The Till & McCulloch 2014 Stem Cell conference gets underway today in Ottawa.

Every year the conference, sponsored by the Stem Cell Network and the Center for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, honors a leading Canadian researcher.

This years winner,Dr. Michael Rudnicki, is Senior Scientist and Director of the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Rudnickis lab focuses on the role that stem cells play in skeletal muscle regeneration and repair after injury.

To be chosen by your peers to receive the Till & McCulloch Award is a great honour, made finer by the fact that it will take place in my home city of Ottawa, said Dr. Rudnicki in the official press release of the conference released this morning.

Here is the full program of discussions and list of speakers.

One session will focus on current research in blood disorders and how these are making for better outcomes in the clinic. Dr. Guy Sauvageau of University of Montreal, who recently announced the discovery of a new drug to expand the number of usable stem cells in cord blood, will be presenting an overview of his findings.

Diseases and conditions where stem cell treatment is promising or emerging. (See Wikipedia:Stem cell#Treatments). Bone marrow transplantation is, as of 2009, the only established use of stem cells. Model: Mikael Hggstrm. To discuss image, please see Template talk:Hggstrm diagrams (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Also on the agenda for discussion and debate will be the societal impact of stem cell research, including approaches in moving research towards clinical treatments for patients and theinvestigation of cancer stem cells and their role in the formation of tumors and their recurrence after treatments.

On the education and outreach side, the Stem Cell Network also plans t0 highlight its recent foray into online video, with its Stem Cell Shorts program, which can be accessed on Vimeo. You can follow the conference on Twitter via#TMM2014.

Read more from the original source:
Canadian Stem Cell Experts Gather For Till-McCulloch 2014