Five BME Faculty members Awarded Stem Cell Network Funding to Advance Regenerative Medicine Research

Five researchers affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) have received funding from the Stem Cell Network (SCN) to support cutting-edge regenerative medicine research. SCN, a federally funded non-profit dedicated to advancing stem cell science and its clinical applications, announced $13.5 million in funding for 36 research projects and clinical trials across Canada for the 2025–2029 funding cycle.

This national competition, launched in September 2024, attracted 111 applications and underwent international peer review. Final funding decisions were based on scientific merit and strategic relevance, as assessed by SCN’s Research Management Committee. Details of all funded projects are available in the official SCN announcement: stemcellnetwork.ca/research/research-competition-results.

The following BME-affiliated researchers were awarded funding:

• Dr. Bowen Li
  Lead Investigator – Nonviral Delivery of Prime Editors for Gene Therapy of Cystic Fibrosis
  $350,000 – SCN Project FunderCo-Investigator – Dualase Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
  $430,000 – SCN Project FunderCo-Investigator – RNA-based Strategies to Promote the Engraftment of Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes
  $269,677 – SCN Project Funder
• Dr. Molly Shoichet (Lead Investigator) and Dr. Cindi Morshead (Co-Investigator)
  Sustained, Local Delivery of Re-engineered Chondroitinase ABC to the Central Nervous System after Traumatic Injury
  $649,964 – SCN Project Funder
• Dr. Craig Simmons (Lead Investigator) and Dr. Julie Audet (Co-Investigator)
  Algorithm-Directed Optimization of Defined Media to Mature iPSC-Derived Cardiac Organoids for Cell Therapy
  $421,000 – SCN Project Funder