We are proud to share that 9 research projects led by investigators from the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) have been awarded funding from the Stem Cell Network (SCN) to advance cutting-edge research in stem cell and regenerative medicine.
These awards represent a significant investment in Canada’s leadership in this rapidly evolving field. More than $33 million was distributed nationally among 36 projects through this funding initiative, with SBME researchers securing a remarkable $2.5 million in total support.
Stem cell and regenerative medicine research is transforming the future of healthcare. SBME’s involvement in these innovative projects reflects our commitment to interdisciplinary research and clinical translation that drives real-world impact. This funding will support projects across a range of applications, from foundational stem cell biology to clinical trials aiming to bring new therapies to patients. Congratulations to our researchers for their leadership and vision in advancing this important work.
Award Recipients:
Dr. Kelly McNagny, Co-Investigator
Project title: Accelerating clinical translation of UM171 expanded and epitope-engineered HSC grafts
Project award: $650,000
Dr. Nika Shakiba, Lead Investigator
Dr. Michael Kallos, University of Calgary, Co-Investigator
Dr. Sidhartha Goyal, University of Toronto, Co-Investigator
Project title: Bioreactor bottlenecks: selection for aberrant cells in pluripotent stem cell expansion
Project award: $270,000
Dr. Nika Shakiba, Lead Investigator
Dr. Carl de Boer, Co-Investigator
Project title: Expanding the quality control toolbox: a machine-learning approach to detecting genetically aberrant pluripotent stem cells
Project award: $350,000
Dr. Kelly McNagny, Lead Investigator
Dr. Peter Zandstra, Co-Investigator
Project title: Harnessing Stem Cell-Derived Tissue-Resident Innate Lymphoid Cells to Target and Eliminate Solid Tumors
Project award: $270,000
Dr. Megan Levings, Lead Investigator
Dr. Bruce Verchere, Co-Investigator
Dr. Francis Lynn, Co-Investigator
Dr. Peter Zandstra, Co-Investigator
Project title: Leveraging stem cells to create an engineered model of type 1 diabetes
Project award: $162,000 (jointly funded by Breakthrough T1D at this amount)
Dr. Peter Zandstra, Lead Investigator
Tiam Heydari, Co-Investigator
Project title: Automating Systems Biology and Machine Learning for Multiscale Regulatory Network Discovery in Stem Cell Differentiation
Project award: $270,000
Dr. Timothy Kieffer, Lead Investigator
Project title: Vascularized, Stem Cell-Derived Islet Organoids for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Project award: $258,000 (jointly funded by Breakthrough T1D at this amount)
Dr. Fabio Rossi, Lead Investigator
Project title: Engineering hPS derived myogenic progenitors to deliver anti-fibrotic molecules
Project award: $270,000