Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (MRH), which is affiliated to the Université de Montréal, plans to open the Centre d'excellence en thérapie cellulaire (CETC) in 2010. The CETC will focus on stem cell research, regenerative medicine and different types of blood cancers.

"Our hope is to have a world class hemo-oncology center such as the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York," says hematologist Dr. Jean Roy, a professor from the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine, who initiated the project with colleagues Denis-Claude Roy and Guy Sauvageau.

The project has been in the making for nearly five years. "It took a lot of time and the original budget of $8 million grew to $25 million," says Roy.

According to Roy, the project would never have seen the light of day without the support of the MRH Foundation, the director of the MRH, the government of Quebec, the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation, as well as the dean of the UdeM's Faculty of Medicine.

The CETC aims to become the provincial epicenter in stem cell research. It will explore a variety of stem cell therapies to remedy leukemia, heart failure and macular degeneration. "Our objective will always be to remedy leukemia," says Roy.

Hemo-oncology is nothing new at the MRH. It is the second most important stem cell transplant centre in Canada after the Toronto General Hospital. Every year, 160 patients receive stem cell transplants at the MRH.

In June, the MRH received certification from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). FACT establishes standards for high quality medical and laboratory practice in cellular therapies and is a precious calling card for the new CETC.

nouvelles.umontreal