This article was originally published in the October 2025 edition of Héma-Québec’s Magazine. All issues of the Magazine are available here.

Cell therapy, a promising new treatment option

Over the past decade, incredible strides have been made in cell therapy, gene therapy and regenerative medicine (CGT/RM). But let’s take a step back—what exactly are cellular therapy, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine?

Cellular therapy uses living cells to treat diseases. For example, a patient might be injected with cells that can replace or repair sick cells.

Gene therapy is used to correct a genetic anomaly or treat a disease by introducing, suppressing or modifying a gene within a patient’s own cells.

That leaves regenerative medicine: the field of medicine that aims to repair or regenerate damaged organs and tissue, using a combination of cells, genes, biomaterials and bio-engineering techniques. The goal of regenerative medicine is to “regrow” or regenerate defective body parts.

Now we know what exactly we’re talking about, you can see why this could be revolutionary for treating serious diseases! And Héma-Québec is right in the thick of it: several Héma-Québec researchers helped co-author an article on the subject in the June 2025 edition of the internationally renowned medical journal Frontiers in Medicine.

The article presents the findings from the September 2023 symposium, United for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, which focused on the challenges and opportunities facing CGT/RM in Québec and Canada. The symposium was jointly organized by ThéCell (Québec’s network for cell, tissue and gene therapy) and Héma-Québec. It brought together scientists, CGT/RM product developers, business representatives and experts in ethics, law, pharmacoeconomics and regulations. Together, they took stock of Québec’s CGT/RM ecosystem and laid the groundwork to develop practices that would benefit all. These collaborative efforts led to a plan with seven major orientations.

The 7 major directions in cell and gene therapies as well as in regenerative medicine (CGT/RM):

  Develop an ethical framework
  Spur private and public research investments
  Foster training and expertise
  Increase production capacity
  Adapt the regulatory framework
  Reform the reimbursement framework
  Ensure equitable access

These discussions are expected to inform new public policy on CGT/RM, in line with the principles of the universal health care systems in Québec and Canada. A great example of how Héma-Québec’s research is shaping the future of medicine!