MEDIA ADVISORY: Canada's regenerative medicine community is in Whistler for fifth annual Till & McCulloch Meetings

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - October 19, 2016) - Canadian and international stem cell scientists and engineers will be in Whistler, British Columbia, October 24-26 to attend the Till & McCulloch Meetings (TMM), Canada's premier stem cell research event. Over 400 delegates are expected to attend. The agenda, featuring speakers and special events, is available here. Media are invited to register, free of charge, to monitor the scientific sessions.

Highlights from the Meetings include a lecture from Dr. Molly Shoichet, this year's Till & McCulloch Award winner, for her paper, published in Stem Cell Reports in 2015, which demonstrated that stem cells could be injected into the retinas of blind mice to improve their vision by 15 percent. In addition to many exciting talks by scientists, Tina Ceroni, a Canadian stem cell transplant recipient, will share her moving story of being treated for the rare condition stiff-person syndrome (SPS). The Meetings will also include industry-hosted workshops, mentoring events by academic and industry experts, and award ceremonies.

Canada is a leader in the stem cell and regenerative medicine health care revolution. Canada is first amongst the G7 countries in R&D cost competitiveness; within the top five globally in the number of scientists in stem cell research; is third in the world for percentage concentration of patent activity in regenerative medicine; and, Canadian papers are amongst the most highly cited in the field*.

The Meetings, co-hosted by CCRM, the Stem Cell Network and OIRM, will take place at the Whistler Conference Centre.

*Sources available upon request.

Media are invited to attend the Till & McCulloch Meetings. Please note that media must contact Stacey Johnson (see below) in advance to confirm attendance.

About the Till & McCulloch Meetings
The Till & McCulloch Meetings are Canada's premier stem cell research event. As the only conference of its kind in Canada, the Till & McCulloch Meetings provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and research among Canada's leading stem cell scientists, clinicians, bioengineers and ethicists, as well as representatives from industry, government, health and NGO sectors from around the world. CCRM, the Stem Cell Network and the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine are pleased to be co-hosting the 2016 Meetings, which will be held in Whistler, British Columbia, from October 24-26, 2016. For more information, please visit www.tillandmcculloch.ca.

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