$27-million Medicine by Design investment will fast-track stem cell research
David McMillen and his team are hard at work designing a new custom-designed probiotic to help the 233,000 Canadians living with Crohn’s and colitis.
The goal of the project, which is among 20 sharing $27 million in funding from university’s newly created Medicine by Design initiative, is to create a bacterium that can help trigger the renewal of the gut lining in people with these chronic bowel diseases.
McMillen, a professor in University of Toronto Mississauga’s Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, is among 75 leading scientists, engineers, doctors and mathematicians working on the 20 team projects, which range from attempting to improve failing eyesight in aging populations to treating heart and liver diseases.
“These projects are bringing together leading life scientists, engineers, doctors and computer scientists at U of T and our partner hospitals to tackle and solve some of the biggest hurdles in regenerative medicine,” said Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto, “I look forward to seeing discoveries emerging from these projects that will transform the way we develop cures to devastating diseases.”
Regenerative medicine focuses on using stem cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissues and organs. Researchers involved in Medicine by Design are also investigating how drugs, molecules and genes can be used to prompt the body to repair itself. In the McMillen proposal, things are being taken one exciting step further by exploring the use of engineered bacteria.
“This is a tremendously exciting project and we've assembled a great team to work on it,” said McMillen (left), which includes combines a wealth of expertise from a wide variety of areas such as synthetic biology, molecular genetics, intestinal stem cell signalling, biological/chemical engineering and bioinformatics.