Canada's regenerative medicine community meets for the fifth annual Till & McCulloch Meetings

WHISTLER, BC--(Marketwired - October 24, 2016) - Stem cells and cell therapy transplants make headlines frequently in Canada, thanks to ground-breaking research and clinical trials taking place in the nation's university labs and hospitals. Cutting-edge advances in Canada's regenerative medicine community will be on display when international stem cell scientists and engineers convene in Whistler, British Columbia, to attend the Till & McCulloch Meetings (TMM) and share the latest research in this pioneering field of medicine.

Regenerative medicine harnesses the power of stem cells, biomaterials and molecules to repair, regenerate or replace diseased cells, tissues and organs. The current global market for regenerative medicine is USD$36B and forecasted to grow to reach USD$49.41B by 2021.⁽¹⁾

This year's conference has many highlights, including the popular Till & McCulloch Award Lecture -- on October 25 at 11:40 a.m. PT -- recognizing the impressive body of work of Dr. Molly Shoichet, University of Toronto, and her paper, published in Stem Cell Reports in 2015, which demonstrated that stem cells could be injected into the retinas of blind mice to improve their vision by 15 per cent.

In addition to hearing from researchers and scientists from Canada, the United States and Japan, Canadian Tina Ceroni will share her extraordinary experience of being the second patient in the world to have a stem cell transplant -- in this case at Ottawa Hospital -- for her life-threatening and rare disease: stiff-person syndrome (SPS). The Meetings will also include industry-hosted workshops, mentoring lunches and award ceremonies.

The Meetings, co-hosted by CCRM, the Stem Cell Network and the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM), will take place from October 24-26 at the Whistler Conference Centre. The agenda, featuring speakers and special events, is available here.

The conference hosts would like to acknowledge the principal sponsors of TMM2016 and thank them for their support. Travel Award Sponsors: Stem Cell Network, Medicine by Design, OIRM and ThéCell; Platinum Sponsors: BD Biosciences, STEMCELL Technologies and ThéCell; Gold Sponsors: Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and CellCAN; Silver Sponsors: Biological Industries, FroggaBio, GE, Roche and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Quotes

"Canada's strength in regenerative medicine keeps growing as more government funding gets allocated to supporting the best minds and organizations we have. It's always valuable to attend TMM and hear from researchers and graduate students about their important work. With so much momentum in the community right now, I expect the 2016 Meetings to be better than ever."
- Dr. Michael May, president and CEO of CCRM.

"Stem cell science was pioneered in Canada over 50 years ago, and has the potential to be an iconic Canadian contribution to medical science. Through stem cell research we are unlocking the potential for regenerative medicine, and the 2016 TMM will once again bring together Canada's world class researchers to discuss the current state of the science and its promise for the future."
- Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Scientific Director of the Stem Cell Network and Director of the Regenerative Medicine Program & the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research.

"Every day, new advances are bringing regenerative medicine and cell therapies closer to clinical application for patients around the globe. It is therefore vitally important that researchers, clinicians, policymakers, NGOs and industry have the opportunity to meet, form collaborations and share knowledge to ensure this happens in the most effective and efficient way possible. The Till and McCulloch Meetings are the best place in Canada -- and possibly the world -- to do this."
- Dr. Duncan Stewart, president and scientific director of the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM).

About the Till & McCulloch Meetings
The Till & McCulloch Meetings are Canada's premier stem cell research event. As the only conference of its kind in Canada, the Till & McCulloch Meetings provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and research among Canada's leading stem cell scientists, clinicians, bioengineers and ethicists, as well as representatives from industry, government, health and NGO sectors from around the world. CCRM, the Stem Cell Network and the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine are pleased to be co-hosting the 2016 Meetings, which will be held in Whistler, British Columbia, from October 24-26, 2016. For more information, please visit www.tillandmcculloch.ca.

About CCRM
CCRM, a Canadian not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and leading academic and industry partners, supports the development of regenerative medicines and associated enabling technologies, with a specific focus on cell and gene therapy. A network of researchers, leading companies, strategic investors and entrepreneurs, CCRM aims to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into marketable products for patients with specialized teams, funding, and infrastructure. CCRM is the commercialization partner of the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Toronto's Medicine by Design. CCRM is hosted by the University of Toronto. Visit us at ccrm.ca.

About the Stem Cell Network
The Stem Cell Network, established in 2001, brings together approximately 150 leading scientists, clinicians, engineers and ethicists from universities and hospitals across Canada. The Network supports cutting-edge projects that translate research discoveries into new and better treatments for millions of patients in Canada and around the world. Hosted by the University of Ottawa, and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), the Stem Cell Network is funded by the Government of Canada. For more information on the Stem Cell Network, please visit www.stemcellnetwork.ca.

About OIRM
Building on more than 50 years of world-leading research in stem cells and regenerative medicine, the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM) was launched in 2014 with a vision to revolutionize the treatment of degenerative diseases and make Ontario a global leader in the development of stem cell-based products and therapies. More than 170 research programs at universities and institutions across the province are involved with OIRM, with additional contributions from key clinical and health charity partners and from OIRM's commercialization partner, CCRM (formerly the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine). OIRM is based in Toronto and was realized with investment from Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation. Visit www.oirm.ca.

⁽¹⁾ Regenerative Medicines Market by Therapy (Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy, Immunotherapy, Tissue Engineering), Product (Cell-based, Acellular), Application (Orthopaedic & Musculoskeletal Spine, Dermatology, Cardiovascular, Central Nervous System), Region - Global Forecast to 2021. marketsandmarkets.com. Website, July 2016

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