OIRM
Dr. Keller had long been interested in optimizing cardiac and vascular cells from embryonic stem cells for cardiovascular repair. — Dr. Gordon Keller “This is where the imaging capabilities will be very helpful. We can record the electrocardiogram to see if the animal experiences arrhythmias, but we can even go further and we can actually map the electrical activity. We can challenge the heart to stimulate arrhythmias to see whether grafts formed with one type of cell are more vulnerable to those formed using our newer, more precise cells,” Dr. Laflamme said. Should the imaging provide the answers they seek, Dr. Laflamme and his colleagues will be one step closer to a human clinical trial, which will also be launched in Toronto. Lisa Willemse is a communications professional with 18 years’ experience working in the technology, child development and health research fields, and is currently a Senior Communications Advisor with the Ontario Institute for Regenera-
ONTARIO
tive Medicine. With a background in fine art, communications and journalism, Lisa continues to moonlight as a writer, photographer and editor, contributing to a range of Canadian and US-based publications. In 2014, she was alumni-in-residence for the acclaimed Science Communications program at the Banff Centre. She is also involved in several volunteer initiatives, including serving as a Board member for Science Borealis, a Canadian science blog aggregator. Follow her on Twitter and Medium @WillemseLA.
To see this story online visit http://biotechnologyfocus.ca/pace-progress-heartregeneration
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@OBIOscience Biotechnology Focus / June/July 2016
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