The MaRS Future of Medicine™ Series is an informal moderated forum bringing together research professionals and clinicians interested in drug development.

Each session has a 30-minute presentation and a 45-minute moderated discussion. For more information on this series or to register for a specific event please contact MaRS at events@marsdd.com.

About the Session
Regenerative medicine (RM) aims to harnesses the power of stem cells, biomaterials and molecules to repair, regenerate or replace diseased cells, tissues and organs. It has the promise to treat, manage and perhaps cure some of the most devastating and costly diseases in the world today.

However, many new and potentially life-changing RM-based treatments never reach patients because they are not successfully moved from the laboratory to a stage where they can be used in medicine. In order to fulfill RM’s promise to treat the many diseases affecting our population, the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) will harness Ontario-based RM knowledge and expertise, along with strong business leadership (in partnership with MaRS Innovation), to enable a multi-component RM technology translation pipeline.

The CCRM’s goal is to become a nexus for RM innovation through uniting business leadership with scientific leadership in stem cells and biomaterials, engaging industry partners, and centering CCRM activities on translational platforms that address key bottlenecks in development.


Speaker: Dr. Peter Zandstra, Professor, University of Toronto Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Zandstra graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill University in the Department of Chemical Engineering, obtained his Ph.D degree from the University of British Columbia in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and carried out his research training as a Post Doctoral Fellow in the field of Bioengineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before being appointed at the University of Toronto in 1999.  Dr. Zandstra holds an academic appointment as an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He is cross appointed with the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, and Medical Genetics. Recently Dr. Zandstra was appointed as a McLaughlin Scholar with the R. Samuel McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine.  He also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Biotechnology Process Engineering Center at MIT. Dr Zandstra is the Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Bioengineering and is a recipient of awards such as the Premiers Research Excellence Award and the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship.
 

Part of the MaRS Future of Medicine™ Series