Major Funding for an Innovative Strategic Development Project
April 16, 2009 – After fierce competition, the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre was awarded one of three major grants allocated by the FRSQ under a new funding program for innovative strategic development.
A 2 M$ FRSQ grant , which will spread over the next four years, was awarded in support of the project entitled: “Hematopoietic cellular therapy for transplantation and regenerative medicine: bridging basic research and clinical research”, which is being piloted by Dr. Denis Claude Roy, Director of Research.
The autoreplication and differentiation properties of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) could lead to very promising treatment possibilities – this has spawned much enthusiasm throughout the medical community like never before. Some studies have shown that HSC have been able to repair diseased-affected tissue, to provoke immune responses against certain infectious agents and cancerous cells, and to also induce post-transplantation tolerance of solid organs.
The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital’s clinical expertise in HSC transplantation remains unparalleled in Canada. It ranks as the largest HSC transplantation centre in Quebec (more than 160 transplants annually), and as the second largest in the country. Its long research history has led to the recruitment of nationally and internationally renowned professionals for their work on the biology of HSC, organ handling, cancer immunotherapy treatments, and non-myeloablative transplants.
The project funding’s objective is to facilitate a shift in technology and to accelerate the clinical development of new cellular therapy treatments in such areas as hematology-oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology and musculoskeletal diseases.
It is comprised of 4 themes:
- Expansion of hematopoietic stem cells;
- Treatment of heart and eye diseases;
- Immunotherapy strategies for rebuilding the immune system and for eliminating cancerous cells;
- Immunotolerance induction in cases of transplant rejection, graft versus host disease and autoimmune diseases.
This grant will serve to:
- recruit five research investigators with expertise in cellular therapy for transplantation and damaged organ repair purposes;
- develop a scientific and organizational translational platform that will allow for early planning and rapid completion of preclinical experiments, for expert preparation of regulatory documents, for efficient development of clinical protocols, and for quick access to suitable clinical resources;
- establish a molecular computing centre that will gather necessary data and supply appropriate regulatory and validation frameworks for cellular therapy;
- expand teaching efforts and training opportunities for students, postdoctorate investigators, research assistants and laboratory staff.
Together with the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Therapy, the enormous innovation potential of such a translational strategy in cellular therapy will consolidate the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital’s and the MRH Research Centre’s leadership in this field.