CellCAN: A unique enabler of regenerative medicine and cell therapy in Canada

Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy (RMCT) is paving the way for the most innovative and promising medical breakthroughs of the 21st century. Indeed, its curative potential is immense and builds on the already proven benefits of stem cell transplantation. Successful and broad clinical implementation of RMCT, as well as reaping of its full social and economic benefits, is contingent on the resolution of a range of issues. The CellCAN network, a not-for-profit corporation, was created to tackle these challenges, gathering the key forces of the numerous Canadian organizations involved in basic research, assay development, manufacturing, clinical research, clinical trials, legal and ethical regulations, and policies, all working to move RMCT forward. CellCAN creates a national enterprise by bringing together a community of renowned researchers, industries, clinicians, funders and regulators, and aligning it with cell-handling facilities involved in processing cell products and other products for cell therapy clinical trials to ensure capacity and know-how for stem cell research and efficient execution of cell therapy clinical trials. CellCAN is uniquely positioned to accelerate the implementation of RMCT in Canada and disseminate novel developments and findings, thus significantly contributing to the world's knowledge in cellular therapeutics. As such, the CellCAN model could also serve as a useful benchmark to accelerate RMCT implementation in other countries.