“Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease, but stem cell research is providing new hope,” -Dr. Michael RudnickiSatellos Bioscience, a start-up company founded by Dr. Michael Rudnicki, received the prestigious Company of the Year Award from Life Sciences Ontario and opened the Toronto Stock Exchange last week. 

Established in 2018, Satellos is developing new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) based on Dr. Rudnicki’s groundbreaking stem cell research. Dr. Rudnicki’s lab has demonstrated that the body’s muscle stem cells don’t produce enough muscle progenitor cells to keep up with the continuous damage caused by DMD. 

Satellos’ lead drug candidate, currently in preclinical development, is designed to address this regeneration deficit by resetting the body’s innate ability to repair and grow muscle. Satellos has also created a new discovery platform to extend this regenerative approach to other muscle diseases.

“Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease, but stem cell research is providing new hope,” said Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Senior Scientist and Scientific Director of Regenerative Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital, Professor at the University of Ottawa and Chief Scientific Officer at Satellos.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa. All researchers at The Ottawa Hospital follow a Responsible Innovation framework for developing and commercializing innovations in a responsible way.