Ontario funds new regenerative medicine organization to speed commercialization

Ontario has stepped forward with $3.1 million in funding to establish a new vehicle for stem cells and regenerative medicine in a bid to organize and exploit the province's deep pool of research and groom promising discoveries for commercialization. The Ministry of Research Innovation (MRI) will provide support through its Program for Research and Innovation to form the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM).

The funding was awarded to the Centre for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and the Ontario Stem Cell Institute (OSCI), with OIRM ultimately superseding the latter.

"OIRM will organize basic and translational researchers around diseases and disease teams where we think we can have an impact. Then they will partner with CCRM which funds translational research and platforms for stem cell generation and manufacturing of cells in clinical quantities," says CCRM CEO Dr Michael May. "We're all aiming for building relationships with stakeholders by coordinating basic research and clinical trials with commercialization and platforms to attract investment to regenerative medicine."

OIRM's funding is modest in comparison to other jurisdictions such as California where a $3 billion commitment was made to stem cell research in 2004, with a ballot proposition being prepared for the 2016 elections that would see another $5 billion directed towards the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.(R$, February 26/07).

May says the provincial commitment is a welcome development that validates CCRM's role and provides a model for other provinces to follow suit.

"Yes, it's a drop in the bucket (but) we hope to demonstrate the model to Ontario and others," he says. "It's CCRM's desire to raise $500 million over 10 years to drive commercialization and that's still not enough."

The $500-million investment target is a key objective of a new 10-year strategic plan released in October by the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, representing several groups including CCRM and OSCI (R$, November 12/14).

OIRM funding will initially go towards funding three Disease Challenge Teams, with CCRM providing support through specialized platforms focused on stem cell generation, advanced manufacturing and industry engagement.

The disease teams are ongoing and focus on fixing damaged hearts with heart muscle derived from stem cells, restoring vision in macular degeneration through stem cell therapies and developing novel stem cell strategies for immunotherapy.

OIRM will also support training and discovery grants to ensure a sustainable pipeline of scientific discovery and commercialization. OSCI was formed in 2011 to enhance Ontario's nearly 150 stem cell and regenerative medicine programs spread across nine provincial centres. These teams include stem cell biologists, biomedical engineers and translational clinicians. It has provided CCRM a pipeline of stem cells studies — a function that OIRM will continue.

CCRM was established in 2012 as a Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) to capitalize on the advances by other organizations, primarily the Stem Cell Network (SCN) — a mature Network of Centres of Excellence — and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC). With the latest funding, the network plans to take knowledge translation and commercialization to the next step.

Ontario is home to approximately 80% of stem cell research in Canada, with the majority concentrated in downtown Toronto. May says OIRM could serve as a potent model for other provinces to follow suit, with the most logical ones being Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.

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