Research summary
Organ donation is a hot topic that affects many people with various diseases. Unfortunately, the need for organs is growing and donations are too few. This is why researchers like Dr. Lucie Germain, Canada Research Chair in Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, are turning to the production of reconstructed organs using tissue engineering techniques.
Germain’s work focuses on three main areas of organ reconstruction: skin, cornea and heart valves. She and her team are working with human cells to reconstruct living human organs that have histological, physiological and functional properties as close as possible to those of the original tissue, in order to use these substitutes to improve wound healing. They will harness the potential of these reconstructed human tissues as sophisticated models for basic and preclinical research to improve our knowledge of cell biology and intercellular communications and develop new treatments.