Canada is well on the way to becoming a global leader in the commercialization, investment, and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.
Canada’s scientific community has a rich legacy of success. Those of us in the regenerative medicine field are especially proud of Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, whose discovery of the stem cell in the 1960s was the foundation for the flourishing cell and gene therapy industry that exists today.
Cell and gene therapies have the promise to cure — not just treat — cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Already in Canada, products have been approved in these disease areas: mantle cell lymphoma (2021); multiple myeloma (2021); spinal muscular atrophy (2020); inherited vision loss (2020); blood cancers (2019, 2018); and graft-versus-host disease (2012). This is exciting news for Canadian patients.
With more than 2,000 clinical trials, globally, testing the safety and efficacy of these treatments, there’s huge demand on biomanufacturing companies to produce these advanced therapies.
For Canada to be a leader in this remarkable industry and able to manufacture these treatments domestically, we need specialized infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and specially trained technicians who can produce the products under very stringent and regulated conditions.
Toronto-based CCRM and its Hamilton-based subsidiary, OmniaBio Inc., are ensuring Canada won’t be left behind. In fact, they want Canada to be a global hub for cell and gene therapy commercialization, investment, and manufacturing.
Included in CCRM’s plans are building out international partnerships to accelerate the growth of the global industry and maintain Canada’s leadership. With CCRM Australia several years along and the recent announcement of CCRM Nordic, the future is looking bright for patients in Canada and around the world.
To learn more, visit ccrm.ca.
