Organisation: Stem Cell Network
Background information on the organisation:
The Stem Cell Network (SCN) was funded by the Government of Canada in 2001 with a mission to act as a catalyst for enabling the translation of stem cell research into clinical applications, commercial products and public policy. In just over ten years SCN has transformed the face of stem cell research in Canada and established an outstanding international reputation. SCN has pushed the boundaries of what was a basic research area towards translational outcomes in the clinic and partnerships with industry, through innovative multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral research programs, and fostering a co-ordinated approach to
Canada’s $100M annual investment in the field. SCN is an non-profit organisation, and in addition to funding research programs, acts as the major focal point for all stem cell outreach, education and media activities in the country.
Annual research budget:
$6.4M Cdn
Stem cell budget:
Annual spending on Stem Cell Research in Canada from all sources is in the $50M to $100M range depending on how broadly you define it.
Stem cell strategy:
SCN and Canadian funders in general support all forms of stem cell research.
While hematopoietic and cancer stem cells remain areas of strength for Canada, and much expertise is being developed (as elsewhere) with iPSCs, there is an increasing emphasis on endogenous repair and using stem cells as screens to identify already approved drugs to be repurposed for other indications. Canada will also continue to make significant investments into research on ethical, legal and social issues arising from stem cell research.
Key stem cell centres/investments (and websites)
 Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research http://www.ohri.ca/centres/StemCellResearch/default.asp
The Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research is one of the leading centres in Canada working to advance regenerative medicine. It is led by Dr. Michael Rudnicki, a world-renowned muscle stem cell biologist at the Ottawa Hospital Research
Institute (OHRI). It is also closely affiliated with the OHRI's Regenerative

Medicine Program and with the University of Ottawa and it serves as headquarters for Canada's Stem Cell Network (which is also led by Dr. Rudnicki).
With state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, the Sprott Centre provides an important hub for a large stem cell research community in Ottawa.
The Sprott Centre has led the world in a number of areas by bringing top stem cell biologists together with the innovative clinicians who can help translate results from the bench to the bedside. Our researchers are making crucial discoveries about how stem cells function at the genetic level, while also making exciting progress in developing new therapies for heart disease, muscle disease, multiple sclerosis, vision loss, diabetes and brain and spinal cord injury.
 Ontario Stem Cell Initiative (OSCI) http://www.ontariostemcell.ca/
The Ontario Stem Cell Initiative (OSCI) is a virtual network of over 65 stem cell research programs in Ontario. OSCI was built on the existing structure of the
Toronto Stem Cell Initiative (TSCI) which started in 2008 with the support of a number of academic departments and research institutes. TSCI recognized that while there were a number of programs with a strong stem cell emphasis in
Toronto, no umbrella organization provided a face for the large group of stem cell scientists in Toronto. The expansion of TSCI to the provincial level extends the benefits gained from uniting the stem cell community in Toronto to the rest of
Ontario. This provides a portal to inform the public of stem cell activities all over
Ontario and presents a comprehensive portrait of research occurring in Ontario to direct partners and international talent. OSCI is in the process of incorporating as a not-for-profit corporation to stimulate fundraising from both private and government sources for stem cell research in Ontario. OSCI's slogan, Innovate &
Challenge Fate, encompasses the work of its scientists who are challenging cell and disease fate through their innovative work.
OSCI's Director is Dr. Janet Rossant. OSCI’s mission is:
 To enhance international excellence in stem cell research
 To promote international research partnerships and alliances
 To lead the translation of stem cell research into improved health and economic growth in Ontario
 McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine http://www.mcewencentre.com/home/
The McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine was founded with generous donations from Rob and Cheryl McEwen. The Centre’s Director is Dr. Gordon M.
Keller. Its mission is to be a catalyst for regenerative medicine by facilitating collaboration, supporting research, and promoting awareness of the field. The centre includes 15 scientists at five Toronto hospitals, as well as the University of
Toronto. Currently, these scientists are working to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and spinal cord injury. The McEwen Centre is supported by philanthropic contributions and research grants, and is based at University Health
Network in Toronto, Canada.
The Accelerated Discoveries model pushes scientific breakthroughs further and faster. In each of our 5 Branches of Discovery, the Centre creates projects with defined timeframes and outcomes. This funding model addresses the gaps from traditional granting organizations by channeling donor support towards solving some of the most ambitious research challenges within the following disease areas: Heart, Neurological, Diabetes, Blood and Lung.

 Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary http://www.hbi.ucalgary.ca/
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) was launched in October 2004, under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Weiss with the University of Calgary and former Calgary
Health Region, as key partners. The Institute was enabled by a foundational gift from Calgary's own Hotchkiss family.
The mission of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) is to be a centre of excellence in neuroscience and mental health research, translating discoveries into innovative health care solutions. This mission will aim to support and conduct research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves to assess, understand and disseminate knowledge about the diseases affecting the nervous system.
 McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute (SCC-RI),
McMaster University http://sccri.mcmaster.ca/index.html
Established in 2006, the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute (SCC-
RI) represents a unique research facility in Canada. The Institute's vision and mandate is to explore the underlying cellular and molecular origins that initiate human cancer by employing human stem cells and tissue regeneration.
The Institute houses impressive shared facilities designed to help mitigate the high cost of human stem cell research that has made entry and sustainability of the field prohibitive for investigators worldwide. The Institute is home to Scientific
Director and Senior Scientist, Dr. Mick Bhatia , Dr. Brad Doble , Dr. Sheila Singh,
Dr. Jon Draper , and Dr. Kristin Hope .
The Institute’s team of scientists are on the cutting edge of human stem cell research. With expertise in epigenetics, signaling pathways, cancer stem cells, reprogramming and pluripotent stem cells, integrating a distinct collective of experience to produce ground-breaking research and novel approaches to fill in the gaps of our understanding human cancer and tissue regenerative processes in the human. In addition, the SCC-RI has made astounding progress in complementary efforts of other stem cell programs and centers in Canada and around the world.
 Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) http://www.ccrm.ca/
The Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) is a
Canadian, federally incorporated, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of foundational technologies that accelerate the commercialization of stem cell- and biomaterials-based technologies and therapies . CCRM’s mission is to create and sustain a global nexus for
Regenerative Medicine (RM) commercialization by unifying dynamic business leadership with high value innovative translational technology platforms based on demonstrated excellence in fundamental stem cell and biomaterial science.
CCRM’s team combines extensive experience in company creation, academic excellence, and seasoned professionals sourced from industry. Members of
CCRM’s Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) are shared with the Ontario Stem Cell
Initiative and represent international scientific excellence in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

CCRM staff working in each of the translational platforms can access feedback and guidance from the Lead Scientists. Bill Stanford and James Ellis are the Lead
Scientists for the Cell Reprogramming Platform. Gordon Keller is the Lead
Scientist for the Cell Manufacturing Platform and the Lead Scientist for the
Biomaterials and Tissue Mimetics Platform is Molly Shoichet. The Chief Scientific
Officer and the Lead Scientists, together with key members of CCRM form the
Translation Advisory Group (TAG). The role of TAG is to provide guidance, contacts and environment scanning for CCRM activities and acts in an advisory capacity for CCRM's operations.
 Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP), McGill University http://www.genomicsandpolicy.org/Presentation.cfm?langue=1
Located within the McGill University/Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, the
Centre of Genomics and Policy (CGP) is at the crossroads of the legal, medical and public policy fields.
Bartha M. Knoppers, a renowned expert on international policy and ethics in human genetics and genomics, is the Director of the CGP. The CGP promotes prospective structuring and guidance for both research in genomic health sciences and its applications. Within a multidisciplinary perspective and in collaboration with national and international partners, the CGP analyzes the socioethical and legal norms influencing multiple aspects of the promotion, prevention and protection of human health.
Currently, the CGP’s research covers five areas of genomics and policy: procreation and reproductive genetics, pediatric health, privacy, public health, and, personalized medicine (e.g. regenerative medicine). These domains are approached using three guiding foundations: internationalization, policy development and knowledge transfer. The CGP promotes internationalization by undertaking comparative analyses of various laws, policies and guidelines. It participates in the creation of international consortia with a view to promoting collaborative, multidisciplinary policymaking. Finally, via the HumGen law and policy research database, the CGP promotes knowledge transfer of its work.
The HumGen website is the central working tool developed by the Centre of
Genomics and Policy (CGP). The HumGen website and database contains 4 specialized modules: PediaGen, IPGen, PopGen and StemGen. StemGen is a research database of international, regional and national normative instruments concerning the socio-ethical and legal aspects of stem cell research and related therapies. It was created as a free tool for the dissemination of information relevant to policy-making, the goal being to make the information accessible to as many people as possible without geographic or cost barriers.
Recent research achievements and outputs
Direct conversion of fibroblasts into blood progenitors;
( http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v468/n7323/full/nature09591.html
)
Isolation of single human hematopoietic stem cells
( http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v11/n7/full/ni.1889.html
)
New funding initiatives
No new major initiatives this year.

Changes to stem cell related policies
The Canadian policy landscape underwent important changes during the year of
2010. Most notably, is the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling in a Reference case from the province of Quebec (1) , which determined that significant portions of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA (2) exceeded the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada, and as such, are unconstitutional.
Although many of the sections pertaining most directly to stem cell research where either unchallenged or upheld, other relevant provisions were deemed unconstitutional. The SCCC decision upheld the criminal activities prohibited under the AHRA (e.g. human cloning, creating in vitro human embryos for research, manipulating embryos etc.) yet declared unconstitutional important provisions dealing with licensing and with regulating the “controlled activities”, such as altering, manipulating, obtaining, storing, distributing, destroying, human reproductive materials or in vitro embryos (3) . As a result of the ruling these activities are now under provincial jurisdiction. While the SCC’s decision does not affect the applicability of the CIHR Guidelines or of the Stem Cell Oversight
Committee (SCOC) to stem cell research in Canada, it still has great implications, for it has caused not only a great degree of policy and regulatory uncertainty, but also, a legislative vacuum in the affected areas.
(4)
The Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS) “Ethical Conduct for Research Involving
Humans” ( http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2eptc2/Default/ ) was updated in December 2010. The TCPS is the main national reference for all publicly funded bodies undertaking research involving humans.
One section of the TCPS addresses human genetics and stem cell research; and another delimits acceptable research regarding human gametes, embryos and foetuses. The TCPS are also applicable to research aimed at the creation or use of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines.
Finally, in June 2010 the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) released
its” Updated Guidelines for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research”
( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/42071.html
). This set of guidelines was put into place to further interpret and make explicit the ethical standards and principles found in the TCPS. Their overall objective is to ensure the ethical and scientific oversight of human pluripotent stem cell research by setting the parameters of its permissibility. The CIHR guidelines have been amended to reflect the “ability to reprogram adult cells to a pluripotent state”. They further clarify the types of human pluripotent stem cell research that require review by the Stem Cell
Oversight Committee (SCOC), as well as the requirements for inclusion in the
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry.
References:
[1] Reference re Assisted Human Reproduction Act, 2010 SCC 61. Available at: http://scc.lexum.org/en/2010/2010scc61/2010scc61.html
2 Assisted Human Reproduction Act (2004), c. 2. Available at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/A-13.4/FullText.html
.
3 Specifically, and of particular relevance to the field of stem cell research, the constitutionality of the prohibitions outlined in ss. 5-7 and the associated definitions provided in s. 3 were not challenged, while sections 10, 11, 13 and aspects of s. 40, which deal with aspects of licensing and use of reproductive material, were found to exceed the legislative authority of the Parliament of
Canada.
4 “Stem Cell Network Policy Statement: Stem Cell Research – Challenges and
Recommendations”, Policy Development Committee, Stem Cell Network of
Canada (2011).
National (or regional) stem cell network or contact point (+web link)

Stem Cell Network (National) www.stemcellnetwork.ca
Ontario Stem Cell Initiative www.ontariostemcell.ca
TheCell (Quebec)
Other major funders of stem cell research in your country (with web links)
Canadian Institutes of Health Research ( www.cihr.ca
)
Genome Canada ( www.genomecanada.ca
)
Cancer Stem Cell Consortium ( www.cancerstemcellconsortium.org
)
Networks of Centres of Excellence ( www.nce.gc.ca
)
Helpful web-links: www.stemgen.org
http://www.stemcellethics.ca/ http://letstalkscience.sa.utoronto.ca/stemcelltalks/ http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca/ http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/15255.html