uOttawa News

OTTAWA, March 15, 2012  —  A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) is leading the world’s first clinical trial of a stem-cell therapy for septic shock, thanks to funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and from the Stem Cell Network.

Septic shock occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, resulting in severe organ damage and death in 30 to 40% of cases. The deadly condition accounts for 20% of all intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in Canada and costs $4 billion annually.

Under the leadership of Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, who is a scientist at OHRI, an ICU physician at The Ottawa Hospital, an assistant professor of medicine at uOttawa and a new investigator with CIHR and Canadian Blood Services, this new Phase I trial will test the experimental therapy in as many as 15 patients with septic shock at The Ottawa Hospital’s ICU.

For more information about the trial, read the OHRI’s news release.