Network whose fellowship will focus on, “Characterizing and targeting the metabolic and redox vulnerabilities in AML and AML stem cells”.

A special thanks to our review committee for their hard work: Michael Rudnicki (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute); Eric Deneault (Université de Montréal), Brad Doble (McMaster University), Connie Eaves (Terry Fox Laboratory), and Lynne-Marie Postovit (University of Western Ontario).

Stem cells have the potential to transform medicine, with the promise to treat, manage and perhaps cure some of the most debilitating and costly disease in the world today. Canada has a long and distinguished history of ground breaking discoveries in the stem cell field, dating back to the seminal discoveries of Till and McCulloch, who proved the existence of blood stem cells in the early 1960s. These successes continue today with a world-renowned group of stem cell scientists who have come together to form the Ontario Stem Cell Initiative (OSCI). OSCI has received funding from the Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) in support of an international postdoctoral fellowship program.

OSCI Postdoctoral Fellowship Awardees:

2011

Joel Ross, Ellis Lab, SickKids

Adam Johnson, Miller Lab, Sickkids

Lamis Hammound, Rossant Lab, Sickkids

2012

Natasha Chang, Rudnicki Lab, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Weijia Wang, Zandstra Lab, University of Toronto

Crystal Ruff, Fehling Lab, University Health Network

2013

Thomas Gonatopoulos Pournatzis, Blencowe Lab, University of Toronto

Danny Jeyaraju, Schimmer Lab, University Health Network

Highlights include:

• Three year funded, superb postdoctoral training opportunities
• Training opportunities available with over 80 stem cell research programs
• Stem cell laboratories located across the province:
  • Advanced Regenerative Tissue Engineering Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto
  • Braley Centre for Automated Stem Cell Screening and Drug Discovery, McMaster University, Hamilton
  • Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, Toronto
  • Centre for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Toronto
  • McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto
  • Ontario Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Facility, (now part of CCRM) Toronto
  • Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London
  • Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
  • Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton
  • Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Centre, SickKids, Toronto
  • University of Toronto, Toronto
• Opportunity to present your work at the annual OSCI meeting
• Translational and commercialization experience through the activities of the Centre for Commercialization in Regenerative Medicine in Toronto
• Canada has one of the highest quality of life rankings in the world including exceptional health care, education and standard of living