“Our lab makes endothelial cells from human pluripotent stem cells. This allows us to understand how endothelium forms and becomes special so we can fight vascular disease."- Dr. Blair GageAs a self-proclaimed “cell therapist,” Dr. Blair Gage aims to understand what makes stem cells tick and then gently coax them to realize their full potential.

That potential can be huge: he recently led a study showing that it is possible to correct a rare bleeding disorder in mice by harnessing human stem cells to replace most of the blood vessels in their liver. Dr. Gage is particularly interested in the endothelial cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels.

“Our lab makes endothelial cells from human pluripotent stem cells. This allows us to understand how endothelium forms and becomes special so we can fight vascular disease,” explained Dr. Gage, who was recently appointed as a scientist in The Ottawa Hospital’s Regenerative Medicine Program.

Dr. Gage previously worked as a research associate and postdoctoral fellow at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, affiliated with Toronto’s University Health Network. Prior to that he completed a PhD at the University of British Columbia. He is expected to obtain an appointment at the University of Ottawa in the future.

“At The Ottawa Hospital, I will have access to everything I might need, all the way from basic science tools to cell and virus manufacturing to clinical trials,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit.”

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. The Ottawa Hospital’s Regenerative Medicine Program includes the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research and the Sinclair Centre for Regenerative Medicine.