Newsroom

Dr. Bernard Thébaud’s team receives $3.2 million to develop stem cell therapy for babies with lung disease


August 19, 2015


Dr. Bernard Thébaud’s team is one of seven at The Ottawa Hospital recently awarded Foundation Grants by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Thébaud’s team has received $3.2 million over seven years to develop three different kinds of stem cell treatments for babies with life-threatening lung diseases. The three approaches focus on mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

“We are one of the very few labs in the world,” Thébaud told the Ottawa South News in a recent interview, “that is banking on the therapeutic potential of these stem cells that may likely revolutionize medicine and we are the only lab working on three types of stem cell products.”

Currently the therapies keeping these babies alive can seriously damage their lungs, leading to emphysema and high blood pressure in the lungs later in life. Stem cells have the ability to repair damaged lung tissue, promote lung growth or correct genetic mutations.

Cochercheur: Dean Fergusson.

About The Ottawa Hospital


The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care.


For further information, please contact


Lois Ross
Senior Communications Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-737-8899 x73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
loross@ohri.ca