Many in the region are unaware, that right here in Ottawa, we have a global research powerhouse. And it’s not a private company, a start up, or a LLC — it’s The Ottawa Hospital. In addition to transforming care for patients here in Eastern Ontario and across Canada, the hospital is also making waves around the world due to the sheer impact of their research.
As the hospital embarks on building the most technologically advanced research hospital in the country, where researchers and clinicians will collaborate side-by-side, the goal is to attract even more of the brightest minds in the world. This will mean improved treatments, novel therapies, and access to cutting-edge clinical trials, without having to leave Ottawa. It will also mean more spinoff companies, jobs and training opportunities that will bolster the region’s growing life science ecosystem.
In recognition of the impressive pool of research talent, each year The Ottawa Hospital and its Research Institute honour a number of outstanding scientists for discoveries and innovations that are improving patient care and advancing science globally. This year’s honourees have led game-changing discoveries and innovations that are changing the healthcare landscape.
Helping eggs and embryos become healthy babies
Babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) owe their success, in part, to the collaborative research of Dr. Jay Baltz. When this technology was first introduced, there was no rule book on how to culture embryos to ensure safe and healthy pregnancies. But he set out to change that. In fact, Dr. Baltz’s research on egg and early embryo development had important implications for the make-up of the solution in which human embryos are grown allowing IVF to flourish. Today, there are millions globally who were born thanks to IVF or similar technologies.
He’s also held leadership roles in the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Program on Oocyte Health and the CIHR Stem Cell Oversight Committee. And he led and developed the CIHR Training Program in Reproduction and Early Development and the Impact on Health which helped shape over 70 reproductive research trainees from 2009 to 2015.
Over the years, Dr. Baltz has been a tireless advocate for trainees, to help set the next generation of researchers on the path of success. For his global leadership in reproductive biology and fertility research, he is recognized as the 2024 Grimes Career Achievement Award recipient.
Keeping hospitalized patients safe from bleeds and blood clots
Dr. Grégoire Le Gal knows that up to one quarter all blood clots happen in hospital, which is why admitted patients are usually given blood thinners. However, it was unclear whether these drugs actually prevented serious clots.
To find out, The Ottawa Hospital’s Dr. Le Gal and colleagues ran a clinical trial in 47 sites in France and Switzerland where 2,559 hospitalized patients, over the age of 70, were given either a blood thinner or placebo for up to two weeks. The trial found that blood thinners did not reduce the risk of blood clots in these patients, who had a wide variety of illnesses. These findings, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM Evidence), have reduced blood thinner use for hospitalized patients at low risk of clots, resulting in fewer side-effects for patients and significant cost-savings for hospitals.
Next up, Dr. Le Gal is planning an international trial to see whether applying AI to a hospitalized patient’s records can help physicians decide whether they would benefit from blood thinners. For this innovative and practice-changing trial, Dr. Le Gal is the 2024 recipient of the Chrétien Researcher of the Year Award.
Building better stem cell therapies for critically ill patients
Yuan Tan always dreamed of exploring outer space. In fact, she applied to the SpaceX program to bring civilians to space but didn’t get accepted. While it remains a dream of hers, in the meantime, she’s focused on investigating the mysteries of the immune system under the supervision of Drs. Duncan Stewart and Shirley Mei.
Her PhD research has provided new insights into how mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can boost the immune system of critically ill patients fighting sepsis or viral lung infections like COVID-19 and the flu. Her findings in the lab have opened new doors for developing better MSC therapies for these devastating diseases with greater potential to improve patient outcomes.
Tan also helped her team bring two MSC therapies from the lab into clinical trials by leading the development of cell manufacturing processes and tests required by Health Canada. She constantly seeks out the newest technologies and ideas to help her team make their ambitions a reality. Tan is recognized as this year’s recipient of the Worton Researcher in Training Award.
Improving recovery after surgery using a collaborative approach
Anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Verret wants the best recovery and pain control for his patients during and after surgery. For his PhD supervised by Drs. Dean Fergusson and Manoj Lalu, he studied opioid minimization strategies in surgical patients including non-opioid pain medications.
Painkillers called gabapentinoids were removed from surgical guidelines after his team found they did not meaningfully reduce pain after surgery and had serious side effects. Dr. Verret also identified the most promising medications that could reduce opioid use and improve recovery and pain after surgery. The drugs dexmedetomidine and lidocaine were on the top of the list, and he now plans to test their effectiveness in a large clinical trial as he starts his career as a clinician-scientist at Université Laval in Québec City.
He partnered with diverse stakeholders and people with lived experience to ensure his research focused on what mattered to them most, including quality of recovery and the impact of pain on daily life. For his innovative contributions to surgical pain control and patient-oriented research, Dr. Verret is receiving the Grimshaw Researcher in Training Award.
With cutting-edge innovation and relentless pursuit of healthcare excellence, The Ottawa Hospital is reshaping the future of healthcare and creating a better future for all. By fostering groundbreaking research and collaborating with leading minds worldwide, they’re not only advancing patient care here in Ottawa, but also setting new global standards in treatment and recovery. This is where future-driven healthcare begins.
