CCRM

05/20/2026

It's back! The 2026 Cells I See art contest is accepting cell images and artwork submissions from now until Friday, September 4, 2026. Cells I See is about the beauty of cells seen directly through the microscope or through the interpretive lens of the artist.

Hosted by CCRM and the Stem Cell Network - Réseau de cellules souches, the Cells I See art contest will award $750 to the Grand Prize winner, based on blind judging at the 2026 Till & McCulloch Meetings in Vancouver, Canada, in November. Plus, a People’s Choice prize of $500 will be issued based on the outcome of voting on CCRM’s page (more details to follow).

For full contest rules, submission instructions and to view past submissions, check out the Cells I See website at https://cellsisee.ccrm.ca/

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Winning image below: Tatiana Koike, Jéssica Poletto Bonetto

05/20/2026

CCRM is very pleased we could support the work of Seema Mital, The Hospital for Sick Children, by reprogramming and gene editing cells from patients to model hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The SickKids team used the cells to study treatments that paved the way to a global trial of mavacamten that demonstrated some young patients with HCM could avoid open-heart surgery. Congratulations to all involved in this important work!

Read about it here: https://www.sickkids.ca/en/news/archive/2026/global-trial-supported-by-sickkids-stem-cell-research-shows-targeted-heart-drug-reduces-obstructive-hcm-in-youth/

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

A phase 3 clinical trial found that mavacamten can improve flow through the left ventricle, with the potential to spare some patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from open-heart surgery.

05/15/2026

Important progress from The Ottawa Hospital - L'Hôpital d'Ottawa

In March 2020, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital began planning an innovative clinical trial to see whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can promote healing, could help treat severe COVID-19-associated ARDS. It built on a previous trial at The Ottawa Hospital that used MSCs to treat patients in severe septic shock. Read more here:

Early phase clinical trials at The Ottawa Hospital have found that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are safe and associated with improved recovery from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19.

05/12/2026

Advanced analytics and data literacy are key to unlocking biomanufacturing's next frontier, including patient access to therapies. Read our newest post here: https://www.signalsblog.ca/from-data-flood-to-data-fluency-how-advanced-analytics-is-unlocking-biomanufacturings-next-frontier/

04/28/2026

New research on injured human spinal cord organoids (miniature organs created from cells in a Petri dish) is nearing clinical trials. If successful, this promising new regenerative therapy could repair paralyzing injuries in humans.

Read about the research from Northwestern University here: https://www.signalsblog.ca/new-paralysis-treatment-tested-on-injured-human-organoids-is-close-to-clinical-trials/

04/24/2026

This is an inspiring and hopeful story, by CTV's Don Martin, about his cancer journey.

After a pair of major surgeries, two years of immunotherapy and a daunting round of radiation, the results were in: The insidious beast was still alive and raging within me after a small mole on my neck, which had tested positive for malignant melanoma two years earlier, went metastatic into my lung...

04/22/2026

We are certain that CCRM's President and CEO, Michael May, has had many memorable moments over his long and illustrious career, but we think ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) might be one

This came about because IonQ, a global leader in quantum computing, invited some of its partners and customers to be part of this NYSE event. We anticipate many more memorable moments with IonQ during our collaboration designed to accelerate innovation at the intersection of and .

04/20/2026

"$3 million prize goes to duo whose research led to first sickle cell CRISPR therapy": Casgevy

Dr. Swee Lay Thein and Dr. Stuart Orkin won the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their work toward a functional cure for the deadly blood

04/15/2026

Here are six (with tools!) to adopt in 2026, useful for practitioners and scientists looking to explain their research. Check out the helpful post "Game-changing science communication trends to watch."

https://www.signalsblog.ca/game-changing-science-communication-trends-to-watch/

AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Canadian Institute for Science, OECD

04/08/2026

We are very happy to see this positive news for patients.

Fun fact: Dr. Christopher Paige and Dr. Jeffrey Medin (University Health Network and University of Toronto) founded AVROBIO to treat Fabry disease and other genetic conditions. The company was one of the first we supported in our investment portfolio.

04/06/2026

A big congratulations to CCRM's Chief Scientific Officer and the University of British Columbia's newest Vice President, Research and Innovation.

Dr. Zandstra will succeed Dr. Gail Murphy in the Vice-President role, starting June 1, 2026.