News / Events
OSCI Sponsors for 2012-2013
We would like to thank our generous sponsors for making all of these new changes possible.
- Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, Toronto
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto
- Faculty of APS & Engineering, University of Toronto
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
- Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto
- Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
- Lawson Health Research Institute, London Health Sciences Centre, London
- Ontario Consortium for Regeneration Inducing Therapeutics (OCRiT), McMaster University, Hamilton
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa
- Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto
Ongoing External Awards
- Ontario Innovation Trust, Government of Ontario, in support of the OSCI International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
- Ontario China Research & Innovation Fund, Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation, in support of the Ontario-China Stem Cell Research & Commercialization Partnership
OSCI Announces its 2013 Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards
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”.
For more info on our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program click here
OSCI Travel Awards Support Trainees Headed to ISSCR 2013 in Boston
- Sonam Bhatia, Draper lab, McMaster Stem Cell & Cancer Research Institute
- Chitra Venugopal, Sheila Singh lab, McMaster Stem Cell & Cancer Research Institute
- Dylan Dieters-Castator, Postovit lab, University of Western Ontario
- Ayesh Seneviratne, Hess lab, University of Western Ontario
- Nadia Sachewsky, Morshead lab, University of Toronto
- Sabiha Hacibekiroglu, Nagy lab, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
- Ahmed Fahmy, van der Kooy lab, University of Toronto
- Catherine Frelin, Iscove lab, University Health Network
- Angela McDonald, Rossant lab, Hospital for Sick Children
- Chris Sturgeon, Keller lab, University Health Network
For more info on our Travel Award Program, click here
OSCI Secures Funding for Ontario-China Stem Cell Research & Commercialization Partnership
The program will launch in April 2013 with matched funding over three years from the Ontario China Research & Innovation Fund, Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation (MEDI), Ontario and the Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST), China. The new partnership will focus on research and commercialization with OSCI and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) representing Ontario. Joint teams from both countries will focus on research projects in three key areas: pluripotency, reprogramming, and stem cell banking; stem cell differentiation to endoderm and pancreatic lineages; and blood stem cell expansion and transplantation.
The Ontario team is led by Janet Rossant from SickKids with ten additional investigators including Armand Keating and Gordon Keller from University Health Network, Andras Nagy from Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Lynne Postovit and Cheryle Seguin from the University of Western Ontario, Bill Stanford and Michael Rudnicki from Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Derek van der Kooy and Peter Zandstra from the University of Toronto, and Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker from Sunnybrook Research Institute. OSCI will collaborate with Chinese researchers led by Hongkui Deng of Peking University. Michael May of CCRM will be the commercialization lead bringing together key regenerative medicine partners from CCRM’s Industry Consortium.
For more information on this partnership, please contact sandra.donaldson@ontariostemcell.ca.
OSCI Launches New Programs in 2013
OSCI expands its programs to include a new seminar series, Translation Talks, linking stem cell biologists with clinicians doing translational work in regenerative medicine. Trainees will also be able to apply for a new Travel Awards program to support those travelling to ISSCR meetings with work accepted for podium or poster presentation.
OSCI Success in Beijing
The Ontario team attended a very successful regenerative medicine workshop in Beijing on November 6th hosted by Hongkui Deng, Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics at Peking University and the Ministry of Science & Technology, China (MOST). OSCI and CCRM have been developing a research and commercialization partnership proposal over the last 18 months in three primary areas: pluripotency, reprogramming and bio-banking; stem cell differentiation to endoderm/pancreatic lineages; and blood stem cell expansion/transplantation with or without mesenchymal stem cells. Members from both the Ontario and Chinese teams presented their proposed work on the projects and discussed ideas as to how the teams could best integrate their research. Presentations from both commercialization teams also laid the groundwork for long-term relationship building. CCRM met with the Chinese commercialization group, The Chinese Industry and Innovative Technology Strategic Alliance of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. Cameron Sinclair, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation (MEDI), was very supportive of the proposal and we expect a formal announcement sometime in the new year. A special thank-you to the Ontario team members who went to Beijing in support of this proposal: Armand Keating (UHN), Bill Stanford (OHRI), Lynne Postovit (UWO), and Michael May (CCRM)!
OSCI International Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition 2013
OSCI has launched Round III of its postdoctoral fellowship competition with two awards available this year. Applications are due February 1, 2013. For more details, http://www.ontariostemcell.ca/Application_Guidelines.
OSCI Annual Report 2011-2012
Janet Rossant, Director, is thrilled with OSCI's progress, "The regenerative medicine community has tremendous momentum right now and thanks to the support of our sponsors, we have been able to create new opportunities in translation, international partnerships and training the next generation". For more details, see the OSCI Annual Report 2011 2012.pdf
International Partnerships
Ongoing exchanges and research collaboration with our Japanese partners has led to $14 million in funding for a Canada (CIHR) - Japan (JST) Program in the Epigenetics of Stem Cells. See announcement here.
Émond H, Boyer L, Roy DC, Pineault N. Cotransplantation of ex vivo expanded progenitors with nonexpanded cord blood cells improves platelet recovery. Stem Cells Dev. 2012 Nov 20;21(17):3209-19.
Gilbert RW, Vickaryous MK, Viloria-Petit AM. Characterization of TGFβ signaling during tail regeneration in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). Dev Dyn. 2013 Apr 17. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.23977. [Epub ahead of print]
Haenebalcke L, Goossens S, Dierickx P, Bartunkova S, D’Hont J, Haigh K, Hochepied T, Wirth D, Nagy A, Haigh J. The ROSA26-iPSC Mouse: A Conditional, Inducible, and Exchangeable Resource for Studying Cellular (De)Differentiation. Cell Reports, Volume 3, Issue 2, 335-341, 07 February 2013
Li Z, Michael IP, Zhou D, Nagy A, Rini JM. Simple piggyBac transposon-based mammalian cell expression system for inducible protein production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 26;110(13):5004-9.
Lieu DK, Fu JD, Chiamvimonvat N, Tung KC, McNerney GP, Huser T, Keller G, Kong CW, Li RA. Mechanism-based facilitated maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2013 Feb;6(1):191-201.
Malko AV, Villagomez M, Aubin JE, Opas M. Both chondroinduction and proliferation account for growth of cartilage nodules in mouse limb bud cultures. Stem Cell Rev. 2013 Apr;9(2):121-31.
Manoranjan B, Wang X, Hallett RM, Venugopal C, Mack SC, McFarlane N, Nolte SM, Scheinemann K, Gunnarsson T, Hassell JA, Taylor MD, Lee C, Triscott J, Foster CM, Dunham C, Hawkins C, Dunn SE, Singh SK. FoxG1 Interacts with Bmi1 to Regulate Self-Renewal and Tumorigenicity of Medulloblastoma Stem Cells. Stem Cells. 2013 Apr 17. doi: 10.1002/stem.1401. [Epub ahead of print]
Nolte SM, Venugopal C, McFarlane N, Morozova O, Hallett RM, O'Farrell E, Manoranjan B, Murty NK, Klurfan P, Kachur E, Provias JP, Farrokhyar F, Hassell JA, Marra M, Singh SK. A cancer stem cell model for studying brain metastases from primary lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Apr 17;105(8):551-62.
O'Reilly M, Thébaud B. The promise of stem cells in bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Semin Perinatol. 2013 Apr;37(2):79-84.
Pasut A, Jones AE, Rudnicki MA. Isolation and Culture of Individual Myofibers and their Satellite Cells from Adult Skeletal Muscle. J Vis Exp. 2013 Mar 22;(73). doi: 10.3791/50074.
Portalska KJ, Dean Chamberlain M, Lo C, van Blitterswijk C, Sefton MV, de Boer J. Collagen modules for in situ delivery of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived endothelial cells for improved angiogenesis. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2013 Apr 17. doi: 10.1002/term.1738. [Epub ahead of print]
Shi X, Siggins RW, Stanford WL, Melvan JN, Basson MD, Zhang P. Toll-Like Receptor 4/Stem Cell Antigen-1 Signaling Promotes Hematopoietic Precursor Cell Commitment to Granulocyte Development during the Granulopoietic Response to E. coli Bacteremia. Infect Immun. 2013 Apr 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Sun J, Li Y, Graziani GM, Filion L, Allan DS. E-Selectin Mediated Adhesion and Migration of Endothelial Colony Forming Cells Is Enhanced by SDF-1α/CXCR4. PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e60890.
Sung H, Doh KO, Son JE, Park JG, Bae Y, Choi S, Lunney Nelson SM, Cowling R, Nagy K, Michael IP, Koh GY, Adamson SL, Pawson T, Nagy A. Adipose Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Regulates Metabolic Homeostasis through Angiogenesis. Cell Metabolism, Volume 17, Issue 1, 61-72, 8 January 2013
Tolg C, Ahsan A, Dworski S, Kirwan T, Yu J, Aitken K, Bägli DJ. Pathologic bladder microenvironment attenuates smooth muscle differentiation of skin derived precursor cells: implications for tissue regeneration. PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e59413.
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Upcoming Seminar
Please join OSCI and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute on Monday, May 27th at 3:30 pm in welcoming Konrad Hochedlinger, Professor, Dept of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University who will present on, "Understanding cellular reprogramming and pluripotency". We will be in Room #6,Tanz Neuroscience Building, 6 Queen's Park Circle. **IN TORONTO** JOIN US IN VIEWING THE VIDEO-CONFERENCE FROM OTTAWA. WE ARE UNABLE TO WEBCAST THIS SEMINAR.
Please join us for an OSCI External Seminar on Monday, June 10th at 4:00 pm for Harvey Lodish, Professor, Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, "Self-renewal of erythroid progenitor cells: molecular mechanisms and new anemia drugs". Attend in Toronto in Room #6, Lower Level, Tanz Neuroscience Building, 6 Queen's Park Circle. Unfortunately due to U of T's convocation, we will be unable to webcast this seminar.
OSCI is starting a new seminar series, Translation Talks, that will link stem cell biologists with clinicians doing translational work in regenerative medicine. Our next seminar is on Thursday, April 4th and will feature Gordon Keller, Director, McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, "Generating cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells" and Terrence Yau, Surgical Director, Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy Program, UHN, "The cardiac stem cell transplantation program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre". Join us on Thursday, April 4th from 9:15 to 10:15 am in the Red Room, 2nd Floor Atrium, Donnelly Centre, 160 College Street, Toronto OR join us through our webcast: http://mediacast.ic.utoronto.ca/20130404-OSCI/index.htm
