Stem cell doc aims for innovative treatment for premature babies
Half of premature babies develop chronic lung disease, yet Dr. Bernard Thebaud believes their undeveloped lungs can be given a second chance with stem cell therapies created here in Ottawa, Canada.
“There’s a structure in Ottawa to help that dream come true,” said Dr. Thebaud, a renowned stem cell research scientist, Wednesday following an announcement that this fall he will join the city’s Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research.
“Since it opened in 2006, the centre has become internationally recognized,” Dr. Thebaud said. And within five years he plans to harness its resources to develop treatments for premature baby’s lungs and launch clinical trials for 10 to 20 patients.
Most premature babies are kept on respirators and given oxygen to keep them alive, but these treatments damage their lungs and there is presently no cure, he said.
“Dr. Thebaud is without a doubt, a world-leader in stem cell research and as a clinician-scientist, he is ideally positioned to develop and test new therapies for patients,” said fellow stem-cell researcher Dr. Duncan Stewart, who is CEO and Scientific Director at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
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