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$700,000 grant to advance use of stem cells to study rare disease


May 20, 2015


Dr. Bill Stanford has been awarded more than US$700,000 over three years from the United States Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to use stem cells to study the rare genetic disease Tuberous sclerosis and the related lung tumor Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Tuberous sclerosis is characterized by the formation of benign skin tumours and other organs, however LAM tumours are life-threatening due to their destruction of the lungs. By genetically reprogramming skin cells from patients with Tuberous sclerosis and engineering two different TSC2 mutations in additional male and female stem cell lines, Dr. Stanford’s lab has been able to generate stem cells that can model the development of the disease in the laboratory and help with the development of new drugs.
Co-investigators: Arnold Kristof

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute


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Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
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