CONNECT! NSERC CREATE Program In Soft Connective Tissue Regeneration/Therapy

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The CONNECT Training Program will provide a unique, enriched, and multidisciplinary training opportunity to undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the development of novel, effective treatment approaches for soft connective tissue injuries. In particular, we will be exploring new strategies to generate replacement articular cartilage for the knees and hips, anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs), discs in the spine, and fat tissue. These strategies will be developed by a group of researchers with varied yet complementary expertise working at the interface between Engineering and the Health Sciences. The trainees will have opportunities to work within the facilities of collaborators at 4 different institutions. Each trainee will also undertake an internship with the following participating biomedical companies: CellScale, Octane Biotech, and DePuy Synthes Canada. These trainees will be highly sought after by the growing Canadian Biomedical Industry. There is a significant need within the Canadian biomedical industry for highly trained personnel with the unique skill set that will be developed through the CONNECT training program. Moreover, it is expected that the multidisciplinary environment the program provides will result in novel translatable strategies that could form the basis of new start up companies, which could potentially be initiated and led by the graduates from our program.